Top 50 NBA Player Rankings: Joel Embiid is Coming for Another Crown
Joel Embiid may have accomplished the ultimate individual goal by winning NBA MVP during the 2022-23 season, but don't think he's done racking up accolades quite yet.
If anything, the Philadelphia 76ers' superstar center may be playing the best basketball of his career as he leads Philly up the Eastern Conference pecking order.
That, however, doesn't mean he checks in at No. 1 in the current rankings
As was the case in the Dec. 6 edition, which featured Embiid at No. 3 overall, the numbers will have the final say. They serve as the judge and jury here in this second set of top 50 player rankings based on RPR MVP score (more on that below).
Reputation is irrelevant, and heroics in previous seasons could not matter less. Only impact in 2023-24 comes into play.
Methodology
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As explained in full on Sports Math Network, which also shows how successful this metric has been predicting MVP races over the last decade, RPR MVP looks at a player's individual impact, boiling it down to a single number, assuming players have played 10-plus games.
Everything hinges on Rolling Player Rating (RPR), which shows how players have fared over the previous 10 games using a schedule-adjusted version of the game score metric to provide a reasonable snapshot of on-court contributions.
From there, five components are calculated to approximate a player's true peak, elongated peak, total value added, average performance and team success. A player's RPR MVP score is calculated by summing the Z-scores in each of the five categories, thus accounting for position relative to the pack in each component.
Like we said before: The numbers will have the final say.
It is worth noting that defense is a bit undervalued by this metric, which both hurts the Association's Defensive Player of the Year favorites and aids some of the league's leading traffic cones.
It's also difficult to account for plays that don't lead to box-score contributions, and some players benefit from meaningless stats accrued in garbage-time situations, though the latter tends to be less relevant as the sample size grows.
In other words, RPR MVP isn't perfect. No all-in-one metric ever will be. But based on its historical accuracy in predicting the MVP race, it provides a great player-ranking baseline.
50. Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 59
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 7.568
Brook Lopez has excelled all over the court, knocking down 35.1 percent of his 5.2 deep attempts per game on one end and swatting away 3.0 shots per contest on the other. He and Victor Wembanyama are the only qualified players with at least three blocks and no fewer than one made triple per game this season, and that's a club populated by only 2020-21 Myles Turner and 2022-23 Jaren Jackson Jr. throughout all of NBA history.
In other words?
Don't be fooled by Lopez's meager scoring average of 13.2 points. He's a two-way impact player for one of the NBA's true contenders.
Honorable Mentions: Desmond Bane, Spencer Dinwiddie, Darius Garland, Jrue Holiday, Reggie Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Austin Reaves, Coby White, Jalen Williams
49. De'Anthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 51
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 7.767
Speaking of players whose per-game scoring averages mask their true value to a legitimate contender...
De'Anthony Melton is averaging a career-high 11.9 points to go with his 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He's shooting just 39.4 percent from the field.
But his consistent ability to space the floor and defend every set under the sun as a 6'2" guard who plays far bigger than his frame has had a serious impact on the success of the Philadelphia 76ers.
48. D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 42
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 7.88
Since D'Angelo Russell made a surprising push toward the top 40 in the last edition, he's missed a game due to illness and struggled to find his shooting form. Over an admittedly small sample of just four games, he's averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from downtown and a shocking 0.0 percent at the stripe (admittedly on just one attempt).
If Russell is to continue remaining a truly valuable contributor to the Los Angeles Lakers rather than ceding more touches to the players waiting in the wings, he'll have to regain both some degree of aggression driving to the basket and a perimeter stroke more in line with his season-long 39.3 percent clip.
47. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 50
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.248
DeMar DeRozan is still capable of true takeover performances. Look no further than a Dec. 11 road contest against the Milwaukee Bucks in which the Bulls remained competitive enough to force overtime on the back of his 41 points and 11 assists, which came on 30 field-goal attempts and with only two turnovers.
The issue is that DeRozan followed up that masterful outing with a 3-of-13 brickfest in a loss to the Denver Nuggets. Night-to-night consistency hasn't been there during his age-34 season, especially from two-point territory.
Negative on-off splits have been a staple of DeRozan's career, though they've often been misleading. This year has taken that to the extreme since the Bulls have been 9.4 points per 100 possessions worse when he's putting his mid-range talents on display.
46. Jonas Valančiūnas, New Orleans Pelicans
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 40
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.331
Jonas Valančiūnas keeps trucking along for the New Orleans Pelicans, playing a non-glamorous game that consistently yields positive results.
The big man has suited up 27 times for a team that has played 27 times. And while his per-game averages of 14.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists aren't particularly notable, his all-around efficiency and sturdy interior defense have helped the Pelicans outscore their opponents by 7.1 more points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor.
45. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 45
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.412
Paolo Banchero hasn't yet developed the consistency necessary to rise too much higher as a second-year standout, and part of that stems from the Orlando Magic's spread-the-ball-around philosophy and wealth of up-and-coming talent.
That said, the reigning Rookie of the Year still puts together the occasional performance that leaves no doubt he'll make multiple All-Star rosters.
Dropping 42 points in a Dec. 6 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was one such example. Going for 36 points and 10 rebounds against the stifling Boston Celtics defense on Dec. 17 was another.
44. Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 35
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.53
Dejounte Murray has held steady for the Atlanta Hawks, who have struggled to remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race as they face a rather difficult schedule. Only nine teams have faced a tougher slate, but Atlanta now goes against a middle-of-the-pack remaining calendar, per Tankathon.
That bodes well for the do-everything guard who has proved impervious to upticks in opponent difficulty.
Murray has scored at least 20 points in 15 of his 26 appearances, and he's dropped at least five dimes in six of the remaining 11 contests.
43. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 38
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.59
Pascal Siakam's numbers are down across the board. In particular, he's struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter with any accuracy, connecting on just 26.3 percent of his 3.7 triples per game and 28.6 percent of his two-pointers from at least 16 feet.
It speaks to the versatility of his game that he's still able to check in as a top-50 player for the Toronto Raptors.
Siakam has also functioned as a multipositional defender who can fill virtually any offensive role, and the Raptors' level of play has been drastically different with him on (1.2 net rating) and off the court (minus-8.8 net rating).
42. Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 43
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.682
Franz Wagner likely isn't done rising up the rankings.
The 6'10" forward showed off his dangerous shooting stroke at Michigan, and it was backed by two straight collegiate seasons north of 80 percent at the stripe. Then he shot 35.4 percent and 36.1 percent from outside the arc during his first two professional campaigns.
So while he's averaging career highs in points (20.0), rebounds (5.8), assists (3.9) and steals (1.1), he has that much more room for growth when his 4.9 deep tries per game start falling at better than his current 29.3 percent clip.
41. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 41
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.758
Imagine what might happen when Michael Porter Jr. shoots to the full extent of his capabilities.
He's risen in the rankings despite slashing just 39.7/36.4/77.8 since the last edition of these rankings, but that's largely because he's helped the Denver Nuggets continue to play championship-caliber basketball while chipping in with 7.2 rebounds per game and flat-out refusing to make mistakes in the form of turnovers (1.0 per contest) or fouls (1.3 per game).
Though Porter benefits from sharing the floor with a certain two-time MVP for the vast majority of his minutes, it's no fluke he's helped the Nuggets outscore the opposition by a substantial margin during his run.
40. Fred VanVleet, Houston Rockets
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 47
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.759
The importance of Fred VanVleet's role can't be overstated, especially because the Houston Rockets are attempting to stay in above-.500 world and compete for a Western Conference playoff spot despite boasting one of the Association's 10 youngest rosters.
Not only does the 29-year-old lead the league in minutes per game (38.3), but he's also tasked with serving as a true dual-threat option who can light up the scoreboard with his perimeter shooting and get all of his teammates going.
He's thrived in the latter role and is the lone qualified player averaging north of eight assists but fewer than two turnovers.
39. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 46
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.771
Rudy Gobert's defensive prowess still isn't fully captured by the ranking methodology in play here, which makes it all the more impressive that he's holding down a top-40 spot and on the cusp of true metrics-based All-Star consideration.
Dunks & Threes classifies Gobert as a 98th percentile defender, trailing only Xavier Tillman, Evan Mobley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Joel Embiid, Goga Bitadze, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs on the less glamorous end. Subjectively, he's even more impressive considering the centricity of his role to the Minnesota Timberwolves' schemes.
Gobert checks in as the No. 3 finisher for the squad currently pacing the Western Conference with room to spare, and it's reasonable to argue he should be at least sharing the same territory as the two teammates outpacing him in these rankings.
38. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 20
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.844
Bam Adebayo has been working to rehabilitate a hip contusion that kept him out of the lineup after he logged 12:28 of action against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 30 until he returned on Dec. 18 with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists in a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
His decline from the top 20 is due solely to those absences.
He ranks No. 24 in true peak, No. 22 in 10-game peak and No. 17 in average game, but the Heat's relative lack of success and his injury-related volume limitations (No. 99 in that category) are dropping him further down the rankings than otherwise expected.
37. Derrick White, Boston Celtics
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 53
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 8.897
Who would have expected Derrick White to first make the honorable mentions of our Dec. 6 player rankings and then ascend into the top 40 in the follow-up edition?
The Boston Celtics guard has been remarkably efficient within his role in Beantown, drilling 41.9 percent of his deep looks, turning the ball over only 1.8 times per contest and generally doing all the little things that help his teammates thrive. And as the season has progressed, he's gaining trust from head coach Joe Mazzulla to do the bigger things, too.
