Fahim ‘Coach Fah’ Nassar

Coach Fah’s NBA Top Players for the 23-24 season

You have to understand I do not take into consideration popularity, jersey sales, social media or any other media driven agendas. I look at impact, regular season performance, and what said player means to the team… etc. You may not like where I listed them, but this is reflective of team successes, not just individual accolades.

That being said… Here goes!

1. Nikola Jokic– Multiple MVP winner. 2023 Finals MVP and leader of the Champion Denver Nuggets
2. Jimmy Butler– Though he could not carry his team over the hump, he was the catalyst that knocked the Bucks, Knicks and Celtics out of the playoffs.
3. Jamal Murray– The Robin to Jokic’s Batman. If he wasn’t hurt after he bubble series, perhaps the Nuggets win it all sooner.
4. Jason Tatum– Smooth, polished scorer. He does need more of a playoff pedigree, however.
5. Jaylen Brown– The Ying to Tatum’s Yang. If these two alphas could ever get and stay on the same page Boston will have hardware.
6. Giannis Antetokoumpo– The Greek Freak is normally at the top of this list but proof is in the pudding. Bounced early in the playoffs. Giannis was injured. Coaching change etc. With Dame Lillard this could be a hardware year though.
7. Joel Embiid- 2023 MVP and arguably the best Big Man in the league, but he still wears down and playoff performance/success matters.
8. LeBron James– The Old Man still got it. But to get back to a higher spot, they need to continue to perform well in the playoffs.
9. Kevin Durant– Phoenix made it to round 2, taking the eventual champs to 6 games.
10. Devin Booker– While their playoff run ended in round 2, Booker’s scoring is exceptional.
11. Anthony Davis– Davis was healthier than he has been in a long time. Davis provided spurts of real dominance last season.
12. Stephen Curry– Stephen Curry would be higher if injuries did not plague him this past season.
13. Bam Adebayo– He is Jimmy’s right hand man. Defending Jokic in the Finals was a very tall order.
14. Jalen Brunson– This man was snubbed an All-Star appearance and an All-NBA spot in my humble opinion.
15. Julius Randle– The heart of the Knicks. Aside from a poor (injury-based) performance in the playoffs, he was the lynch pin that helped (with Jalen Brunson’s help) get the Knicks to the fifth seed.
16. Donovan Mitchell– A Big Time scorer.
17. DeAaron Fox– He was the leader of the Kings, helping to get them to their best record in decades. The Kings look to be steadfast in the West and Fox is that lynchpin.
18. Ja Morant- This young man is an amazing player. He had a rough end to the season but should bounce back strongly after 25 games. He is the engine that pushes that team. If they want to go farther, he must lead them there.
19. Damontas Sabonis– The Kings versatile big man. Though his playoff performance was not stellar, he was a catalyst to get the Kings going.
20. Trae Young– The sharp-shooter. His assists have grown this season. The next steps are more maturity, leadership and playoff consistency.

*Photo courtesy of ESPN