NBA: Top 10 Iso Scorers RIGHT NOW

So your coach drew a play, it was broken and the ball lands in the hands of one player. Will that player be able to get you a bucket just playing one-on-one?

Also read: Top 10 Rebounding Leaders in NBA History

That's what isolation is really all about. Getting a bucket playing straight up one-on-one. With the ball-movement era of NBA, the isolation game is getting faded. But still, there are many players who are just outright nasty when playing one-on-one and will definitely get you a bucket!

With that being said, let's see who the top 10 best isolation scorers there are in the NBA right now. These rankings are based on

Some Notable Exclusions: John Wall, Carmelo Anthony, DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans, Devin Booker, CJ McCollum, Lou Williams

#10 Harrison Barnes

Minnesota Timberwolves v Dallas Mavericks — Harrison Barnes #40

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 4.1 ppg on 44% shooting, 0.94 points per possession

2016/17- 4.4 ppg on 45.7% shooting, 0.93 points per possession

It was not long time ago when Harrison Barnes was not shooting a single shot in the NBA Finals for the Golden State Warriors. He missed 14 straight shots in the NBA 2016 Finals, then made his first shot in the Game 7 and then missed 5 straight shots again. After that, he signed a heavily scrutinized 4yr, $94 million hefty deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

Although he hasn't lived to his deal, he has been better than expected. His main forte is in isolation, as he has been performing in isolation for the last 2 years. He has a frequency of 23.5% of playing isolation basketball, which is amongst the highest in the league, but it's good as long as he is finding success in that.

He is only 25 right now, so let's hope that he will continue to improve.

#9- Michael Beasley

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 3 ppg on 49.5% shooting, 1.01 points per possession

2016/17- 1.3 ppg on 51.8% shooting, 1.03 points per possession

Just before the start of the season, Beasley claimed that in terms of raw talent, he was on par with Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Durant recently said that he might not be wrong.

Now, we don't have a way to know if the claims are true are not, but one thing is for sure that Beasley is one extremely talented scorer. He can score from everywhere. Can post up, can shoot, can score over everybody, can use both of his hands and that makes him one of the best scorers in the isolation right now.

He has the best field goal percentage among the players with more than 2.5 points per game in isolation. He also has a high frequency of isolation, with 22.9%. Let's see how much he will be able to get himself back in the NBA playing a major role for the Knicks' bench this year.

#8- Dennis Schroder

Atlanta Hawks v Charlotte Hornets — Dennis Schroder

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 3.5 ppg on 45.1% shooting, 1.04 points per possession

2016/17- 2.1 ppg on 44.9% shooting, 0.93 points per possession

A few years ago, when Jeff Teague was traded from the Hawks, everyone was skeptical whether the young German guard will able to convert himself from a backup point guard to starting point guard. It did take him some time, but he eventually is playing at a high level right now.

His speed is what makes him one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA right now. He is able to blow by many players, and because of that speed, he is also able to get more open pull-ups from threes. As you can see from the stats, he significantly improved in isolation from the last year and let's hope that he continues to get better for the rebuilding Atlanta Hawks.

#7- Austin Rivers

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 3.7 ppg on 42.3% shooting, 1.06 points per possession

2016/17- 2.3 ppg on 41.7% shooting, 0.94 points per possession

I think Austin Rivers is the easiest person in the NBA to make fun of. It will be an everyday thing to listen to that he is in the NBA because of his father. But that is far from the truth.

Austin Rivers since his college days has been a great isolation scorer. He is a solid finisher off the dribble, can reach the rim, can draw fouls, can get hot from downtown. He is not amongst the best in any of those, he is kind of a jack of all skills, which make his defender guessing and helps his isolation game.

#6- Damian Lillard

Portland Trail Blazers v Denver Nuggets — Damian Lillard

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 3.5 ppg on 42% shooting, 1.06 points per possession

2016/17- 4.2 ppg on 41.9% shooting, 1.05 points per possession

A great week for Dame Dolla I must say. First of all, he got his deserved All-Star spot and wasn't snubbed this year. Now he made our list of top 10 isolation scorers.

