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The NBA's 2014 draft class produced some of the league's best players, most of whom have flourished in the 2020-21 campaign.
Most of them are now leaders on their respective teams and have also managed to lead their team to the 2021 NBA playoffs. These players have been developing over the course of the last few years and have potentially explored their optimum potential this year.
On that note, we rank the five best players from the 2014 NBA draft class below. This assessment is based on the impact they have had on their teams, their overall season, individual honors and collective success with their respective franchises.
5 best players from the 2014 NBA draft
#5 Clint Capela
Clint Capela is one of the most underrated players this season in terms of him receiving acknowledgment for his showing this season. He led the league in rebounds at 14.3 per game and has tallied two blocks per contest, the fourth-highest during the regular season. He also had 48 double-doubles and averaged 15.2 points on 60% field goal shooting.
Capela has been instrumental in the Hawks' monumental turnaround this campaign, which helped them achieve their first playoff berth in four years. He continued to impress in the 2021 NBA playoffs and helped them gain a 3-1 advantage over the New York Knicks in the first round.
He has been immense with his output on the defensive end and is averaging 13 boards and 2.3 blocks per game in the postseason so far.
#4 Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson had one of the best seasons of his NBA career to date. The Utah Jazz guard won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award and was key to the team securing the best record in the league this campaign. The Jazz finished as the top-seed in the stacked Western Conference and are now raring to go all the way and win the NBA championship.
Clarkson averaged a career-best 18.4 points and made a career-high three shots from long-range per game. He became the first ever Utah Jazz player to win the award.
He has continued his excellent form into the playoffs and is considered a key component in helping the team achieve their postseason goals.
#3 Julius Randle
Julius Randle isn't having the best of NBA playoff debuts, but his regular-season performances cannot be ignored because of that. He was the main reason why the Knicks were able to make the playoffs in the first place and he also won the Most Improved Player of the Year award for his showings.
Randle had a career-best season in terms of his production, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and six assists. He looked in terrific shape and also made his first All-Star appearance in March. Multiple aspects of his game have improved. Most notably, it was his three-point shooting; he converted 41.1% of his shots from deep during the regular season.
The current campaign doesn't seem like it will lean towards a fairy-tale ending, but this was just his first time playing in the playoffs, and the coming seasons could see him flourish into a megastar of the game.
#2 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid has taken the league by storm this season and has led the Philadelphia 76ers to become the top-seed in the Eastern Conference. He has had an MVP caliber season and is one of the top three finalists to land the award.
He averaged a career-best 28.5 points on 51.3% field goal shooting (also career-best) during the regular season. Embiid is working on his fitness to become one of the best centers in the game right now and has taken up a leadership role for the franchise with great ease.
The 76ers are likely to advance to the next round of the playoffs but will face stern challenges ahead. They will come up against teams like the Atlanta Hawks, or either one of the Brooklyn Nets or Milwaukee Bucks if they advance to the conference finals. However, they will be confident that Embiid stays fit and is in form as he is capable of leading the team to wins on his own.
#1 Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is currently the odds-on favorite to win the NBA MVP award this season. He is one of the few players to have played in every game this campaign and is having a career-best season, averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game during the regular season.
The Denver Nuggets were one of the worst affected teams with injuries, but Jokic ensured they did not falter on the road to achieving their goals. He led them to secure home-court advantage for the NBA playoffs without the team's second star Jamal Murray, who was ruled out with a post-season barely a month away.
Despite all of the issues the Nuggets have faced, they continue to be considered title-contenders, thanks to Jokic's performances. He's been terrific in the NBA playoffs so far, averaging 31 points and 11 rebounds on 53.9% field goal shooting, including a 45.5% clip from downtown.