Since the start of December, White has averaged a pristine 18.4 points, 5.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds while slashing 50.0/46.8/100.0.
He just doesn't make mistakes.
36. Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 28
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.019
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tobias Harris rises higher than most will expect because of his consistent availability and reliable production for one of the NBA's true powerhouses.
The Philadelphia 76ers rank second in SRS because they've faced an easy schedule but have capitalized by outscoring their opponents by a league-best 11.27 points per game. That works in Harris' favor since he's missed zero games and has done his job even as the three-ball hasn't fallen, chipping in reliably in every area to ensure he can elevate the impact of his more-talented teammates in whatever way is necessary.
Harris would rank 63rd if no team component factored into the rankings. But it does, and he's taking advantage.
35. Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 32
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.08
Kyrie Irving has blended in nicely to a competitive Dallas Mavericks squad keeping pace with the top outfits in the Western Conference. He's found the right way to balance his ball-commandeering style of offensive dominance with the proper deferrals to Luka Dončić, allowing him to blend together volume and efficiency rather nicely on the scoring end.
But health concerns have held him back and prevented him from rising toward the top 20 of the player rankings.
Irving played just 13:21 against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 8 and was subsequently diagnosed with a right heel contusion that has kept him out of the lineup since. With only 17 games under his belt, he doesn't have the volume necessary to climb the ladder to even greater heights.
34. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 31
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.179
"I feel like I'm playing some of the best defense of my career," Jaylen Brown said on Dec. 14, per Boston.com's Khari Thompson. "I made a commitment before the season that I wanted to be First-Team All-Defense. I feel like I've been living up to that."
Dunks & Threes gives him plenty of credit, with the defensive estimated plus-minus metric slotting him into the 95th percentile. Boston has also been slightly more effective with him on the floor, holding opponents to 1.0 fewer points per 100 possessions. Perhaps most importantly, his active hands and intensity have helped him pass the defensive eye test on a nightly basis.
But until the triples start falling or he gets more involved as a distributor, both of which happen with some degree of regularity, Brown won't have the consistent offensive juice to rise into a portion of the rankings that aligns more strongly with the widespread preseason expectations.
33. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 34
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.228
Jimmy Butler might need some more help in Miami, which could come just by virtue of the roster getting healthier around him. The Heat are outscoring opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor but getting trounced to the tune of a minus-7.7 net rating when he's watching from the pine or in street clothes.
Butler has undoubtedly regressed from the ridiculous level he reached down the stretch of the 2022-23 campaign. He's posting the first negative defensive box plus/minus of his career and has seen subtle signs of erosion on offense, ranging from his poor shooting on two-pointers to his worsening assist-to-turnover ratio.
However, team success is the biggest wart on his résumé, which might be surprising given Miami's 15-12 record.
Butler ranks between Nos. 27 and 34 in each of the individual components of RPR MVP. Miami's SRS, though, ranks 21st due to a meager margin of victory against, to date, the league's second-easiest schedule.
32. Kristaps Porziņģis, Boston Celtics
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 26
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.267
Kudos to Kristaps Porziņģis for understanding how to play within Joe Mazzulla's scheme.
"His game in the win over Cleveland is a perfect example of how Boston's offense should work on any given night. Sure, he wasn't efficient, but he didn't allow that to get in the way of the team. Instead, he worked to earn extra easy looks and set himself up to succeed," Sam LaFrance wrote for Celtics Blog. "The Celtics are simply too talented to let a rough night from any of their stars hold them down. There are just too many options within Joe Mazzulla's rotation for any one player to have to force up shots with hopes of finding a rhythm."
Porziņģis, whether he's on a heater or coming back from an injury-related absence, has refused to let misses deter him from taking the shots he should hoist. Similarly, he hasn't let his game devolve into hero-ball attempts even though his high release point and long-range ability could push him down that route.
He's playing consistent basketball that benefits Boston.
31. James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 64
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.288
One of the biggest risers since the Dec. 6 edition of these rankings, James Harden sure seems to have found his footing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dating back to the beginning of December, the bearded guard has averaged 20.1 points, 9.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals while turning the ball over just 2.3 times per contest and slashing 51.7/48.9/90.2. When he's able to pair his foul-drawing acumen with a reliable perimeter shot and a willingness to function as a pass-first player, the results are incredibly positive.
So positive, in fact, that even as a 34-year-old, Harden is reminding the world of his all-timer status on the scoring side.
30. Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 30
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.354
The list of players throughout NBA history to average at least 20 points while recording no fewer than a steal and a block per game is a short one. It features just 66 players, and only five are hitting the thresholds in 2023-24.
But Scottie Barnes isn't just a new member of that exclusive fraternity.