Generally mentioned as poor man's Stephen Curry, Lillard has always been a great one-on-one player. Although he is not as good as Kyrie or Curry in finishing near the rim, but he is still an efficient scorer and can get hot from the threes. He is pretty clutch as well, and his isolation game is one of the Portland's go to play in the clutch time.

#5- Kyrie Irving

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 3.5 ppg on 42.9% shooting, 0.99 points per possession

2016/17- 5.7 ppg on 47.0% shooting, 1.12 points per possession

Uncle Drew is 5th on our list. Arguably the best point guard finisher around the rim, he can dazzle anybody with his dribble and can pull up from threes too.

Although his isolation numbers are reduced from last year, but that's mainly because he is now playing for Brad Stevens who prioritize ball movement than isolation. Kyrie's isolation frequency is down from 21.4% to 15.2% this year, which is a significant decrease.

It's a bit odd that with the decrease in frequency, how his efficiency is also decreasing from 1.12 to 0.99 points per possession. Probably he will pick it up to his last year's efficiency as the season goes on.

#4- Kevin Durant

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 3.4 ppg on 44.6% shooting, 1.00 points per possession

2016/17- 2.6 ppg on 44.4% shooting, 1.05 points per possession

One of the most versatile scorers in the history of the NBA, Kevin Durant is 4th on our list. His isolations points per game is not that remarkable, but that's only because he plays in the Golden State, the team with arguably the best ball movement.

With his 7 foot height, his guard like dribble and his elite 3 point shooting despite being big, he can literally score over anybody anytime and that makes him one of the most dangerous isolation scorers out there right now.

#3- Chris Paul

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 6.2 ppg on 47% shooting, 1.19 points per possession

2016/17- 3.3 ppg on 45.5% shooting, 1.09 points per possession

Yes, on our list of the best isolation scorers, we have a pass first point guard third on our list. Chris Paul's passing may hide his scoring ability in one on one situations. He is an extremely crafty dribbler who can put anyone on skates and is the mid-range god and now with the space Houston Rockets provide him, is shooting even more efficiently from the threes.

As soon as a switch occurs, you can just expect Paul to score on the mismatch. In every game, he is putting at least one big on skates. Paul also has one of the highest isolation frequencies in the game with 28.6%. He is also shooting most effectively in isolation(with minimum requirements) with an effective field goal percentage% of 58.2.

#2- LeBron James

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 6.2 ppg on 45% shooting, 1.00 points per possession

2016/17- 5.0 ppg on 44% shooting, 0.97 points per possession

The King is here! LeBron Raymone James is second on our list the best isolation scorers. He is one with the most different approach to scoring amongst all mentioned here. He will just put his head down and barrel his way to the rim.

He started the season strong from the three-point line and that made him even more deadly on isolations. In the last 1 month, his 3 point% has dropped a lot, making only 23 out of the last 89 threes he has attempted(26%). Because of that, his points per possession have dropped from 1.15-1.20 points to 1.00.

We all know that eventually, he will get back to his MVP form once the Playoffs start, so it would be unfair to drop the King down 1 or 2 spot just because of the slump. Also, congratulations to him becoming the youngest player to reach 30000 points! We hope he continues to amaze us and break Kareem Abdul Jabbar's record for most career points in the regular season.

#1- James Harden

Isolation Scoring Stats:

2017/18- 11.5!! ppg on 47% shooting, 1.27! points per possession

2016/17- 6.6 ppg on 37% shooting, 0.97 points per possession

The Beard, arguably the MVP frontrunner tops our list on the best isolation scorers right now!

James Harden was always an isolation scorer, but this year his efficiency is just off the roof! He is scoring over 1.27 points per possession, that's just unheard of. He is leading the league in points per game in isolation and is scoring 85% more than the second most ppg (Lebron James and Chris Paul with 6.2ppg). That's just outright crazy what he is doing right now.

He can get to the rim, he is shooting extremely efficiently from threes despite shooting so much, can draw fouls almost at will(although get too many superstar calls too). Harden is just the complete package an isolation scorer should have. Let's hope Harden keeps rolling, the Rockets keep rolling and they give us one of the best West Conference Finals in years!