Offensive Leaders
Giannis Antetokounmpo has solidified his title as the best player in the NBA. Even after his dominant playoff run last season, the consensus around basketball fans was still that Kevin Durant was the best player in the league and quite frankly, it was hard to debate after he nearly single-handedly took down the Bucks in a 7-game series without his co-stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden. After this postseason, the narrative has completely flipped in similar fashion. It’s impossible to debate Giannis being anywhere other than No. 1 on this list. He became the first NBA player to have at least 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists in a playoff series. Even with the loss and his Game 7 struggles, you can’t ignore what Giannis did that series especially without Khris Middleton. The reports of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors demise were greatly exaggerated. After missing the playoffs each of the last two seasons, Curry and the Warriors are back in the NBA Finals, and the greatest shooter who has ever lived is once again showing that he is one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen. After what appeared to be a down season this year, shooting career-lows from the field (43.7 percent) and 3-point range (38 percent), Curry has been a calming and consistent presence for the Warriors this postseason, starring in the lead role as he makes his sixth Finals appearance in the last eight years. He might not have the same peaks that he was able to reach when he took the NBA by storm from 2014-2017, but he still is at the top of every opposing teams scouting report and gameplan, and his mere presence on the court raises his team’s floor and ceiling significantly. With a fourth championship.
Also Read | NBA 2021-22 prizes and awards winners list
POINTS | PTS |
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo | 31.7 |
1. Luka Doncic | 31.7 |
3. Nikola Jokic | 31.0 |
4. Jimmy Butler | 27.4 |
4. Stephen Curry | 27.4 |
ASSISTS | AST |
1. Ja Morant | 9.8 |
2. James Harden | 8.6 |
3. Chris Paul | 8.3 |
4. Khris Middleton | 7.0 |
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo | 6.8 |
3-POINTERS MADE | 3PM |
1. Stephen Curry | 4.1 |
2. Anthony Edwards | 3.8 |
3. Desmond Bane | 3.6 |
4. Klay Thompson | 3.5 |
5. Luka Doncic | 3.4 |
Also Read | Golden state warriors – Journey to NBA 2022 Champions
Defensive Leaders
Nikola Jokic’s biggest knock right now is his lack of playoff success as a MVP winner. To be fair, he’s played the last two postseasons without his co-star in Jamal Murray and this year’s playoffs without Michael Porter Jr. after their respective injuries. Other than that, you can’t question what he does on the basketball floor. We saw in his lone playoff series this year that he truly couldn’t do anything more. In his final game of the season he put up 30 points, 19 rebounds, and 8 assists in 32 minutes on the road. He showed why he was named league MVP. The now two-time MVP averaged 31-13-6 in the series entirely.
REBOUNDS | REB |
1. Jonas Valanciunas | 14.3 |
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo | 14.2 |
3. Nikola Jokic | 13.2 |
3. Rudy Gobert | 13.2 |
5. Nikola Vucevic | 12.4 |
BLOCKS | BLK |
1. Jaren Jackson Jr. | 2.5 |
2. Nic Claxton | 2.3 |
3. Robert Williams III | 2.2 |
4. Karl-Anthony Towns | 2.0 |
5. Jaden McDaniels | 1.8 |
Also Read | A look at Stephen Curry performance in NBA 2021-22
STEALS | STL |
1. Jimmy Butler | 2.1 |
2. Ja Morant | 2.0 |
3. Herbert Jones | 1.8 |
3. DeMar DeRozan | 1.8 |
3. Javonte Green | 1.8 |
Also Read | NBA 2021-22 team stats
