Top 5 NBA player impact estimate rankings as of January 25, 2022

#3 The NBA hunger of Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo will dominate anyone in front of him.

Sitting at third with a PIE of 20.7, Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to fill his resume with elite stats. Giannis is a complete player and will be mentioned along with the best big men to ever play the game.

The two-time MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year fills the stat sheet on both ends. He is dominant offensively and defensively. The numbers he puts up not only show his game impact, but how he stacks with the historical figures of the game. Competitors know Antetokounmpo will bring it thoroughly from anywhere and everywhere on the floor.

#2 Joel Embiid is making himself known

Right now, Joel Embiid looks like NBA's MVP.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on the threshold of either continuing an upward climb in the Eastern Conference or completely falling off the map. Their leader, All-Star center Joel Embiid, has yet to receive the postseason recognition he supremely deserves.

Much of that is contingent on how Philly finishes, yet the numbers Embiid is putting up will leave no doubt how great a player he is now and for time. His PIE is 21.0 – which is high in part because his usage rate of 36.5 is tops in the league.

Embiid is also a complete player who brings fire to his nightly competition. If you start talking back and forth with him, he will finish you on the floor mentally and physically. The game is fun for him, and he's taking advantage of his time in the league right now. Don't mistake him for some flash-in-the-pan clown focused on petty squabbles with his counterparts, for Embiid is as focused as any player.

The accolades he will gather will be proof.

#1 In defense of the MVP, Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP, is defending the award earnestly.

Nikola Jokic barely dunks at 7-foot tall and is as unathletic a superstar as the NBA has ever seen, yet he heads this list of the league's most impactful players.

His PIE is an astounding 23.5. He is the only big man in the top 12 of assist percentage at 37.8 (5th in the league), is second with a defensive rebound percentage of 31.4 and fifth in rebound percentage overall.

The reigning MVP will go down in time as one of the most unique talents the game has seen. He is a throwback to the times when big men were also willing passers in the offense off double teams, and his triple-double numbers will rank high historically when it's all said and done.