'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The primary reason why basketball is such a great spectator sport is the inevitable regularity with which points get on the board. Consequently, the most watchable players are the ones who can score a bunch of points every time they step onto the court.
In the modern NBA, where the defense has taken more of a backseat than ever, while offenses are reinventing themselves in order to account for a faster pace by relying more on the 3-point shot than ever. The volume of 3-pointers taken by teams these days is much higher than ever - the Houston Rockets are the greatest case in point.
The best offensive players in this era are closer to finished articles than their counterparts from older times, who thrived on go-to moves while playing iso ball rather than making shots in the flow of a motion offense. The following is the comprehensive list of basketball's most unguardable players today:
Honourable Mentions: Chris Paul, John Wall, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, Kevin Love
#10 DeMar DeRozan
The ability to reliably pull up and make jump shots from distance's between 8 to 23 feet is a primary facet of an elite scorer's toolbook. And DeRozan from the Compton crips is perhaps the most dangerous player in the league from that range.
For a player who was considered a rank bad jump shooter, DeRozan's remarkable turnaround from being a bench player with a limited scoring ability to averaging 27.3 points per game in the 2016-17 season for the Raptors is nothing short of astounding.
Thousands of hours honing his craft have given DeRozan the ability to decide games in clutch time in a manner that few other players in the league can match. He has always been an athletic phenomenon, and his drives to the basket are some of the most exciting to ever be seen in the NBA.
In addition, DeRozan is a willing facilitator for his teammates, using double-teams from unsettled opposition defenses to dish the ball out to the open man for easy shots. His lateral quickness, crafty handles and flat-out scoring ability mark him out as one of the league's most entertaining, effective swingmen.
#9 Anthony Davis
If there is something on a basketball court you thought was impossible, one player you shouldn't bet against is Anthony Davis. Over the past 3 and a half seasons, Davis has proved himself to be the best young player in the league, bar none (although a certain Bucks player may have something to say about that).
His 6'11", 253-pound frame is a recent development for the best power forward in the game, who experienced a growth spurt in college that allowed him to convert himself into his current position from a point guard. His quick first step is a relic of his previous frame, and it allows him to cross up opponents before picking his way into the paint for buckets galore.
He is a respectable 3-point shooter, averaging over 40% from deep (though he rarely pulls up from downtown). Like many a great power forward before him, there is not a single spot on the floor from where the reigning All-Star game MVP cannot score, facilitate or change an attacking possession for the better.
Playing with DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holliday is allowing him to take a slight step back from first-option duties in a manner that he was unable to do in his initial years at New Orleans. Expect the Pelicans to be a tough matchup for whichever team in the playoffs they face - largely because of the presence of the two-way stud that Anthony Davis has become.
#8 Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak has improved by leaps each year since joining the league, but his most recent leap is the most mind-boggling. From making the cut as an All-Star for the first time last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo has raised his scoring volume from a solid 22.9 to a spectacular 29.5 points per game - ranking second among all players in the league in scoring.
The sheer length, quickness, athletic ability and above-the-rim awareness that Giannis displays on the court make it impossible for any single player to guard him for extended periods without getting on the wrong end of a humiliating posterizer from Antetokounmpo.
If you thought scoring with flashy dunks and transition plays was all Giannis does at a world-class level, you could not be more woefully wrong. Giannis paced his team in all five of the major statistical categories, and at his assist rate of 4.6 per game, he is on pace to do so once again.
His unstoppable scoring and disarmingly brilliant playmaking abilities have put him in the conversation for the MVP award come June, and rightly so.
#7 Russell Westbrook
If Westbrook's jump shot was as reliable this season as it was last season, one would be hard-pressed to keep him out of the top 3 on this list, not just top 5. As it stands, Westbrook is still a lock for a #7 spot, despite his shooting woes during the initial parts of the ongoing season.
As the primary reason for the Thunder's 6-game winning streak over the past two weeks, Westbrook has shot himself into form as the rest of the Thunder roster has rallied around his resurgent form to become an offense to reckon with, topping 100 points as a unit.
As the most athletic guard to ply his trade in the NBA, Westbrook's lightning-fast first step and straight-line speed make him one of the terrifying drive-and-kick opponents to play against. He drops dimes literally by the dozen, picking up his playmaking slack at the start of the season to bring his assists average into double digits per game, which is good for best in the league.
Thunder fans would be hoping he carries on in the same vein as his previous 6 games. Because if they do, there is no team in the NBA that would want to face them.
#6 DeMarcus Cousins
Few big men in NBA history have had the kind of low-post dominance that Boogie subjects his opponents to, every time he sets foot on the court. Among one of the nightly threats to notch up a 20-10 double-double, Cousins has every facet of his offensive game sorted - there is no real weakness.
He can stretch the floor with a respectable 3-point shot (he averages 35.2% this season from downtown) in a manner that few other centers in the league can. At 6'11", it is nearly impossible to contest his jumpers, floaters, and runners that allow him to scoop the ball into the hoop with regularity.
