Ranking of LeBron, Giannis, Kawhi and the best players of 2019
The 2019 calendar year was an unusual one for the NBA stars, beginning with the fact that LeBron James was not part of a postseason for the first time since 2005.
Because of his ability to step up his playoff play, James won four of the five times I delivered ESPN + Golden Basketball to honor performance throughout the calendar year as an alternative to the regular season MVP and MVP awards. Finals
But with James spending most of the first half of 2019 looking from outside the court, first literally, due to a groin injury, and then figuratively, with the Lakers in the lottery, we will have a new winner this year.
With James out of the race, who receives the honor?
Let's review my top 10 of 2019 for Golden Basketball, our equivalent to the FIFA Golden Ball.
The nominees
10. Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies / Toronto Raptors
Position: Pivot
Ranking 2018: N / A
Résumé: NBA Champion and FIBA World Champion
Golden Basketball recognizes performance throughout the calendar year, so Gasol is honored to help both the Raptors and their national team obtain titles.
The arrival of Gasol helped solidify Toronto's internal defense, and with Spain he was the second highest scorer (behind the MVO of the Ricky Rubio World Cup) in a team that won his first intercontinental title since his 2006 World Cup win.
EDITORIAL SELECTIONS
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9. Paul George Oklahoma City Thunder / LA Clippers
Position: Eave / Escort
Ranking 2018: No. 8
Résumé: First All-NBA Team
Despite a bad moment in his shots in the final part of the 2018-19 regular season due to shoulder injuries that would require a couple of surgeries during the summer, George finished third in my win metric above the replacement player (WARP) during the 2019 part of the campaign, behind the first two in the vote for the VMY, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden.
Since returning to play in mid-November with the Clippers, George has barely lost pace this season.
8. Nikola Jokic Denver Nuggets
Position: Pivot
Ranking 2018: N / A
Résumé: First All-NBA Team
Jokic showed that his unique ability for a 7-foot player could translate into the postseason. After playing his way to the All-NBA First Center spot, Jokic improved his averages in all playoff statistics when the Nuggets got into a game of the Western Conference final. His 65-minute effort to defeat Denver in four OTs in Portland in the conference semifinals will be difficult to duplicate.
After dominating the previous designations as ESPN + Golden Basketball winner, LeBron James gave ground in 2019 to players like Kawhi Leonard. AP Photo / Ringo H.W. Chiu
7. LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Eave
Ranking 2018: No. 1
Résumé: Third All-NBA Team
Despite missing 24 games during the 2019 part during the 2018-19 regular season and watching the playoffs at home, James can only fall so much on this list. After all, he has returned this season as one of the most dominant forces in the league, leading some fortified Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference for 2020.
6. Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors / Brooklyn Nets
Position: Eave
Ranking 2018: No. 2
Résumé: Second Team All-NBA
Like rival James, Durant falls on the list due to an injury. A calf strain interrupted his journey in the playoffs just as Durant presented himself as the best player in the league. His return in Game 5 of the NBA Finals threatened to tip the series in the direction of Golden State, only for Durant to suffer an overwhelming rupture of the Achilles tendon in the second quarter.
The injury meant that Durant will not debut in Brooklyn uniform until sometime in 2020.
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5. Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
Position: Base
Ranking 2018: No. 4
Résumé: First All-NBA Team
With Durant and Klay Thompson battling injuries, Curry did his best to take the Warriors to a third consecutive title. His 47 points in lost cause in Game 3 of the Finals with both marginalized players was one of the most memorable performances of the season. Unfortunately, Curry's shot to win Game 6 was errant, and subsequently suffered an injury of his own, a broken bone in his left hand, after four games in the 2019-20 season, which left him out for the rest of the year calendar.
4. Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers
Position: Base
Ranking 2018: No. 7
Résumé: Second Team All-NBA
The case of Lillard to finish in the first four - his highest position - begins with the basket from 37 feet (officially) to knock out the Thunder out of the playoffs and end an era in Oklahoma City, with the subsequent departures of George and Russell Westbrook. Although Lillard was not as dominant at the individual level in the second round, the threat he presented was key in Portland's victory over Denver to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
The finalists
James Harden averaged over 37 points per game throughout 2019, adding his regular and postseason games. AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli
3. James Harden Houston Rockets
Position: Escort
Ranking 2018: No. 3
Résumé: First All-NBA Team
It's amazing that the two highest-scoring seasons since the height of Wilt Chamberlain's only allow Harden to finish on the podium for the Golden Basketball, but such are the high standards in 2019.
Adding his regular season games and playoffs during the calendar year, Harden averaged 37.4 points per game (with a more scheduled game for New Year's Eve, depending on the toe sprain that left him out on Sunday). But it was not so valuable during the playoffs, and it seems that she will dress as a bridesmaid for the VMY for the second consecutive season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a memorable 2019, winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Photo: Getty
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks
Position: Pivot Wing
Ranking 2018: No. 6
Résumé: VMY
Except for a series, and really only the last four games of the Eastern Conference finals, 2019 belonged to Antetokounmpo, who gave the final touches to his first MVP season and started hard to claim a second (we'll see in 2020 ).
In the middle, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a 2-0 lead in the conference finals after eliminating Boston from the playoffs, but then struggled to maintain the same impact when Toronto challenged him to score above. Therefore, although Antetokounmpo could win a Golden Basketball award in its near future, it will not yet add it to its prize showcase.
The winner
Kawhi Leonard was the player who best defined 2019, both for his achievements on the court and the way he worked out of it. Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images
1. Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors / LA Clippers
Position: Eave
Ranking 2018: N / A
Résumé: MVP of the NBA Finals
The election of Golden Basketball reflects a central tension in NBA basketball in the 2010s: how to weigh the performance of the regular season against the playoffs. No one exemplifies that compensation better than Leonard, who was only a Second All-NBA Team selection in 2018-19 in large part due to the games he lost for the divisive purpose of "cargo handling" (now labeled "injury management" "to reflect the role of the quadriceps tendon injury that marked Leonard during most of the 2017-18 campaign).
Whatever your position on Leonard's method, you cannot deny the results in your attempt to reach the postseason at maximum capacity. He was the best player in the NBA during the playoffs, achieving his legendary four-rebound shot in the ring by playing the buzzer in Game 7 of the Raptors' second round series against the 76ers, and beating Antetokounmpo face to face in the conference finals before winning the MVP of the Finals
Leonard's decision to leave the defending champions and return home to Southern California with the Clippers showed another NBA trend with the superstar movement that affects the balance of power in the league. Although the Clippers are only third in the West by opening 2020, their pair of victories face to face with the Lakers, with Leonard in the lead, they have it in position to win another title with their new team.
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