Looking at the performance of this season, these five people are the first in each position in the active roster, and Durant is on the list
The NBA2023-2024 season is now in full swing, and as the season progresses, the next games will only become more and more intense, especially this season, the gap between the teams is very small, and now the season is almost halfway through, and no team has shown absolute dominance. And it is precisely because of the intensity and anxiety of the regular season that these stars in the league have played better, not only dark horses such as Haliburton and Fox this season, but also Mesozoic stars like Embiid and Brother Alphabet have also performed well.
If you don't refer to past honors, the first person in the league in each position this season is probably the following 5 players, compared to 3 years ago, it can be regarded as a major change, the oldest of the 5 is the 35-year-old Durant. From this list, you can also see how fierce the competition between stars is this season, such as Jokic, who led the Nuggets to win the championship and was elected FMVP last season, was not selected, you must know that he can also average 25.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game this season.
Point guard: Doncic
He averaged 33.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 48.4% shooting
Although Doncic is 2.01 meters tall, his style of play is completely that of a point guard, and he has to digest most of the Mavericks' possession on the court, and he has lived up to the team's expectations, showing his talent and strength from his first season in the league. Although there are many excellent point guards in the league this season, such as Haliburton, who occupies the throne of the assist king, but on the whole, the league's No. 1 point guard has to be Doncic, and his individual scoring and tandem offense on the offensive end are inexplicable.
Doncic's average points and assists per game this season have once again set a new career high, and this year Doncic has greatly improved his three-point shooting, which also makes his offense on the court more threatening. However, Doncic has played like this, and the Mavericks' record is still very average, and they have now slipped to seventh in the West.
Quarterback: Alexander
He averaged 31.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game on 54.6% shooting
I think the Clippers would never have imagined that Alexander would develop to this point, otherwise they would not have traded Alexander even if they didn't want Leonard at that time. Since coming to the Thunder, Alexander has been playing better and better year by year, he broke out completely last season, and then he also became one of the hottest new stars in the league, this season Alexander continued his hot form, although he is the player with the most assists per game in the Thunder team, but he is still slightly inferior to Doncic in this regard, so he has no problem as a point guard.
On the offensive end, Alexander is undoubtedly the best at scoring, as a guard, although his three-point shooting is average, but he is proficient in mid-range, breaking, and making kills, he can still cut 30+ with super high efficiency, and he is also more consistent. Under the leadership of Alexander, the Thunder have also risen this season, and they are currently ranked second in the West with a 22-9 record.
Small forward: Durant
He averaged 29.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game during the season, shooting 52.5% from the field
As the oldest player on this list, although Durant is 35 years old this season, his performance is still very good, not to mention that he has suffered a major injury such as a ruptured Achilles tendon, so it is even more incredible that he can perform now. Due to the team's lineup problems, Durant's task this season is also quite heavy, he not only has to maintain efficient scoring on the offensive end, but he also has to take care of the responsibility of organization, so he also played a season of averaging 6+ assists per game for the second time.
On the defensive end, the Suns' two interior lines are overwhelmed, so this also requires Durant to do his best to help defend and protect the rim on the inside, and the load output on both offensive and defensive ends is also a key test for Durant's physical strength and health. However, for now, Durant's performance is better than his stats show, and as the top supergiant in history, this Suns team will depend on his performance in the end, so his strength and health largely determine how far the Suns can go this season.
Power Forward: Brother Alphabet
He averaged 30.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game on 60.6% shooting
He has basically occupied the position of the league's best power forward since he came out, and he has never missed the best team in the past five years, especially after winning the championship in 2021, and the choice of the league's strongest power forward is no longer disputed. Although the Bucks have experienced changes in core personnel this offseason, so at the beginning Brother Alphabet was also uncomfortable because of the run-in, but as the season deepened, he gradually found his form, and now he has become the two-double machine that can cut 30+10 at will.
This season, for the second year in a row, he has averaged at least 30+10+5 per game, and it can be seen that he has worked the defensive end this season, and his average steals and blocks per game have improved compared to last season. With the help of Brother Alphabet, the Bucks are also firmly in second place in the East, but the overall strength of the Bucks is also a visible decline compared to last season, and after sending away Holiday and Allen, the team's defense has completely collapsed, which is also the biggest problem for the Bucks now.
Center: Embiid
This season, he averaged 35 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.2 steals and 2 blocks per game, shooting 54% from the field
If you look at the historical status, Jokic is undoubtedly the strongest center in the league, but as mentioned earlier, the selection of this list only looks at the performance of this season, so Embiid's performance so far is undoubtedly more worthy of this title. After winning the MVP last season, Embiid continued his dominance this season, and even improved his performance compared to last season, whether it was offensive or defensive, he has improved in all aspects.
So far, Embiid's average points, assists, and steals per game are all career highs, and rebounds and blocks are also the second highest in his career. The most important thing is that Embiid's ability to respond has also improved significantly, and now watching his game even has some shadows of Jokic, under the coaching of Nass, Embiid's game is undoubtedly a grade of improvement.