He's also nailing 38.8 percent of his triples, chipping in with 9.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, keeping his turnovers in check and playing lockdown defense for the Toronto Raptors in ways that don't show up in the box score.
He's emerged as a full-fledged star who should be deemed untouchable regardless of what route Toronto travels down leading up to the February trade deadline.
29. Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 36
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.511
Mikal Bridges is so close to putting it all together.
Some nights, everything clicks. Take his 42 points in a Dec. 2 blowout win over the Orlando Magic, which were followed by 32 points, six dimes and a game-winner in a road victory over the Atlanta Hawks the next time he took the floor.
But Bridges also goes through stretches where he plays a bit too passively on the scoring end, deferring to teammates rather than taking it upon himself to create easier looks in the half-court set.
"I just did everything bad: missing shots, free throws, not defending, not rebounding. Just a bad one," Bridges said, per the New York Post's Brian Lewis, after a Dec. 18 loss to the Utah Jazz in which he went 4-of-16 from the field. "Pretty much just out there and letting my teammates down, coaches down, playing five-on-four out there basically while I'm out there. So I just gotta be better and I won't let that happen again."
To his credit, those downward-dragging performances are coming fewer and further between, which is why he keeps moving up the rankings in spite of the occasional stinker.
28. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 22
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.574
Brandon Ingram hasn't made an All-Star roster since his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans, which came back in 2019-20. But this could be the year he breaks the streak as an all-around stalwart for a team quickly asserting itself as a significant factor in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Duke product hasn't found his deep stroke (32.4 percent on 4.3 attempts per game), but everything else is clicking. He's seemed more in control of his possessions, rising and firing for smooth jumpers at the right time and staying involved as a secondary distributor who rarely makes mistakes and still leaves enough energy for the defensive end.
A pair of single-digit scoring outputs in December have knocked Ingram down a few pegs, but he's still in promising territory for a team with a wealth of options.
27. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 21
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.652
Chet Holmgren keeps thriving for the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially on the defensive end.
The redshirt rookie has been an absolute menace, teleporting out of nowhere to wreak helpside havoc when he's not taking a more straightforward approach to deter easy buckets. He's prevented countless shots, tipped passes going through the middle of the paint and swatted shots with ferocity for a team that has defensive potency littered throughout the roster.
Holmgren, who now leads the non-Jalen Suggs pack in defensive estimated plus-minus, per Dunks & Threes, even put together a two-game stretch with seven and eight blocks in victories over the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 16 and 18. That's the only set of consecutive contests with seven-plus blocks of the 2023-24 campaign, as well as the lone such stretch by a rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998.
26. Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 29
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.747
Paul George doesn't need to score the basketball to be effective for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 33-year-old forward is a capable secondary—sometimes even primary—distributor. He can crash the boards on a nightly basis. He locks down on defense day in and day out, to the point that he's in the 81st percentile for Dunks & Threes' defensive estimated plus-minus.
Plus, he can actually score the rock.
George is chipping in with 22.9 points per game, thriving both as a rim-crashing driver who generates 4.0 free-throw attempts per game and connects at a 93.1 percent clip and a perimeter threat who takes a whopping 8.2 triples per contest and makes 39.2 percent of those shots from beyond the rainbow.
25. Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 24
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 9.912
Sometimes, a missed shot says it all.
With the game tied at 122 apiece and seven seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter of a Dec. 18 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka drew up a play for Alperen Şengün. The 21-year-old received the inbounds pass as his teammates cleared out, allowing him to operate one-on-one against Jarrett Allen.
Şengün missed the fadeaway jumper, and his team lost in overtime. But the confidence shown in him left little doubt that he's become the unquestioned centerpiece of the Houston offense, even while surrounded by talented veterans such as Fred VanVleet and up-and-coming talents such as Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr.
Just wait until he grows even more comfortable in that role.
24. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 27
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 10.036
Devin Booker is still working to overcome the absence that kept him out of action for eight of the Phoenix Suns' first 10 games.
Not in terms of his performance, of course.
The dynamic guard is averaging a scorching 28.1 points and 8.3 assists while slashing 47.9/39.3/91.3. He's continued to excel as both a devastating scoring threat and a player who can throw on the point guard hat and challenge the league's best passers.
But the volume still isn't there.
With only 17 games under his belt, Booker ranks 78th in the volume component of RPR MVP, and his absences have prevented the Suns from looking as successful from a team-first perspective. So while he ranks within the top 15 for both peak components and average performance, that can only do so much heavy lifting here, forcing him into a misleadingly low spot in the countdown.
