Top NBA Player to Start Your Team With

This year in the NBA has been crazy from the start. The Golden State Warriors have run off an incredible stretch and now are well within reach of the Bulls record 72 win season, the Spurs are not far behind and would seem to have the deepest team in the league, the Cavaliers continue to astonish everyone with their lack of cohesion and never-ending drama, but they have LeBron James so you can never count them out, and the Toronto Raptors have become a very solid team with a good nucleus that could be set for a few years.

However, all of this got me to thinking. Who is the player I would most like to start my team with and why? The question, of course, is very complex as there could be any number of answers. What position is most important? Does that player win their battle every night? How old are they? Do their skills translate well with more than one star player (a must as we have seen in today’s NBA)? Do their skills age well? What is their contract situation? How is their attitude and are they a leader? All of these questions needed to be answered, but I think I have finally found the answer to who the best NBA player is to build around.

If you are building a team with one player the first thing is the player has to be young and have potential to grow even more than he already has. Unfortunately that eliminates some of the league’s top superstars right now in LeBron, Carmelo Anthony (not that I would start with a guy who has shown no ability to carry a team and be anything other than a volume scorer), Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Marc Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki to name a few. Those players are all capable of carrying a team to a certain point, but you can’t start a team with someone who is closer to declining and the end of their career than heading on the upward trajectory.

The next thing you look for is someone who has durability and will be on the floor every game leading your team. That will eliminate candidates like Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis (unfortunately), and Kyrie Irving among others.

Following the durability concerns is the temperament in which the player plays with and if you can trust him to lead, avoid stupid plays and forcing shots, and avoiding technical fouls and getting worked up in key situations when the team needs you. This very easily eliminates players like DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard (not a franchise player anyway), and Hassan Whiteside.

After narrowing down the list I have found five suitable candidates I feel would be tremendous to start a team with. The list includes, Damian Lillard, Paul George, Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Some may immediately yell well what about Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook? Those are all solid choices, but they all have question marks that lead to me picking against them. Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook were the toughest omissions as Curry’s shot and craftiness around the rim translates well as he ages and Westbrook is still only 27 and can do everything on the court. It would be incredible to see him lead his own team without Durant.

However, Curry has had ankle problems in the past and I worry about those causing problems in a couple of years which would make him unlikely to be on the court every game. Westbrook plays out of control and is reckless with his body and also relies heavily on his athleticism going to the basket (just a 30 percent career 3-point shooter) which concerns me as he heads towards 30. Durant has had a problem with his foot and with big men that is a fatal problem, one that will keep me away to be cautious. Thompson is a solid player, but I am not sure how well he would do without Curry and Green and being the focal point on offense. And as far as Harden, he has what some have said is a sometimes sour attitude and can occasionally be a problem in the locker room, which automatically knocks him out.

Now on to the five candidates I have chosen and how to knock them out. One thing I feel is necessary out of your best player is playing very good defense. If your best player can be a true two-way player that makes your team defense better as it is leading by example and he gives you a gigantic advantage in that matchup by holding a player down on defense and scoring on offense. That unfortunately knocks out Lillard who I feel is a mediocre defender at best and allows far too much penetration at the top of the key despite being a great offensive player.

Down to four. Next I think that a player needs to play efficient basketball and although Green is a tremendous player, whose work ethic should not go unnoticed (shooting 38% from 3-point range this season) he has never had an efficiency rating of above his current score of 18.95, while Towns, George, and Leonard all have ones in the twenties.

Down to three. Next as tough as it is, I am going to knock out George. George is a fantastic all-around player, but I worry about his low shooting percentages (about 42% overall from the field) and his ability to make others better. He also has the lowest efficiency of the three with his just barely over 20. However, the one thing I do not worry about is his injury. The injury should not impact him in the future.

Down to the final two, and this is as tough a choice as there is. Leonard has improved so much, has an elite wingspan, can shoot the three ball, is the best wing defender in the league, and can handle the load on offense. While Towns has a sweet inside-out game, can shoot free throws at a high clip (82%) allowing him to be on the floor at the end of games and avoid getting hacked, can pass very well, defends the rim, and is only 20!

As great as both players are my guy is Towns. Towns has the total package as a guy who can play in the post, shoots 54% from the field, well from the line, and has even hit 35% of his three-point shots. Furthermore, he also averages just three fouls per 31 minutes which means he stays on the floor without fouling, a key for young big men. However, another thing that swung it in Towns’ favor is that he is just 20, is on his rookie contract for three more years (with his salary topping out at just over 7 million), and is already rated as 15th most efficient player in the NBA at age 20. Towns has so much room for growth and is already listed as a player who is better and more efficient than Jimmy Butler, Irving, George, Anthony, John Wall, Kevin Love, and Green at age 20!

There is also the fact he won the skills contest in the All-Star weekend against Isaiah Thomas, one of the most skilled point guards in the game today. (alright I kid, I kid)

Nevertheless, the future is an exciting one for Towns and as good is Leonard is (a GM should be thrilled to start a team with either player) every fact matters, and the facts point to Towns as the man to build around.

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