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The NBA 2020-21 season will start on December 22nd, and the hype is already here. Even after the shortest offseason for the teams who played in the NBA bubble, the league is back and fans love it. As is usual, rankings of players have been released. On that note, we will list the best starting five from the talent pool in the NBA 2020-21 season.
NBA 2020-21: Best player for each position
The start of the NBA 2020-21 campaign will be thrilling, as some rivalries will resume (LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers), and other rivalries could begin (Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets).
Another interesting feature from the upcoming NBA 2020-21 season will be the return of some of the greatest players in today's NBA. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry will be back in action after missing the entire 2019-20 season (Durant) and playing only five games (Curry).
Curry's and Durant's returns are not irrelevant to this post, as they might have a case to top their respective positions.
Also, reigning Finals MVP, LeBron James, will surely top one of the positions of today's game. However, we could decide whether to put 'The King' at point guard or small forward.
Without further ado, let us look at the best players in each position for the NBA 2020-21 season.
The format will have two guards, two forwards, and a center.
Guard - LeBron James
'The King' is universally recognized as a small forward. However, he was listed as a point guard last year (for the first time in his career), and he was great, leading the NBA in assists per game.
LeBron James will play in his 18th NBA season, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. We could bet on him leading the league in assists again in the NBA 2020-21 campaign.
James does not have much to prove with four NBA championships and four Finals MVP trophies with three different franchises (the only player ever to do it). However, he is as driven as anyone and will be huge in the NBA 2020-21 season.
LeBron has a golden chance to guide the LA Lakers to back-to-back NBA championships, and not many will bet against him doing it.
Already a four-time NBA MVP, James averages 27 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game in his NBA career. He should definitely be able to post similar numbers in the NBA 2020-21 campaign.
In fact, Basketball Reference is projecting him to have a 26/8/9 season in his 18th year.
Also read: Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James Comparison
Guard - Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry last played an official NBA game on March 5th. As Golden State had the worst record in the league, they were not in Orlando's NBA bubble.
However, even after a long break, the greatest shooter in NBA history cannot be out of the best starting five for the NBA 2020-21 season. He makes the cut as the guard alongside James for the NBA 2020-21 year.
Curry is a two-time NBA MVP, and he should return in tremendous form despite playing just five games last season and only one in 2020 (before the current preseason).
Curry averages 23.5 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in his NBA career. Moreover, his shooting splits of 48/44/91 only show he is the greatest shooter the game has ever seen.
He might even have a big shot at MVP in the NBA 2020-21 season if he can push his Golden State Warriors to the West's top spots.
Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo
The winner of the last two NBA MVPs could not be out of this starting five. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be playing in his eighth NBA season and General Managers around the league are expecting him to win a third consecutive regular-season MVP in the NBA 2020-21 season.
The last player to win three straight MVPs was Larry Bird who did so from 1984 to 1986.
While winning the MVP for a third straight year is unusual and would be huge, Giannis might have some more important goals. The Milwaukee Bucks will have a tough fight in the NBA 2020-21 season in the Eastern Conference, and the Greek superstar will need to play huge.
Despite his struggles to take the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals in the last two seasons, Antetokounmpo has clearly become one of the NBA's best players.
He is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and another great season on that end of the court could see him repeat in the NBA 2020-21 season.
Last season, Giannis averaged 30 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists per game in the regular season. He will need a similar effort in the NBA 2020-21 season if the Bucks will be a top seed in the East.
Forward - Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis was amazing for the LA Lakers last season. He led the team in scoring in the regular season and the NBA Playoffs.
In only his first year with LeBron James, Davis showed his true potential, and the Lakers won the NBA championship.
In the NBA 2020-21 campaign, the LA Lakers are favorites to win the title again, and Davis will need a strong year. He has easily become a top five player in today's league and is also one of the most imposing defenders heading into the NBA 2020-21 season.
Last season, Davis averaged 26 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks per game. For the NBA 2020-21 season, Basketball Reference's projections have Davis averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds per night.
Center - Nikola Jokic
The best center heading into the NBA 2020-21 campaign is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Of course, his huge level in the 2020 NBA Playoffs was the tiebreaker with Philadelphia's Joel Embiid.
Jokic comes from a tremendous regular season and a stunning effort in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. He led the Denver Nuggets to an unlikely appearance in the Western Conference Finals with solid play alongside Jamal Murray.
Jokic averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists per game in the regular season. In the postseason, he averaged 24/10/6 and shot 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from the three-point line.
Jokic will be great for the Nuggets in the NBA 2020-21 season.
Also read: When does the NBA 2020-21 season start? | NBA Opening Night Schedule
