Not who should start or who is the best at each position, but who (in a positionless sense) are our best players (when playong their best)?
Honorable Mentions: Cam, Prince. Not enough info yet to tell where they fit. Would LOVE to see Cam prove himself as a starter.
1 - Bron. AD has the best stats, but Bron is still the leader, main creator, main playmaker, and “that dude” in key moments. Also, it seems like he can turn a switch on. If the Lakers were in the NBA Finals, for example, I don’t think he’d let AD get Finals MVP.
2 - AD. Brilliant stats, as always. MVP-level. He just has to stay healthy and try to mentally bring it more consistently.
3 - Wood. Yep. Yep. Yep. Say what you will about his locker room issues for past orgs, but based on ability, size, and previous statistical production, at his best he’d easily be the team’s 3rd option. He’s had moments on previous teams where he was the #1 option.
4 - D-lo. Despite his weaknesses, is a former All-Star. Had several good seasons until Minny eventually decided he was a bad fit and hurt more than he helped.
5 - Gabe. He showed something special in the 22-23 playoffs for Miami. Looked like a great 3-and-d gut who could occassionally ha e big scoring bursts. Disappointing on LAL thus far…
6 - AR. Feels like a guy who could average 18 PPG off the bench and be a fan favorite. 6MOTY vibes.
7 - Rui. Has a perfect basketball body and solid fundamentals. Is strong and athletic, can play D, and can shoot…But he just never put it all together. He should be turning into an All-Star by this point in his career. Should be about the same level as Aaron Gordon, butn he’s just too damn inconsistent.
8 - Vando. Gotta work on the offense.
if they are their best, Cam isnt the guy with the highest potential in this team?? (aside ad & bron)
The subtlety here is that Cam is a player who’s growing and learning.
When I say best, I mean “proven best.”
This team picked up Gabe, for example, expecting to see more of what he did in last year’s playoffs.