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Today's NBA has never been more exciting or entertaining. With a massive movement of star talent around the league and the creation of various super-teams as well as super duos throughout this offseason, there is an unlimited level of anticipation for the upcoming 2019-20 NBA season.
The best NBA players who are now on new teams as a result of trade requests or free agency signings include Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker, Al Horford and Mike Conley. So without further ado, here are the top 10 projected players ahead of the 2019-20 NBA regular season.
Honourable mentions (injured players in bold)
Kevin Durant (BKN)
Rudy Gobert (UTA)
Blake Griffin (DET)
Klay Thompson (GSW)
Russell Westbrook (HOU)
#10 Damian Lillard
The lifelong Portland Trail Blazer cemented his place as a top 10 NBA player after ending this past season's 1st round series versus OKC by hitting a very deep 3-pointer that was well contested by Paul George.
Damian Lillard is one of the best scorers in the league and what makes him even more special is his killer mentality in crucial games/quarters. He averaged 26 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds last season.
#9 Nikola Jokic
The Serbian Center has already established himself as the best passing big man in NBA history. In addition, despite averaging just over 20 points per game, he has shown that he is capable of getting 30 or even 40+ when required which he displayed versus the Spurs this past postseason.
Jokic's all-around skill is incredible as he can create scoring opportunities for his team in so many different ways. Also, his defence has improved in the last couple of seasons as well as his rebounding average which has gone up to 10.8 per outing.
Next season, his aim as the leader of the Denver Nuggets is to lead them to a place in the Western Conference Finals where they can really start talking about competing for the Championship.
#8 Joel Embiid
The Cameroonian Center is such a dominant force on both ends of the floor that he has drawn many comparisons to top 5 Center of all-time Hakeem Olajuwon. He averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks per game last season which shows that Embiid is a monster in the low-post and can consistently knock down mid-range plus 3-point jumpers.
On the defensive end, there are few who can protect the paint like him. So now that he'll be joined by another elite rim protector in Al Horford, the Sixers have a great chance of making the NBA Finals next season following the weakening of the Raptors and Bucks rosters.
#7 Paul George
By successfully being recruited to the Clippers by Kawhi Leonard, Paul George can continue to thrive in his MVP-caliber form along with the reigning Finals' MVP. PG13 is a fabulous all-round two way player.
This is shown by his career-high average of 28 points per game last season whilst being nominated for the Defensive Player of the Year Award that was won by Rudy Gobert.
#6 Anthony Davis
Finally a part of the Lakers and teammate to LeBron James, Anthony Davis can resume his dominance as the best big man in the league. At his best, AD is an MVP-caliber player who has no equal at his position on either end of the floor. He's averages 28 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per game.
He is one of the best scorers, rebounders and rim protecters in the league. The most important thing for "The Brow" and the Lakers is staying healthy by managing his minutes appropriately.
#5 Stephen Curry
The two-time Most Valuable Player award winner is the greatest shooter in NBA history and perhaps the second-best at his position of all-time trailing only Lakers legend Magic Johnson. Curry averaged 27 points last season but should be able to score over 30 a game next season with Durant's departure and Thompson's injury.
The Golden State Warriors will require the 3-time champion to carry them to many wins next season for the team to make the playoffs in an extremely competitive Western Conference. Keeping Steph healthy by carefully managing his minutes will be key to Golden State's success next season.
#4 James Harden
"The Beard" had the best scoring season since Michael Jordan in the 1986-87 season last year by averaging a whopping 36.1 points per game! He has one of the most unstoppable offensive moves of all-time in his lethal step-back 3-pointer. As well as that, Harden is incredible at attacking the rim- mainly because he's the best in the league at drawing contact and getting to the free throw line.
Furthermore, his passing is as good as any point guard which basically makes him the best offensive player in the NBA. By being reunited with former OKC backcourt partner Russell Westbrook, Harden has a chance to co-lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals if they manage to beat the superteam Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets and Jazz.
#3 LeBron James
LeBron is not slowing down as he is still the best playmaker in the league and the most difficult player to guard. After an injury-plagued season in 2018-19 that saw the Lakers miss out on the playoffs by a large margin, by successfully recruiting superstar big man Anthony Davis as well as several role players including DeMarcus Cousins and Danny Green, "The King" looks set to make a run at the NBA Finals once again.
On the contrary, it's not as easy as it sounds because of the sheer amount of competition in the Western Conference. One poor run of results could be the difference between gaining home-court advantage and barely making the 8th seed.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo
After winning the MVP award by leading his team on both ends of the floor to 60 regular season wins and the Eastern Conference Finals, the next step for "The Greek Freak" is winning a championship. His numbers - 28 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game last season - are simply outstanding.
Giannis is truly destined to be an NBA legend because he is so dominant in many areas of the game due to the fact that he can bully his way inside for a layup/dunk, score from the mid-range area, make plays for his teammates, rebound like the best Center in the league and block shots relentlessly.
#1 Kawhi Leonard
Leonard's free agency decision took forever in comparison to all of the other superstars and thus became the subject of high speculation from NBA analysts who said that he's either going to be re-signing with Toronto or forming a big 3 in the Lakers.
So when he decided to join the Clippers, that was already a surprise, but when it was revealed that he joined the team with the intention of forming an unbelievable duo with Paul George, the whole NBA world was shocked. As a result, the Clippers are favorites to win the 19/20 title.
What edges him ahead of LeBron is his superiority on defense, as Kawhi is recognized as one of the best on-the-ball defenders of all time. He's ahead of Giannis because of his ability to knock down jump-shots in clutch moments.
