Top 10 players in the post MJ era (1998-present)

Maestro84

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May 3, 2018
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From the moment MJ hit the game winner against Utah in the '98 finals, then subsequently retiring from the Bulls, who have been the top 10 players in the NBA in the "post-Jordan" era? My personal list:

1. LeBron James

2. Tim Duncan

3. Kobe Bryant

4. Shaquille O'Neal

5. Stephen Curry

6. Kevin Durant

7. Dirk Nowitzki

8. Kevin Garnett

9. Dwayne Wade

10. Kawhi Leonard

Honorable Mentions: Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook

NOTE: Although I typically rank Shaq above Kobe all time, Kobe did achieve more than Shaq from ‘98 onwards.
 
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Cassano

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Aug 31, 2013
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1. LeBron
2. Duncan
3. Kobe
4. Shaq
5. Curry
6. Durant
7. Garnett
8. Wade
9. CP3
10. Giannis
 
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Say Hey Kid

NY was his town & it always would be
Dec 10, 2007
23,620
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In no order:

LeBron
Dirk
Duncan
CP3
Garnett
Kobe
 
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Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
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Durant is definitely the "better" player but has he had a "greater" career than Curry so far? It's a flip of a coin imo

I'd argue he has.

KD
1x MVP
2x Champion
2x FMVP (playing on the same team as Curry)
4x scoring champion
6x NBA 1st team
3x NBA 2nd team
50-40-90 club
2x Gold Medal winner, key player on both teams

Curry
2x MVP
3x Champion
1x Scoring Champion
3x 1st NBA team
2x 2nd NBA team
1x 3rd NBA team
50-40-90 club
 

Deficient Mode

Registered User
Mar 25, 2011
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Durant is definitely the "better" player but has he had a "greater" career than Curry so far? It's a flip of a coin imo

Other way around if anything. Curry had a better peak but Durant has an extra 2-3 years of longevity at a high level.
 

Maestro84

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May 3, 2018
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Honestly, I might rank Kawhi over Wade.

Kawhi has:
2 rings
2 Finals MVPs
2 DPOYs
2 First-Teams (may have had another this year)
5 Defensive Teams (would've added another this year)
23 PER
.2195 WS/48
MVP voting: 2, 3, 9, 10 (not sure where he would've ranked this yr)

Wade has:
3 rings
1 Finals MVP
1 Scoring Title
2 First-Teams (8 overall)
3 Defensive Teams
23 PER
.1620 WS/48
MVP voting: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

It's a close call, of course Wade's career is already done so he's easy to rank while Kawhi's career is rather difficult to rank since he's in his prime right now.
 

Cassano

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Aug 31, 2013
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Giannis is too young to be on this list right now imo. Also, no love for Dirk (AKA German Jesus)?
Giannis is gonna win 2 MVPs by the age of 25 and probably deserves unanimous MVP for this season. I also believe the Bucks were winning the title before this, so if season resumes and barring injuries, he should eclipse Dirk in career accomplishments.

Dirk is #11 on my list though, very close.
 

Maestro84

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May 3, 2018
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Giannis is gonna win 2 MVPs by the age of 25 and probably deserves unanimous MVP for this season. I also believe the Bucks were winning the title before this, so if season resumes and barring injuries, he should eclipse Dirk in career accomplishments.

Dirk is #11 on my list though, very close.
Giannis is in the same position as McDavid's in right now. They've both racked up accolades, been seen as the best in the world, and put up numbers that many vets haven't attained, but at the same time, they're both still so young and have been around for such a short period of time that it doesn't feel right to put someone like Giannis and McDavid over someone who's played out more than 10 years of their careers already.
 

Cassano

Registered User
Aug 31, 2013
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Giannis is in the same position as McDavid's in right now. They've both racked up accolades, been seen as the best in the world, and put up numbers that many vets haven't attained, but at the same time, they're both still so young and have been around for such a short period of time that it doesn't feel right to put someone like Giannis and McDavid over someone who's played out more than 10 years of their careers already.
Fair view, but I am the person with the viewpoint that McDavid for example has a better career so far than say Eric Staal.
 

Trap Jesus

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Feb 13, 2012
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1. LeBron James
2. Tim Duncan
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Shaquille O'Neal


I think these are the unarguable top 4. You can debate the order but they check off all the boxes from periods of dominance, overall body of work, consistency, playoff success, MVPs, everything.

5. Kevin Garnett
6. Dirk Nowitski
7. Kevin Durant


I think KG vs. Dirk is close to a coin flip but I prefer KG for his defense. Durant will pass both but I favor the overall body of work for the other two at the moment.

8. Steph Curry
9. Dwyane Wade


I actually think this one is close when you consider how many more years Wade has played and IMO having the more notable playoff moments, but I had to go with Curry's championships, MVPs and overall influence on the game.

10. Chris Paul

I think you can put any one of Paul, Nash or Iverson here. All are similar as players that were fantastic in the regular season but could never win the Championship. Paul loses the MVP battle to both, but I give him the edge because his consistency is nothing short of incredible.

Kawhi is rapidly ascending, but I don't think you can have him top 10 yet with the relatively limited body of work, especially considering the time missed due to injury. I put his playoff resume up against almost anyone already though. He's close, but just needs a bit more time.

I like that list you have though, you got all the big names, I just think you overvalue Curry a little bit, but understandable considering what he's accomplished.
 

KoozNetsOff 92

Hala Madrid
Apr 6, 2016
8,567
8,229
LeBron
Duncan
Shaq
Kobe
Durant
Curry
Garnett
Dirk
Wade
Harden

Can see Paul, Iverson and Nash as well at #10.
 

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,373
16,652
Mulberry Street
1. LeBron James
2. Tim Duncan
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Shaquille O'Neal


I think these are the unarguable top 4. You can debate the order but they check off all the boxes from periods of dominance, overall body of work, consistency, playoff success, MVPs, everything.

5. Kevin Garnett
6. Dirk Nowitski
7. Kevin Durant


I think KG vs. Dirk is close to a coin flip but I prefer KG for his defense. Durant will pass both but I favor the overall body of work for the other two at the moment.

8. Steph Curry
9. Dwyane Wade


I actually think this one is close when you consider how many more years Wade has played and IMO having the more notable playoff moments, but I had to go with Curry's championships, MVPs and overall influence on the game.

10. Chris Paul

I think you can put any one of Paul, Nash or Iverson here. All are similar as players that were fantastic in the regular season but could never win the Championship. Paul loses the MVP battle to both, but I give him the edge because his consistency is nothing short of incredible.

Kawhi is rapidly ascending, but I don't think you can have him top 10 yet with the relatively limited body of work, especially considering the time missed due to injury. I put his playoff resume up against almost anyone already though. He's close, but just needs a bit more time.

I like that list you have though, you got all the big names, I just think you overvalue Curry a little bit, but understandable considering what he's accomplished.

Agreed. I'd probably put AI or Nash at 10, but great list/ranking.

I personally have Dirk over KG, and I'd probably put KD over both of them at this point.

Anyways, good work here.
 
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