3. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
You’ve got to feel sorry for Nikola Jokic at this point. Both of his All-Star caliber teammates have gone down with season-ending injuries, leaving the Joker as the only star left standing for the Nuggets.
Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are both great players when healthy, so you’d expect Jokic’s numbers to dip in their absence. On the contrary, Jokic is currently having the best season statistically of his career. 25.9 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.2 APG, and 1.3 SPG on 56.5% from the field, 36.4% from 3, and 76.8% from the free-throw line is an amazing stat line.
It’s so good that if he keeps this up, Jokic could record the greatest regular season PER in NBA history. Right now he’s at 32.72, which is 0.86 higher than No. 2.
The fact that his Denver Nuggets are 16-16 is arguably more impressive. This is a player right in his prime, able to carry a team on a nightly basis and it’s a joy to watch.
2. LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
If LeBron James in his 19th season needs to put up 27.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 6.5 APG, and 1.7 SPG on a shooting split of 51.7/34.5/77.6 just to get the Lakers to 16-18, then there’s a serious problem. LBJ is averaging 37.0 MPG, which is far too high for a player with his mileage. He should be playing only 30 minutes a night so he can save himself for the Playoffs.
Despite the multitude of problems the Lakers have, the fact that LeBron is putting up the numbers he is is just remarkable. He is the greatest player we’ve seen since Jordan and should be in everyone’s top 5 of all-time lists without question.