Listing the top 5 players in terms of Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

NBA fans just saw a tremendous weekend of basketball that included extraordinary individual performances from some of the biggest names in the sport, starting with LeBron James' 56-point outing versus the Golden State Warriors.

Moreover, we saw the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic put up a unique 46-point triple-double against the New Orleans Pelicans whilst making 70% of his shots, a feat only done by Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history.

Individual performances are outstanding to watch, and that type of work on the court surely drives the league's popularity, as players have historically been the faces of the league, as opposed to teams.

Top 5 leaders in PER in the 2021-22 NBA season

How do we measure the best individual performances by NBA players? The Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a solid way to do so, although it is a bit offensive-driven.

Columnist John Hollinger of The Athletic developed the PER.

Here you can see Hollinger's own definition of the Player Efficiency Rating measurement:

"The PER sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance."

The PER leader in the NBA regular season has won the Most Valuable Player award (MVP) in the last six campaigns. Moreober, nine out of the last 10 MVP awards were given to the 'PER King' of the league.

In the 2021-22 NBA season, however, the list of leaders in terms of PER is turning into a historically great list, and we will give you the Top 5 as things stand right now.

Without further ado, let’s start.

To qualify for the PER list, a player must play at least 1500 minutes or be on course to do so, according to Basketball Reference.

#5 Kevin Durant - 26.1

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets during a game.

The Brooklyn Nets have struggled mightily over their last 20 games (3-17 in that span), but the team has struggled with the James Harden and Kyrie Irving sagas, and, perhaps more importantly, Kevin Durant played just two out of the most recent 20 games.

Durant has played two games since returning from an MCL sprain that kept him off the court for 21 games. The Nets have lost their last two games, even with Durant, but the 2013-14 NBA MVP scored over 30 points in both outings.

Despite appearing in only 38 of his team's 65 games, Durant has carried the team and is currently fifth in PER in the entire NBA. He's played 1387 minutes this year and has a PER of 26.1, while averaging 29.5 points (he hasn't qualified for the league leaders in PPG yet), 7.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game with a 52/37/89 shooting split.

#4 LeBron James - 26.4

LeBron James of the LA Lakers during a game.

LeBron James is arguably having his greatest scoring season in the NBA at age 37. He is currently putting up the fourth-highest average of points per game in his entire career at 29.4, just two points short of his career-high 31.4.

Although 'The King' has been on a tear throughout the season, the LA Lakers only have a 28-35 record and currently sit ninth in the Western Conference, looking at a berth in the Play In Tournament for a second consecutive season.

Obviously, injuries have hindered the team for a second consecutive year as well, with Anthony Davis playing only 37 games this season so far.

Nevertheless, LeBron James is currently fourth in terms of PER in the 2021-22 season with a 26.4.

In his career, James ranks second all-time in terms of Player Efficiency Rating with 27.3, behind Michael Jordan. James is also fourth in terms of seasons leading the league in PER in league history, with six.

#3 Joel Embiid - 31.3

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers during a game.

Joel Embiid has been the most dominant player in the 2021-22 NBA season in the eyes of many. His statistics certainly scream that the Cameroonian center has been tremendously dominant on the court.

His Philadelphia 76ers had to deal with the noise regarding Ben Simmons and his unwillingness to play for the team. However, Embiid kept his head down at the time and now has been joined by James Harden at Philly.

Embiid is currently third in terms of Player Efficiency Rating in the 2021-22 NBA season with a brilliant 31.3. That would've been the league-best in four of the last five seasons and is the 12th-best mark of all time.

Embiid is averaging 29.5 points (league-high and career-high), 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game with 49/35/82 shooting splits.

#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo - 32

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks during practice.

Giannis Antetokounmpo won the MVP award in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns and is coming off winning the 2021 NBA Finals MVP. The 27-year-old Greek superstar is currently having another season that puts him in MVP and DPOY conversations, while looking to defend the Milwaukee Bucks' championship successfully.

Antetokounmpo already owns the greatest single-season Player Efficiency Rating in NBA history, with the 31.8 he put up in the 2019-20 campaign. Now, he is surpassing that mark with a PER of 32 that he currently has this year.

The two-time MVP is averaging 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and six assists per game, while making 54.4% of his field goals and 72.2% of his free throws (his best mark since the 2018-19 campaign.

#1 Nikola Jokic - 32.3

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets during a game.

Nikola Jokic is looking like a back-to-back NBA MVP winner right now. The Serbian center is currently dragging the Denver Nuggets into a playoff berth with a 38-26 record (sixth in the West).

Jokic's performances have been essential for the team's run in the regular season and he's been battling for the PER lead with Embiid and Antetokounmpo recently.

The center is averaging 25.8 points, a career-high 13.8 rebounds, and eight assists per game so far (57 appearances). He's also made 57% of his field goals, 36% of his threes and 81% of his free throws.

Jokic is currently shattering the all-time single-season record for Player Efficiency Rating with a 32.3, and it could certainly boost his MVP case, while he's also leading the NBA in Box Plus/Minus.

Listing the top 5 players in terms of Player Efficiency Rating (PER) | NBA season 2021-22