INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Athletic polled more than 30 NBA players in Los Angeles for All-Star Weekend about a variety of issues around the league. Below, players discussed their pick for the best player in the league, the biggest problem facing the NBA and which player (or former player) has the best podcast.
Who is the NBA’s best player right now?
Nikola Jokić: 5
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 3
Luka Dončić: 2
Donovan Mitchell: 2
Six players: 1
No one voted for LeBron James or Stephen Curry, and one player voted for Kevin Durant (Reed Sheppard, his Houston Rockets teammate). This is no knock on any of the three American greats, especially James, the league’s all-time leading scorer who is arguably the best player ever (usually mentioned with Michael Jordan).
It does signal that, yes, in fact, the NBA has finally evolved from them.
Jokić is a three-time MVP who is easily averaging a triple-double this season (28.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists). He is enjoying his best season statistically at age 30, and he is, of course, a 6-foot-11 center. So he’s doing all this initiating as an all-time great passing big man. Scary stuff.
“All-around, I’d have to say Nikola Jokić,” All-Star Norman Powell, of the Miami Heat, said. “I mean, all-around game, what he’s able to do, what he means for that team, the numbers he’s able to put up and how effortless he’s able to make it.”
“He’s been dominant for so long and what he does on a nightly basis is pretty impressive,” Atlanta Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson said.
If Jokić misses one more game this season, he will be ineligible for a fourth MVP. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and league scoring champ and is the likely frontrunner because he has the biggest cushion among top contenders before he is in danger of missing the 65-games-played threshold. Dončić leads the league in scoring but can miss just five more games before he is ineligible for MVP.
How did Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ All-Star, make the list, given that he has never finished in the top three in an MVP race?
“Come on, Joe, I gotta say me, always,” Mitchell said, when I asked him this question.
His teammate, Jaylon Tyson, also voted for Mitchell. So there you go.
What’s the biggest problem facing the league today?
Player injury/participation: 4
Tanking: 2
No biggest problem: 2
Length of games: 1
Too much alcohol at games: 1
This is a hard question to answer when seated at a podium, surrounded by a dozen or more media members, in a loud, cavernous room, when it’s difficult to hear and questioners are shouting over each other. It can require thought and introspection, and in All-Star settings, not every player has the time to get into that mode.
We grouped “injuries,” “load management” and participation into a single category, because they are all related. The NBA says injuries to stars are down this season, but Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving all suffered catastrophic injuries last year and haven’t played yet this year. Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Joel Embiid are already ineligible for awards, and Steph Curry is one game away. Jaren Jackson Jr. was shut down for the year. Ja Morant, still a star in the league’s eyes, has played in just 20 games.
So you can break it down issue by issue, but, as the Cavs’ Tyson said, we can agree the “perception” of injuries is not a good look for the league.
“I think the biggest problem right now is the perception that guys don’t want to play,” Tyson said. “Guys are working their tail off every day to be able to get on the court, but unfortunately our bodies aren’t robots, so we can’t just go out there and play. We got to be healthy to be out there to go play.”
Tanking is an issue, surely. Commissioner Adam Silver said all suggestions to stop teams from doing it are on the table — which means the draft lottery could look very different next summer.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey, when asked about the league’s biggest problem, answered, “Hmmm … there are too many good players. How about that?” Touché.
Our favorite response came from Washington Wizardsguard Bub Carrington. “They might be selling too much alcohol at the games,” said Carrington, who participated in the Rising Stars game. “They keep on spilling it on the court. You have to stop the game to wipe it up.”
Cade Cunningham, the Detroit Pistons’ All-Star, pointed to the length of games. “Maybe we shorten the time — there’s a time limit on challenges or something and keep the game going,” he said.
“There’s little things I think you could change, but I mean, I think we have the most beautiful game there is, honestly,” Cunningham said. “Yeah, we could change things to make a certain crowd happy, but if you keep it, you keep a crowd happy. I think it’s just about keeping the game as pure as possible and allowing fans to see the best players go out there and compete every night.”
Amen.
Who has the best player podcast?
Jeff Teague: 5
Jalen Brunson/Josh Hart: 1
Paul George: 1
Draymond Green: 1
Rudy Gay/Carmelo Anthony: 1
What’s the saying these days — everybody has a podcast?
Certainly feels that way in the NBA. This question was meant to measure who, among their peers, the players think has the best pod. But the overwhelming answer was a former colleague.
Teague hasn’t played in the NBA since 2021, but he co-hosts the “Club 520” pod with friends DJ Wells and Brandon “B. Hen” Hendricks. The show is in its fourth season and is part of Colin Cowherd’s “The Volume” podcast network. We asked 10 players this question, and half of them said Teague or 520. There was one mention of a football player’s pod (bruh, wrong sport), and Gay and Anthony are out of the league, too.
“Jeff Teague’s podcast is hilarious,” Orlando Magic rookie and Slam Dunk contestant Jase Richardson said.
— The Athletic’s David Aldridge, Sam Amick, John Hollinger, Jason Jones, Law Murray, Shakeia Taylor, Jared Weiss and Dan Woike contributed reporting for this story.