23. Julius Randle, New York Knicks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 37
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 10.132
Just look at what Julius Randle has done since he checked in at No. 37 on Dec. 6:
- 20 points, five rebounds and three assists on 7-of-15 shooting against the Boston Celtics
- 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 14-of-21 shooting against the Toronto Raptors
- 32 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on 14-of-23 shooting against the Utah Jazz
- 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 10-of-16 shooting against the Phoenix Suns
- 22 points, four rebounds and three assists on 8-of-17 shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers
- 27 points, 14 rebounds and three assists on 12-of-22 shooting against the Los Angeles Lakers
Cumulatively, that's 26.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 57.0 percent shooting from the field against a gauntlet of opponents.
Randle has rebounded from a rough start to the year with aplomb. And while many New York Knicks fans might be wondering when the bottom is going to drop out again (and hoping it won't happen during a postseason series), the highs have been worth celebrating for the talented and mercurial forward.
22. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 25
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 10.223
Even as storylines have swirled about Zion Williamson's weight and eating habits, the New Orleans Pelicans star has thrived on the court.
Keeping Williamson away from the basket is practically impossible given his combination of power and dexterity, especially now that he's proved more adept at picking the right spots and hitting teammates with on-target kick-out feeds. Dropping his turnovers per game to 2.5 while remaining heavily involved as a distributor has been vital to the Pelicans' success, particularly when the opposition can't drop everyone into the painted area to await his next surge toward the hoop.
Williamson could stand to show more dedication on the defensive end, but we're really just picking at nits given how impressive his overall performance has been now that he's abandoned the notion he's a three-point sniper.
21. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 23
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 10.297
"My job is to focus on this," Donovan Mitchell explained while responding to questions about his future, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "We have two guys that are out, so I'm not answering anything. And, no disrespect, I appreciate that you have to ask the question, but I'm not going there with any of those questions. My focus is on these guys being out, us trying to find a way to get wins."
Mitchell will be a free agent in 2025, but exits can take place quicker than expected in the modern version of the NBA. And if he keeps playing like this for a Cleveland Cavaliers squad struggling to reach the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference standings, speculation could begin to run rampant in the near future.
After all, the 2-guard has done quite a bit of heavy lifting within Darius Garland in the lineup and has now scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games. He's also averaged 5.8 assists during that stretch, remaining highly involved in the offensive display even when he's not calling his own number.
20. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 17
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 10.631
Anthony Edwards' hip injury has clearly prevented him from maintaining his early-season pace.
He missed a pair of contests as the calendar flipped from November to December, sat out again on Dec. 11, played just 3:43 against the Memphis Grizzlies three days earlier and put together 4-of-17 and 3-of-19 shooting performances to bookend his latest bout with the hip pointer.
Then he exploded, scoring 69 combined points in back-to-back wins over the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.
Edwards' season has been a roller-coaster affair, but he's still averaging 24.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 45.2/38.3/85.4 shooting, and he clearly has plenty of room to grow based on his everything-is-working outbursts and ability to knock down difficult looks.
Plus, the emerging lockdown perimeter stopper has done all this while sitting in the 89th percentile for Dunks & Threes' defensive estimated plus-minus.
19. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 16
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 11.129
Can we all just agree to take a step back and appreciate how ridiculously good Karl-Anthony Towns is on the offensive end?
The 7-footer is averaging 22.2 points, putting him north of the 20-point threshold for the eighth consecutive season. This year, he's doing so while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, a career-best 42.4 percent from downtown and a career-best 90.4 percent from the stripe.
In other words, Towns is angling to join Larry Bird (1986-87, 1987-88), Stephen Curry (2015-16), Kevin Durant (2012-13, 2022-23), Kyrie Irving (2020-21) and Dirk Nowitzki (2006-07) as the sixth player in NBA history to make the 50/40/90 cutoff while averaging at least 20 points.
That list of offensive stars isn't too shabby.
18. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 14
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 11.311
Domantas Sabonis' numbers continue to shine.
After taking the cake with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists and just two turnovers on 11-of-16 shooting in a 143-131 win over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 18, the big man is averaging a scorching 18.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists.
That's quite similar to what he posted last year (19.1, 12.3 and 7.3), but he's now shooting 40.6 percent from downtown and getting to the charity stripe even more frequently.
Interestingly, none of this has helped the Sacramento Kings improve their performance when he's on the floor. But that's at least partially because the second-stringers have been able to hold their own regardless of matchup this season.
17. Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 18
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 11.415
The Milwaukee Bucks are beginning to click.
Since the beginning of December, Damian Lillard is averaging 26.3 points, 7.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 44.3 percent from downtown (on 8.7 deep tries per game) and 90.0 percent from the stripe (on 7.1 shots per contest). Those are audacious numbers for someone who often shares the floor with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And speaking of that two-man partnership, the Bucks are now stomping opponents to the tune of an 8.5 net rating when the two superstars are on the floor. Since the beginning of December, that number has elevated to a staggering 19.7.
Lillard has experienced only a minor rise since the last edition of these rankings, but it's tough to believe he's done trending toward the top 10.
16. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 19
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 11.599
The Phoenix Suns may still be having nightmares about Jalen Brunson.
During a 139-122 New York Knicks victory on Dec. 15, Jalen Brunson waltzed into Footprint Center and torched the talent-laden Suns for 50 points, nine assists, six rebounds and five steals. Somehow, he did so while coughing the ball up just twice, making all nine of his three-point attempts and shooting 17-of-23 from the field.
Only Giannis Antetokounmpo (twice) and Zach LaVine have scored more points in a game this season. Just Keegan Murray (12-of-15) and Bogdan Bogdanović (10-of-17) have made more triples in a single outing.
Brunson has been consistently excellent for the Knicks in 2023-24, but his consistency still shouldn't overshadow his peak performance.
15. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 13
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 11.866
The Portland Trail Blazers may not have defeated the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 17, but they did the unthinkable by snapping Stephen Curry's streak of 268 straight games with a made three.
Somehow, the two-time MVP had one of the worst scoring performances of his career, missing all eight shots from beyond the arc, going just 2-of-12 from the field and submitting only seven points. He still chipped in with eight assists and helped the Dubs outscore the opposition by 14 when he was on the floor, but that was far from the main storyline.
On the year, Curry has remained a ceaselessly positive player averaging 28.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and a career-worst 4.4 assists. He's knocking down 41.1 percent of his 11.7 three-point hoists per game.
However, he's not reaching prior levels while tasked with carrying an underperforming Dubs squad that can't seem to find vintage Klay Thompson and has had to deal with numerous Draymond Green distractions.
14. De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 15
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 11.901
Volume—and, to a far lesser extent, the Sacramento Kings' relative lack of success while submitting the league's No. 13 SRS—continues to be all that holds De'Aaron Fox back.
His true 10-game peak, which came on Nov. 29 with per-game averages of 31.1 points, 6.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds on 50.0/36.0/71.4 shooting, ranks 12th in the league. Only nine players have had a higher elongated peak this year, and his average game checks in at No. 8 overall.
But Fox ranks 42nd in the volume component of RPR MVP since he's still played in only 19 of his team's 25 games. Six missed contests might not seem significant, and they won't be if that's all the superstar point guard has missed when the regular season wraps up. But for the time being, that's still 24 percent of the schedule—the equivalent of 20 absences over a full 82-game calendar.
13. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 33
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 12.38
"Kawhi Leonard just hasn't seemed quite like the peak version of Kawhi Leonard thus far," I wrote to kick off the Los Angeles Clippers star's portion of the Dec. 6 rankings. "He's had to work harder for his looks. He's generated less separation off the bounce. The strength inherent in his game has felt more laborious."
Welp.
So much for that.
Since then, Leonard has helped push the Clippers' winning streak to eight games, and he's averaged 32.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 65.1/58.8/95.1 shooting. Yes, you read those numbers correctly.
Leonard just can't miss lately and has had no issues generating any look he wants against a relatively weak stretch of defenses.
12. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 11
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 12.752
Trae Young has been on quite the heater for the Atlanta Hawks even as the team continues to land firmly in the realm of mediocrity.
Over his last 10 games, Young has averaged 31.1 points and 11.4 assists while shooting 46.5/39.3/83.8. He's been a bit too free with the ball and hasn't played anything better than semi-passable defense, hence the inability to carry his troops to more than a 3-7 record over that stretch, but it's hard to imagine how lost the Atlanta offense would look without his services.
The Oklahoma product has put together four consecutive contests with at least 30 points and 10 assists, and that's a feat no one else has pulled off in 2023-24. In fact, only nine players ever have: Tiny Archibald (five times), Luka Dončić (twice), James Harden (four times), Michael Jordan, Damian Lillard (twice), Oscar Robertson (eight times), Jerry West, Russell Westbrook and Young.
11. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 9
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 12.963
Seeing LeBron James outside the top 10 may feel funky, especially considering he and the Los Angeles Lakers made such positive headlines for their title-winning run through the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
But James' numbers (25.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 3.3 turnovers) have largely trended in the wrong direction since last year, and the Lakers haven't exactly been a juggernaut. In fact, the team component holds him back most considering he's between Nos. 7-11 for all the individual RPR MVP components.
The Lakers are 15-12 (plus the victory over the Indiana Pacers that doesn't count toward regular-season stats or standings), but they've played a middle-of-the-pack schedule and only have a 0.33-point average margin of victory. That leads to a 0.12 SRS that's sandwiched between the Atlanta Hawks (0.33) and Pacers (minus-0.09) for the No. 18 score in the Association.
Until the Purple and Gold truly catch fire, James' numbers are held back by the fact they've been produced for a team with mediocre overall results.
10. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 7
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 13.03
Jayson Tatum needs to put together a few true showcase performances if he's going to climb closer to the top five of the individual rankings. He's been a consistent two-way force for a dominant Boston Celtics outfit, but everyone surpassing him (still true but to a lesser extent with the No. 8 finisher) has logged a significantly higher peak during the 2023-24 campaign.
Tatum's true peak ranks 19th overall, coming on Nov. 13 when he completed his first 10 games of the year with averages of 28.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 52.6/39.8/78.9 shooting.
Impressive numbers, sure. But not impressive enough for this portion of the rankings.
Looking at it another way, Tatum's top two Game Scores this season are 36.7 (in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets) and 27.5 (in a blowout victory over the Indiana Pacers). Among all individual efforts this campaign, those check in at Nos. 32 and 240, respectively.
It's a testament to Tatum's consistency as a top option on a top team that he can overcome that lack of true top-end outbursts relative to the field.
9. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 6
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 13.131
At what point does the world have to accept that Kevin Durant is an offensive deity?
He's still on the cusp of slashing 50/40/90, checking in at 51.4/47.1/87.0 while averaging 30.6 points and 5.6 assists. At 35 years old, he's tracking toward supplanting 32-year-old Stephen Curry as the oldest qualified scorer in NBA history to average north of 30 points. He's able to get to any spot on the floor whenever he wants, and his high release is still virtually unguardable.
Durant's four absences for a Suns squad that hasn't yet asserted itself as a true force in the Western Conference have knocked him down a few pegs in the individual hierarchy, but this ageless wonder is putting together yet another phenomenal chapter of his Hall of Fame career.
8. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 8
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 13.417
Tyrese Maxey hasn't fallen too far off the pace he established while checking in at the identical spot in the first edition of these rankings. Since then, he's averaged 22.0 points, 6.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds while continuing to suppress his turnover numbers and shooting 43.8/41.7/87.5. That's slightly less impressive than his season-long output, but it's still leaving him in celestial territory.
Without question, Maxey benefits from spending so much time alongside Joel Embiid. Playing for a loaded Philadelphia 76ers squad that's making a run at "best team in the league" status helps him out, as well.
But make no mistake about it. Maxey isn't just sitting at such a lofty spot because he's getting an artificial boost from the jersey he wears. He's been a huge part of the Sixers' success, and he'd check in at No. 13 overall even if the team component was removed from the RPR MVP formula.
7. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 12
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 13.505
A healthy version of Anthony Davis has been unleashed on the NBA, and the results are terrifying.
The big man is thriving in every area, especially now that he's stopped hoisting as many deep looks and is content to serve as a basket-attacking behemoth with great hands and soft shooting touch amid traffic. He's averaging 24.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.1 steals and just 2.0 turnovers while knocking down 54.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.
That somehow fails to capture the full extent of his all-around devastation.
Much like LeBron James before him, Davis is held back slightly by the lack of top-level success the Los Angeles Lakers have experienced (In-Season Tournament notwithstanding). But it's hard to blame the unibrowed big man considering he's helped the team improve by 9.0 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor.
6. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 5
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 14.231
Tyrese Haliburton has fallen only one rung in the rankings since Dec. 6, but the drop-off has felt a bit more significant since he's gone from challenging for a top-four spot and missing out by 0.289 RPR MVP points to trailing the five remaining players by at least 1.368.
Essentially, Haliburton has fallen down a tier in the actual MVP conversation.
The Pacers' ineffectiveness on the defensive end has started to impact the final result more in recent games, pushing them closer to .500 as the excitement of the In-Season Tournament has worn off. And while the man leading the offensive charge has remained quite effective, he's started to experience more turnover trouble and shooting woes as opponents have adjusted to the up-tempo strategies that feature the ball flying around the floor.
Since Dec. 6, Haliburton has averaged 18.0 points, 12.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 turnovers while slashing 44.7/33.3/80.0. Those are still excellent numbers, but they're not up to the standard he'd established during his sensational early stretch.
5. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 10
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 15.599
Luka Dončić is beginning to venture further into uncharted territory, though he sometimes struggles to bring the Dallas Mavericks with him.
Last year, the Slovenian superstar joined Michael Jordan as the second qualified player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jordan did so only once, putting up 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Chicago Bulls in 1988-89.
Now, Dončić is trending toward leaving Jordan in the dust by submitting consecutive campaigns that meet the necessary thresholds. And, perhaps more importantly for these purposes, he's also outpacing last year's numbers by averaging an eye-popping 32.9 points, 9.1 dimes and 8.4 boards.
Dončić ranks within the top five for each individual component of RPR MVP, including earning the No. 1 true peak placement after his stellar showing against the Denver Nuggets in a losing effort on Dec. 18.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 4
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 16.14
Giannis Antetokounmpo's ranking hasn't changed, but his score has elevated from 14.898 to 16.14, leaving him on the cusp of challenging for top-three placement in future editions rather than sitting a tier beneath the true award contenders a few weeks earlier.