Double-teaming him will not pay off either, as Cousins is the best playmaking big in this league - he averages 5.2 assists per game this season, which is the best figure of his career. At just 27 years old, Cousins has a good 7-8 years ahead of him at his physical prime, and there is no center in the league who can match his skill set on offense.
#5 Kyrie Irving
Mr. 4th Quarter is an apt title for this scintillating point guard, who is tearing it up for the Boston Celtics in his newfound role as the first option for an excellent team with depth. One would think that any player's impact on a game would be reduced while moving from The King's team, but the results are as good as ever for Uncle Drew.
Kyrie is averaging a career-high 27.5 points per 36 minutes in reduced playing time, with figures of 48.9-41.0-89.2 from the field. On top of this, he ranks 4th league-wide in clutch scoring per game, knocking down 55.6% of his field goal attempts during money time at 4.3 points per game.
He has been the league's preeminent ball-handler for a while now, and with near-50-40-90 splits in 32.4 minutes despite having a lower usage rate than with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving is humming along as the lead guitarist of the immensely talented jazz band that is the Celtics team.
#4 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry's 2017-18 season is pretty much like a continuation of his previous seasons in terms of shooting form, as he became the 8th NBA player to reach 2000 3-pointers in his career. At 597 games, he was 227 games faster than the next-fastest to the figure (Ray Allen in 824 outings).
Before going down with an injury against the Pelicans in early December, Curry was shooting a characteristic 9.5 attempts and making 3.6 of them at a slightly below-par rate of 38.1% - this figure should correct itself as the season progresses.
Curry was also 4th in points per game at 26.3, but mere points tallies do not effectively represent the impact of his presence in the Golden State Warriors lineup. When off the ball, Curry's constant movement and spot-up threat means that entire defenses are morphed into preventing him from shooting, thereby making life that much easier for his teammates.
Curry is no longer the best playmaker in the Warriors lineup (Draymond Green averages more dimes per game), but as a distributor, he is second to no one in the league.
#3 LeBron James
While LeBron James' shooting percentages for the season are slowly regressing to the mean as the Cavaliers cool off following a 13-game winning streak which lifted them from a lottery position to the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, he is still averaging career highs in many statistical categories.
His shooting percentage from downtown stands at 40.1% as of now, which peaked at 42.6% while the Cavs embarked on their streak - his career highest was in 2012-13 at 40.6% while averaging about 2 fewer attempts per game.
His effective field goal percentage of 64.3% stands at a career best, while his per-game assist rate is also a career best of 9.3 per game - good for second-best in the league behind only Westbrook.
At 32 years of age, LeBron is at the apex of his basketball prowess, and as such, he is still the best player on the planet.
#2 Kevin Durant
Do not be fooled into believing that Kevin Durant is the lesser of the 2 MVPs on the Warriors roster. The reigning Finals MVP has shown just how good he is on both ends of the floor ever since Steph Curry went down with an ankle injury against the Pelicans in early December.
It can only be an all-time great scorer who would average 26 ppg at nearly 50-40-90 splits while playing at a much lower usage rate than Curry. Steve Kerr refuses to stagger their minutes, choosing instead to throw the double whammy together on the court to get his team the maximum bang for the buck.
Durant continues to display his all-inclusive offensive repertoire over the past 10 years of his career - there is no spot on the half-court shot from which he can't create separation from his marker and pull up. His nearly-7-foot shooting frame makes it impossible for anyone in the NBA to consistently affect his jump shot - he probably doesn't even see the defender while pulling up at times.
Add to this his excellence at taking the ball into the paint, his transition play and spot-up shooting, and you have one of basketball history's most unguardable players at this point.
You don't even need to factor in his 5.1 apg (in the presence of elite playmakers like Draymond Green and Curry contesting him in his own starting lineup) to place him at #2 on this list.
#1 James Harden
Where do we begin our James Harden fanboy parade? The southpaw has been the MVP frontrunner from tip-off at the Rockets' first game of the season in Oakland, dropping 27 points at the Oracle Arena while leading Houston to an upset of the reigning NBA champions.
His hot shooting form for the season has continued unabated through December, as he remains the only player in the league to score 20 or more points in every single game in 2017-18. His 3-point shooting volume has exploded, as he averages 4.3 makes on 10.8 attempts per game.
Count his league-leading free throw shooting volume (8.8 makes on 10.2 attempts) and his ability to Eurostep his way into the paint, and Harden is as unguardable as any player gets in the league today in isolation offense.
His influence does not end there, though. Having to share the ball with Chris Paul has not diminished his playmaking influence in the least bit, as his pick-and-roll plays with Clint Capela show us on a nightly basis. Harden is putting up assist numbers north of 9 per game for the second season running - all despite not starting at the point position.
His knockdown jump shooting, the repertoire of ball-handling tricks, ability to change his pace and direction at will and scoring-playmaking excellence put him right at the top of our pile going into 2018.
Guess the Lakers players!
