All-Decade Teams: Best NBA players of the 2010s

[gouki88]

First Team

G: Steph
G: Harden
F: LeBron
F: Durant
C: Anthony Davis

Second Team

G: Westbrook
G: Klay Thompson
F: Kawhi Leonard
F: Draymond Green
C: Al Horford

Third Team

G: Chris Paul
G: Wade
F: Andre Iguodala
F: Blake Griffin
C: Marc Gasol


That last guard spot was a hard one to fill.

Nobody stood out.

Go small with another PG - Lillard probably. DeRozan was an option. Paul George or Gordon Hayward. Neither has enough good years for me. So I just stayed with Wade.

I don't feel good about that spot. Happy with the rest.

Why Iggy ?

Played the whole 2010s. All-Star caliber play for the first 5 years. Then came off the bench. Still an All-Star caliber player for first year or two off the bench but sacrificed for the team. Finals MVP. Multiple Championships. Best 6th man in the league for a few years.

I wasn't wild about Paul George. Bench player first year. Good starter the second. Third year breakout year and All-Star caliber player. Fourth year, All-Star but not franchise player. Then got hurt. Lost a season to injury. Took two years coming back where he still had big numbers but he wasn't a top player anymore. Borderline All-Star. I don't put much value on those years and when added to the first couple of years where he was developing ... nah. Not enough. I'd rather go with Iggy. I rate P.George's last two years as All-Star level and borderline top 10 player in the league (not MVP level). So only 1 high level year, 3 other strong years (All-Star) and two good years (borderline All-Star).

Same with Hayward - less of a case than P.George. A few years developing. Missed year with injury. Too much time returning from injury. Not enough overall high level play.

C'mon man, no he didn't. From the 2009-2010 season through to the 2014-2015 season he averaged 12/5/5 with really strong defence but pretty awful shooting. How is that All-Star caliber play at all?

[ederson]

Maybe it's my memory but i don't remember an all star level iguodala

It just looks strange to have as a top6 Forward of the decade someone who averaged 25ms in the last 5 years

[Who]

First Team

G: Steph
G: Harden
F: LeBron
F: Durant
C: Anthony Davis

Second Team

G: Westbrook
G: Klay Thompson
F: Kawhi Leonard
F: Draymond Green
C: Al Horford

Third Team

G: Chris Paul
G: Wade
F: Andre Iguodala
F: Blake Griffin
C: Marc Gasol


That last guard spot was a hard one to fill.

Nobody stood out.

Go small with another PG - Lillard probably. DeRozan was an option. Paul George or Gordon Hayward. Neither has enough good years for me. So I just stayed with Wade.

I don't feel good about that spot. Happy with the rest.

Iggy, Draymond and Klay?? Wow

Yeah, I am a big Draymond guy. I rate him as the best PF in the league from 2016-2018 (3 year stretch) until guys like LeBron and Giannis moved over to PF. A top 10 player each year during that stretch and a borderline top 10 player last year. Add in an All-Star caliber year in 2015-16. Then throw in the Championships on top of that. He has to be here.

Lacks in longevity but so much high level play that I had to put him in there.

Klay = I don't see as odd at all. Clearly the 2nd best SG in the decade. Strong two way play. 6 years of All-Star caliber play. 1 year where he was a notch below. Multiple Championships. I don't see anyone challenging him.

[Who]

First Team

G: Steph
G: Harden
F: LeBron
F: Durant
C: Anthony Davis

Second Team

G: Westbrook
G: Klay Thompson
F: Kawhi Leonard
F: Draymond Green
C: Al Horford

Third Team

G: Chris Paul
G: Wade
F: Andre Iguodala
F: Blake Griffin
C: Marc Gasol


That last guard spot was a hard one to fill.

Nobody stood out.

Go small with another PG - Lillard probably. DeRozan was an option. Paul George or Gordon Hayward. Neither has enough good years for me. So I just stayed with Wade.

I don't feel good about that spot. Happy with the rest.

Why Iggy ?

Played the whole 2010s. All-Star caliber play for the first 5 years. Then came off the bench. Still an All-Star caliber player for first year or two off the bench but sacrificed for the team. Finals MVP. Multiple Championships. Best 6th man in the league for a few years.

I wasn't wild about Paul George. Bench player first year. Good starter the second. Third year breakout year and All-Star caliber player. Fourth year, All-Star but not franchise player. Then got hurt. Lost a season to injury. Took two years coming back where he still had big numbers but he wasn't a top player anymore. Borderline All-Star. I don't put much value on those years and when added to the first couple of years where he was developing ... nah. Not enough. I'd rather go with Iggy. I rate P.George's last two years as All-Star level and borderline top 10 player in the league (not MVP level). So only 1 high level year, 3 other strong years (All-Star) and two good years (borderline All-Star).

Same with Hayward - less of a case than P.George. A few years developing. Missed year with injury. Too much time returning from injury. Not enough overall high level play.