Since Dec. 6, the Milwaukee Bucks' leading superstar has scored 37 points against the Indiana Pacers, logged 32 points, 12 rebounds and six assists against the Chicago Bulls, exploded for a franchise-record 64 points in a revenge game against the Pacers and played highly impactful, efficient basketball in victories over the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets.
He's fully clicking at this point, regardless of whether he's operating as more of a solo star or sharing the ball with Damian Lillard.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 2
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 17.604
So much of the focus this season has rested on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's offensive potency. He's a hyper-efficient passer who has the length, ball-handling savvy and lateral agility necessary to get to his spot at a moment's notice, and his ability to average 30.7 points and 6.4 assists without turning the ball over more than 2.0 times per contest serves as the driving force of a potent Oklahoma City Thunder offense.
But SGA might be even better on defense.
Not only is he leading the league with 2.8 steals per game, but the Thunder have also allowed 12.1 fewer points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. Though some of that stems from his shared run with Chet Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander has allowed the OKC bigs to roam more freely because of his switchability and excellence at the point of attack.
Dunks & Threes' defensive estimated plus-minus slots the 25-year-old into the 99th percentile, placing him behind only Holmgren and Jalen Suggs. And the eye test matches the numbers.
2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 3
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 18.167
Based on the RPR MVP methodology, Joel Embiid's last 10 games have been more impressive than any 10-game stretch produced during his MVP-winning efforts in 2022-23.
Three absences took place amid the stretch that dates back to Nov. 21, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has averaged 37.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 57.5 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from downtown and 89.5 percent at the stripe (on 12.4 attempts per game).
Those numbers are, in a word, absurd. In fact, only 21 players in the history of the sport—again, based on the RPR MVP methodology—have submitted a superior 10-game stretch.
It's no coincidence that the Sixers have gone 8-2 during that stretch while challenging the Boston Celtics for the league's best set of underlying performance metrics. Embiid's stats are anything but empty, and they've allowed him to shrink the gap between himself and the No. 1 finisher to a rather small divide.
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
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Dec. 6 Ranking: No. 1
Dec. 20 RPR MVP Score: 18.655
Perhaps it's the grind of the NBA schedule. Maybe it's the lack of reliable bench contributors who can ease the nightly burden. It could be the absence and reintegration of Jamal Murray into the Denver Nuggets lineup.
But whatever the reason, Nikola Jokić has struggled more than usual in recent weeks, allowing the rest of the pack to close in even as he retains his placement atop the league.
Whether it's the inexplicable ejection against the Chicago Bulls, the combined 18-of-58 shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets or the passivity on display while putting up just eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a blowout victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA's best player has looked more mortal than he has in quite some time.
Of course, Jokić has still averaged 18.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists while slashing 49.4/37.5/80.6 since the last set of rankings, and the Nuggets have gone 4-2 while outscoring their opponents by 7.3 points per game with him on the floor. It's not like he can be held totally in check, after all.
Biggest Movement in Top 100
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Looking only at those who qualified for the Dec. 6 edition (10-plus games), the following top-100 players experienced the biggest swings over the last two weeks.
Highest Risers:
- Coby White: Up 94 spots from No. 150 to No. 56
- Jaren Jackson Jr.: Up 40 spots from No. 122 to No. 82
- Ivica Zubac: Up 36 spots from No. 98 to No. 62
- Victor Wembanyama: Up 33 spots from No. 106 to No. 73
- James Harden: Up 33 spots from No. 64 to No. 31
- Jabari Smith Jr.: Up 32 spots from No. 115 to No. 83
- Malik Monk: Up 32 spots from No. 108 to No. 76
- Keldon Johnson: Up 31 spots from No. 130 to No. 99
- Cade Cunningham: Up 25 spots from No. 120 to No. 95
- Kawhi Leonard: Up 20 spots from No. 33 to No. 13
Biggest Fallers:
- Cam Thomas: Down 39 spots from No. 61 to No. 100
- LaMelo Ball: Down 25 spots from No. 44 to No. 69
- Dennis Schröder: Down 20 spots from No. 65 to No. 85
- Bam Adebayo: Down 18 spots from No. 20 to No. 38
- Jerami Grant: Down 17 spots from No. 67 to No. 84
- Josh Giddey: Down 16 spots from No. 75 to No. 91
- Zach LaVine: Down 14 spots from No. 57 to No. 71
- Sam Hauser: Down 13 spots from No. 74 to No. 87
- Evan Mobley: Down 13 spots from No. 39 to No. 52
- Myles Turner: Down 13 spots from No. 54 to No. 67
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball Reference, NBA.com or Sports Math Network and current heading into games on Dec. 19.
