6. James Harden
It is easy to forget how talented James Harden is when he’s on a team next to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But don’t get it twisted, Harden is at the top of the league in terms of raw scoring ability. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better isolation scorer than the beard.
Had it not been for a nagging hamstring injury, we may have seen Harden take home his first NBA Championship last season. Nevertheless, he’ll be fully healthy in 2022 and looking to right his wrongs.
Harden averaged 24.6 points and 10.9 assists in his 36 games with Brooklyn. He’s an unguardable talent who makes creating plays look effortless on a routine basis. Give him an entire season next to two other superstars and Harden is going to look pretty scary as an offensive weapon.
5. Nikola Jokic
There may not be a more underrated player in the NBA than Nikola Jokic. Though he just won the MVP award, he typically isn’t mentioned when discussing the league’s upper-echelon of superstars.
And yet, Jokic is as talented as anyone else. He can do quite literally everything on the court, albeit a little slow at times. He isn’t a jaw-dropping athlete but his statistics are eye-popping with the way he can rack up triple-doubles with ease.
Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists last year while recording 16 triple-doubles. He will have a bit more help with Jamal Murray returning from injury and should be in the mix for MVP yet again.