NBA Power Rankings: Kobe Bryant and the Most Indispensable Player from Each Team
On every NBA team there is that one guy that can't be replaced.
Some of them are the marquee player on the team, but other times it is surprising just who is the most impressive.
Here we list the most indispensable player from each of the 30 NBA teams.
Read on to find out which guys are the ones their teams can't live without.
Agree or disagree, we want to hear which guys you think your team needs more than anyone else.
Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
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Al Horford was part of the Florida Gators team that won back-to-back NCAA tournaments a few years back, so it should come as no surprise that he has turned into a very good NBA player.
He isn't the incredible athlete Josh Smith is or the scorer Joe Johnson is, but he is a beast inside and is having a career year.
Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo
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Rajon Rondo is running away with the assist title this year and as a result, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce have been having a great season playing off their young point guard.
Rondo has a lot to work on in his game considering the fact that he has no real jump shot, but he has a chance to be extremely special.
Charlotte Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas
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Tyrus Thomas has always been a great athlete, but the question was never about his athleticism—it was whether he could actually play basketball. This year he has really improved as a player.
Thomas is in the top 50 for PER and he is averaging career highs in almost every major statistical category.
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose
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Derrick Rose's numbers this year: 24.9 points, 8.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and a great 23.3 PER.
Rose has been getting quite a bit of mention as the MVP of the NBA this season. With numbers like that, it is hard to argue with.
It is hard to imagine where the Bulls would be without Rose, but I can say without a doubt that they would not be third in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao
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The poor Cleveland Cavaliers are really lacking for talent this year after the departure of LeBron James, but they didn't really go into the tank until Anderson Varejao went out with injuries.
Sure, the Brazilian forward is probably not going to be an All-Star or anything close to that, but he does so many things for the team that he is really indispensable.
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki
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Dirk Nowitzki is the all-time leading scorer for the Dallas Mavericks. He has been at the center of every success the franchise has had since he entered the league.
Nowitzki is the easy choice here. Any other guy would simply be a mistake.
Denver Nuggets: Nene
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I really don't think Nene gets enough credit for the job he does in Denver. He is a beast inside and does a lot of the dirty work that makes the Nuggets successful.
The reason he gets the nod here over Carmelo Anthony is that 'Melo's days in Denver are numbered.
Whether it is this week or this summer, Nene will be in Denver longer than Anthony.
Detroit Pistons: Rodney Stuckey
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Rodney Stuckey really hasn't made the impact many expected of him when he made a really big jump in the playoffs a few years back.
He still has a chance to be a stud in the NBA and he is by far the best player on the Pistons right now, but that isn't saying much for a team really hurting for talent this year.
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry
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When Stephen Curry made the leap into the NBA a few years back, I was not sure if he would be able to live up to the hype.
Well, he has done more than live up to the hype—he has become one of the best young players in the league.
Curry has made the transition to playing the point guard beautifully.
If you don't agree, he won the NBA Skills Challenge last night over the likes of Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and John Wall.
Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin
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Not only is Kevin Martin the most indispensable player for the Rockets, but he might be the most underrated player in the NBA.
I understand that he doesn't play much defense, but the Rockets are an offensive team and Martin is their leading scorer.
Sure, he has an unorthodox shot and is a little undersized, but guys that average over 20 points per game don't grow on trees.
Indiana Pacers: Darren Collison
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This might sound like a little bit of a homer pick because Darren Collison is one of my favorite UCLA players of all time, but look at how the Pacers have progressed this year after acquiring him from the Hornets.
They won 32 games total last year and now they already have 24 wins.
This is Collison's second year in the league and it's a little soon to say he will make an All-Star team or anything like that.
But if he continues to progress, he could end up being a really nice point guard in the NBA and he could help the Pacers get back to the top of the heap in the East.
LA Clippers: Eric Gordon
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I know people would think that Blake Griffin seems like the logical choice here, but Eric Gordon is the best player on the Clippers and the one they can least afford to lose.
The former Indiana guard is ninth in the NBA is scoring at 24.1 points per game and he has really progressed nicely this year.
Looking back at his 2008 draft class, he is probably the fourth-best player to come out of that draft behind Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love.
LA Lakers: Kobe Bryant
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Kobe Bryant is and has been the face of the Lakers franchise since Shaquille O'Neal left in 2004. Since then, he has led the Lakers to the NBA Finals three times and two championships.
While the Lakers weren't able to get over the hump post-Shaq until Pau Gasol came to Los Angeles, Kobe is still the most important guy on the team.
He is one of the all-time greats and there aren't many players in the league that can come close to matching up with him.
Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay
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A year ago I probably would have put Zach Randolph as the selection for the Grizzlies on this list, but Rudy Gay has really stepped up after representing the US in the FIBA World Championship this summer.
This year, Gay is averaging a shade under 20 points per game but has a career highs in PER at 18.04 and shooting percentage at just over 47 percent.
Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade
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It's easy to say that LeBron James is the most indispensable player on the Miami Heat, but that isn't the case. Dwyane Wade is more indispensable.
Not only is Wade scoring more than LeBron, but he knows the Miami landscape and has actually led a team to a championship, unlike the self-proclaimed King James.
Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut
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Although Andrew Bogut's scoring and shooting percentage are down, he is averaging career highs in rebounding at 11.5 and blocks at an astounding 2.8.
That's nearly half a block a game more than the next closest player.
Bogut has been getting some real mention as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. If he keeps doing what he is doing, he deserves to win it. That is hard to replace.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love
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Kevin Love is a once-in-a-generation player. The last guy to put up the types of numbers he is putting up was Moses Malone in the early '80s.
Love is one of just four players currently in the NBA to average a 20 and 10. However, the former UCLA star is averaging almost two whole rebounds per game more than the next closest player.
New Jersey Nets: Brook Lopez
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Brook Lopez had a great first few seasons in the NBA, but this year his rebounding has plummeted because he doesn't really have to rebound.
Honestly, the only reason Lopez is here is that the Nets don't have an indispensable player on the roster right now.
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul
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Chris Paul is one of the most outstanding point guards in the NBA. Despite the fact that he has been dealing with a pretty bad knee injury, he is still making a big impact for the Hornets.
Paul's numbers have dipped a bit this year, but that is really because he is playing fewer minutes.
He is still one of the 10 best players in the league.
New York Knicks: Amar'e Stoudemire
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In his first season in New York, Amar'e Stoudemire has really turned into one of the best power forwards in the NBA.
Believe it or not, this is Stoudemire's ninth year in the league. But he is averaging a career-high 26.1 points per game and has the Knicks back in playoff contention.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the league.
Although Russell Westbrook has improved enough to at least deserve some consideration here, the former Longhorn is still the pick here.
Durant is leading the NBA in scoring and he is an outstanding wing player. The Thunder would go in the tank if they had to replace him.
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard
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To be honest, all of this trade talk surrounding Dwight Howard is ridiculous.
He is the best player on the Magic and their franchise player. There is no way that Howard gets traded.
If he does, the people that run Orlando's franchise deserve to lose their team.
Howard is one of just four guys to average a 20 and 10. He is also a great defensive force and is ever improving on the offensive end.
Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand
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I think people forgot how good Elton Brand is.
He is obviously nowhere near the 24.7 points and 10 rebounds he averaged for the Clippers in 2005-06, but he is averaging a respectable 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds for a decent 76ers team.
Looking back at Brand's departure from the Clippers, it really ended up working out on both ends because Brand is an East Coast guy and the Clippers landed Blake Griffin to replace Brand.
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash
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Steve Nash is another guy that I don't understand how the team could think about trading.
He is not only the best player of the franchise, but he is their best hope at making the playoffs.
I understand Nash is an older guy and he isn't long for the league, but he has more value to the Suns than to any other NBA team right now.
Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy
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Honestly, looking at this team, LaMarcus Aldridge is probably their best player right now, but I think Brandon Roy can't be understated.
If it weren't for his knee injuries, I think the Blazers could be one of the three best teams in the West.
Wes Matthews has stepped in nicely for Roy, but without the former Washington guard, they are a team without a true identity.
Sacramento Kings: Beno Udrih
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For a young team without many bright spots, Beno Udrih has been one.
He is the team's only true point guard that sees the floor. Honestly, if you tell me Tyreke Evans is a point guard, I will slap you in public. Evans is a young Kobe Bryant without a jumper.
Sure, Udrih isn't a really outstanding point guard, but he is their best option and has done a great job at leading a team that really needs leadership.
San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili
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The Spurs have been a very surprising team this year in the West, though the biggest reason for it is that they have been able to consistently put out the same lineup day in and day out.
However, Manu Ginobili has been the best player for the Spurs this year.
Surprising that a guy everyone left for dead has had a rebirth at this part of his career.
Toronto Raptors: Amir Johnson
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Amir Johnson is a guy that has career averages of 5.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, but this year for the Raptors he is up to career highs in both categories at 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds.
Johnson has just 37 starts in 55 games, but he has been a consistent force on both the offensive and defensive ends for a team that has really needed consistency.
Utah Jazz: Deron Williams
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Deron Williams may or may not have been the driving force behind the departure of legendary head coach Jerry Sloan, but to be honest, it doesn't really matter.
The star point guard is still the face of the franchise.
Williams is by far one of the best point guards in the NBA and he has size and smarts that you rarely see from your point guard. He is the type of guy you can really build a team around.
Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee
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Before last night, not many people knew who JaVale McGee was.
They do now.
McGee is an unbelievable athlete for a seven-footer and he is a guy that Washington is happy to have on their team.
The Wizards are still a ways away from being a playoff contender, but with McGee and John Wall at the center of the franchise, I like the direction they are going.
