NBA · 1 hour ago

Ranking the NBA’s Top 10 Players Right Now: First Half Edition

Danny Mogollon

Host · Writer

#10. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
Rating: 90

29.3 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 4.7 APG

Brown's case is simple: 29.3 points per game with real secondary playmaking (4.7 assists per game) while carrying a massive 36.9% usage. The efficiency is solid, not spectacular (57.1% true shooting), but the night-to-night scoring floor keeps him in the top ten.
NBA Player Rankings (Feb 19)
Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic have separated from the pack on full-season production, with Shai Gilgeous Alexander right there on efficiency and winning impact. The twist in these first-half rankings is availability, with multiple top-five guys not having played in the last two-plus weeks, while the rest of the list keeps stacking minutes and volume.

The SportsGrid NBA Editorial Team is a collaborative unit of basketball experts, data scientists, and market specialists dedicated to covering the NBA. By combining proprietary data with real-time analysis, the team has compiled a list of the top 10 NBA players. This article has been published by senior editor Daniel Mogollon.

Data from Blitz. Stats as of February 16.
#1. Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)
Rating: 97

32.8 PPG | 7.8 RPG | 8.6 APG

Doncic has been the league's biggest one-man offense at 32.8 points per game with 8.6 assists per game and a 61.4% true shooting mark. The recent form has cooled (26.0 points per game over his last five), and he hasn't played since February 5, but the full-season workload and creation still hold the top spot.
#2. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Rating: 96

28.7 PPG | 12.3 RPG | 10.7 APG

Jokic is still the cleanest all-around stat profile in the sport: 28.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game on 59.0% shooting with a wild 69.9% true shooting. He's back after an absence and last played on February 11, and the efficiency never blinked.
#3. Shai Gilgeous Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Rating: 95

31.8 PPG | 4.4 RPG | 6.4 APG

Gilgeous Alexander's scoring is elite, but it's the shot quality that pops: 55.4% from the field, 39.0% from three, and 89.2% at the line for a 67.0% true shooting season. He hasn't played since February 3, and his last five games dipped to 27.4 points per game, yet his season-long efficiency and low turnovers (2.1 per game) keep him in the top three.
#4. Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
Rating: 94

25.3 PPG | 5.6 RPG | 9.6 APG

Cade Cunningham is the rare guard who can live in high usage and still be a steady table-setter, sitting at 9.6 assists per game with 25.3 points per game. He's stayed level lately (25.5 points per game over his last ten) and keeps the engine running for heavy minutes (34.9 per game).
#5. Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
Rating: 93

24.4 PPG | 11.1 RPG | 2.8 APG

Wembanyama earns the fifth spot with a two-way line that no one else can match: 24.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in 29.0 minutes with 2.7 blocks per game and 62.4% true shooting. Over his last 1,0 he's at 24.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 2.4 APG on 51.1% from the field and 36.3% from three. The rim protection and efficiency at his usage (32.2%) justify a top-five rating.
#6. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Rating: 92

29.3 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 3.7 APG

Edwards lands at sixth on 29.3 points per game with 62.0% true shooting and 40.2% from three on high volume. In his last 10, he's at 28.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.8 APG; Minnesota is 28-18 with him, and his 49.3% from the field and 79.5% at the line round out an elite scoring profile that slots him right behind Wemby.
#7. James Harden (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Rating: 91

25.4 PPG | 4.8 RPG | 8.1 APG

James Harden's season is built on volume creation and elite free-throw shooting: 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game with 90.1% at the line. His playmaking load (31.4% usage, 8.8 assists over his last 10) and ability to run the offense keep him in the top 10.
#8. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Rating: 90

28.0 PPG | 10.0 RPG | 5.6 APG

Antetokounmpo has been a wrecking ball when available, putting up 28.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on 64.5% shooting with a 67.9% true shooting clip. The only reason he's not higher is availability and a recent dip: he hasn't played since January 23, and his last five games have averaged 21.6 points per game.
#9. Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Rating: 90

29.0 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 5.9 APG

Mitchell has been a clean, high-volume scorer at 29.0 points per game with strong efficiency for that load (61.9% true shooting, 37.6% from three). He's been steady in the short term, too, sitting at 29.5 points per game over his last ten.
#10. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
Rating: 90

29.3 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 4.7 APG

Brown's case is simple: 29.3 points per game with real secondary playmaking (4.7 assists per game) while carrying a massive 36.9% usage. The efficiency is solid, not spectacular (57.1% true shooting), but the night-to-night scoring floor keeps him in the top ten.
NBA Player Rankings (Feb 19)
Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic have separated from the pack on full-season production, with Shai Gilgeous Alexander right there on efficiency and winning impact. The twist in these first-half rankings is availability, with multiple top-five guys not having played in the last two-plus weeks, while the rest of the list keeps stacking minutes and volume.

The SportsGrid NBA Editorial Team is a collaborative unit of basketball experts, data scientists, and market specialists dedicated to covering the NBA. By combining proprietary data with real-time analysis, the team has compiled a list of the top 10 NBA players. This article has been published by senior editor Daniel Mogollon.

Data from Blitz. Stats as of February 16.