Who will be the next best player in the NBA after Lebron?

By Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

Currently, Lebron James is the best player in the NBA and has been for the last 8 to 10 years. However, over the last couple of years, discussions have been made about other players who have surpassed Lebron as the best basketball player in the NBA such as players like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard. As far as I am concerned, Lebron is the best player and will be for the next couple of years. Now you can make a strong case for those guys, but until Lebron completely slows down he will continue to be the best player.

Moreover, we do not know how many more years it will take for him to slow down. So the question becomes, “Who will be the next best player”? The players that seem to be in this discussion, according to pundits, analysts, and fans are Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Of course, these players are all having great careers in the NBA, are dominating on their respective teams, and have what it takes to become the next best player in the NBA.

Here’s my case for each player

Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant is the closest player to Lebron in this discussion and the only player in my eyes that really gives Lebron a real challenge. Durant averages 27 pts for his career and is one of the best scorers of all time. He is an unselfish and dominant player on both sides of the floor. Kevin can do it all on the offensive end with the pick and roll, post-ups, driving to the basket, shooting the midrange, and shooting the 3-point shot. He does these things efficiently.

Durant has no weaknesses on the offensive end and on top of that he is 6-11 with a 7-ft. wingspan, so he is impossible to defend. No one has ever seen a player built like him.  The one thing that he lacked before joining the Golden State Warriors was a killer instinct mentality and once the 2017 finals came around he seemed to have it making every big shot needed to take out Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Now that Durant has that killer instinct mentality, nobody will be able to stop him and he will only get better in the years to come. He has now cemented his legacy as an NBA champion, and a Finals MVP, and no one can ever take that away from him.  If he continues to win rings and continues to get better, he will go down as one of the best players to ever play the game.

Great Scorers

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

A couple of years ago, when Steph had his breakout year in the 2014-15 season and won his first MVP, many were surprised about it and didn’t see it coming. The next season after winning his first championship, he won his second MVP unanimously, and everyone started jumping to the conclusion that he was the best player in the NBA. He had revolutionized the game by dominating the game with the three-point shot, which no one had ever seen done like that before.  He has become an extreme box office, media, and fan favorite.

Since his success, many players and teams have tried to use the same style of play he used to be successful in the league. Steph Curry is an all-time great shooter, has exceptional ball-handling skills, and is one of the best players in the NBA today.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Town has taken the league by storm in his first two seasons in the league. He averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first season and 25 points and 12 rebounds in his second season. Towns is becoming one of the best big men and young players in the NBA.  This was a surprise to most people, because of the way his only season at Kentucky went.  Towns is a prime example of the new era stretch-four big man. He can do it all. Defend, is very versatile, and has a post-game, midrange game, and a 3-point shot. However, he is just scratching the surface of what his potential can be. Karl-Anthony has the potential to take over the NBA and be one of the most dominant players in the league.

All-Around Players

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Anthony Davis is the best big man in the NBA today. He is an elite defender and has become a great scorer. He has the ability the stretch the defense, has a great post-up game, and also has pretty good ball-handling skills for a big man. Davis’s scoring average has increased every year he has been in the league and this year Anthony became a top 5 scorer in the NBA. The most valuable part of his game is his defense. Davis can guard big men in the post, can guard out on the perimeter, and is an elite shot-blocker. His upside is tremendous. Anthony has the potential to take over and dominate the league. He can be the best player in the NBA one day.

 

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

Before this past season, Kawhi Leonard was just known as an elite defender. However, this year he developed into an elite offensive player averaging 26 points a game. He is one of the best one-on-one players in the NBA. To many, he has become the best two-way player in the NBA. And to some, he even has become better than Lebron. Kawhi became the leader and go-to-player on the Spurs this year. He led the Spurs to another stellar regular season. Leonard still can get better by becoming even more aggressive and continuing to develop in facilitating for his teammates.

 

In My Summation

You can make an argument for each of these players, but I am going with Kevin Durant to be the next best player after Lebron. He is the second-best player in the NBA and will be one of the all-time greats when it’s all said and done. Once Lebron is no longer the best player, Durant will be ready to take over and continue to dominate the league at the highest level.

Stats

Kevin Durant
10 yrs	GP	GS	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG	SPG	FG%	3PT %	All NBA Teams
Career Avg	703	703	27.2	7.2	3.8	1	1.2	48.8	37.9	8

 

Stephen Curry
8 yrs	GP	GS	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG	SPG	FG%	3PT %	All NBA Teams
Career Avg	574	568	22.8	4.4	6.8	0.2	1.8	47.6	43.8	5

 

Kawhi Leonard
6 yrs	GP	GS	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG	SPG	FG%	3PT%	All NBA Teams
Career Avg	398	371	21	6.2	2.3	0.7	1.8	49.5	38.8	2

 

Stats

Karl-Anthony Towns
2 yrs	GP	GS	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG	SPG	FG%	3PT%	All NBA Teams
Career Avg	164	164	21.7	11.4	2.3	1.5	0.7	54.2	36.1	1

 

Anthony Davis
5 yrs	GP	GS	PPG	RPG	APG	BPG	SPG	FG%	3PT%	All NBA Teams
Career Avg	335	330	22.4	10.2	1.8	2.4	1.3	51.3	30	3