NBA Player Rankings: Using advanced stats to rank top 5 playmakers

Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
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Here are the best playmakers in the NBA, according to the numbers

The 2023-24 NBA season is about two months away, and we are at a dead point in the offseason. You know what that means; It’s time for rankings! In this article, we’ll break down some of the best offensive players in the NBA and rank the best playmakers in the league.

Before getting into the rankings, though, we must answer a very important question; what is playmaking? For some people, playmaking may be a player’s ability to make accurate passes. For others, it includes more than that and is a player’s ability to draw defenses toward them and generate open shots for their teammates.

In this case, we’ll lean more toward the second definition. This is important because not all great passers are great creators. To be a high-level creator, players have to be able to draw the attention of opposing defenses so they can weaponize their passing. They can do this by being great scorers, three-point shooters, or both. Unfortunately, this means that Kyle Anderson will not be on the list. It’s upsetting, but this is the way it has to be.

With that out of the way, let’s dive in and use numbers to rank the top five playmakers in the NBA.