C'mon man, no he didn't. From the 2009-2010 season through to the 2014-2015 season he averaged 12/5/5 with really strong defence but pretty awful shooting. How is that All-Star caliber play at all?

Iggy had a huge impact on games without prolific scoring.

That is why he was an All-Star caliber player.

I love guys who can impact games without needing a ton of shots or lots of time on the ball. They win games. They win Championships. They play well with other top players.

Iggy was the best player in Philly for 3 years. Then in Denver for 1 year. And the 2nd best player behind Steph Curry for 1 year in GSW during that 5 year stretch. When the Warriors won their first title Iggy was on a par with Klay and Draymond only Iggy was the one to sacrifice the most in order to best make the team work so he got the least credit / notice.

-------

Iggy's best years don't separate him from someone like Paul George. I do think they put Iggy on the same level as George and then I view Iggy's longevity as the separating factor.

Why I chose Iggy over PG13.

[ederson]

PG was more times All Def team than Iggy.

[Moranis]

First Team

G: Steph
G: Harden
F: LeBron
F: Durant
C: Anthony Davis

Second Team

G: Westbrook
G: Klay Thompson
F: Kawhi Leonard
F: Draymond Green
C: Al Horford

Third Team

G: Chris Paul
G: Wade
F: Andre Iguodala
F: Blake Griffin
C: Marc Gasol


That last guard spot was a hard one to fill.

Nobody stood out.

Go small with another PG - Lillard probably. DeRozan was an option. Paul George or Gordon Hayward. Neither has enough good years for me. So I just stayed with Wade.

I don't feel good about that spot. Happy with the rest.

Why Iggy ?

Played the whole 2010s. All-Star caliber play for the first 5 years. Then came off the bench. Still an All-Star caliber player for first year or two off the bench but sacrificed for the team. Finals MVP. Multiple Championships. Best 6th man in the league for a few years.

I wasn't wild about Paul George. Bench player first year. Good starter the second. Third year breakout year and All-Star caliber player. Fourth year, All-Star but not franchise player. Then got hurt. Lost a season to injury. Took two years coming back where he still had big numbers but he wasn't a top player anymore. Borderline All-Star. I don't put much value on those years and when added to the first couple of years where he was developing ... nah. Not enough. I'd rather go with Iggy. I rate P.George's last two years as All-Star level and borderline top 10 player in the league (not MVP level). So only 1 high level year, 3 other strong years (All-Star) and two good years (borderline All-Star).

Same with Hayward - less of a case than P.George. A few years developing. Missed year with injury. Too much time returning from injury. Not enough overall high level play.

C'mon man, no he didn't. From the 2009-2010 season through to the 2014-2015 season he averaged 12/5/5 with really strong defence but pretty awful shooting. How is that All-Star caliber play at all?

Iggy had a huge impact on games without prolific scoring.

That is why he was an All-Star caliber player.

I love guys who can impact games without needing a ton of shots or lots of time on the ball. They win games. They win Championships. They play well with other top players.

Iggy was the best player in Philly for 3 years. Then in Denver for 1 year. And the 2nd best player behind Steph Curry for 1 year in GSW during that 5 year stretch. When the Warriors won their first title Iggy was on a par with Klay and Draymond only Iggy was the one to sacrifice the most in order to best make the team work so he got the least credit / notice.

-------

Iggy's best years don't separate him from someone like Paul George. I do think they put Iggy on the same level as George and then I view Iggy's longevity as the separating factor.

Why I chose Iggy over PG13.

Paul George just finished a season in which he was 3rd in MVP voting and 3rd in DPOY voting.  He has another top 10 MVP finish.  He has 4 All Defense Teams and 5 All NBA Teams and of course the 6 All Star teams.  His career average in points is 19.8.  Iguodala's career best season was 19.9 and that wasn't in the 2010's.  Iguodala has 2 All Defense Teams and not a single All NBA Team.  He has 1 all star appearance.  Iggy played all 10 seasons and was blessed to be on a team with Curry, Thompson, and Green (and then Durant), but that doesn't equate to anywhere near the level you are giving him.  Iggy was a nice player, but doesn't belong anywhere near a list of the 15 best players of the decade.  It isn't even close.

[Who]

PG was more times All Def team than Iggy.

Iggy got screwed by All-Defense teams & by All-Star selections. Never got the accolades he deserved. He should have been a fixture on those All-Defense teams. Year after year after year.

PG was an awesome defender before the injury (2-3 years of high level defense) and he has gotten back to that level now after a few years of so-so defense to above average defense to high level defense post-injury (1 year high level defense post injury).

[ederson]

I find it hard to believe that for 5 years players and fans and coaches and journalists failed to see the all star in Iggy.

He spent half the decade as bench player and the other half lead his teams to 50% seasons.

Yes he is useful but 3rd team all decade nba?

[PhoSita]

The second and third teams look like hot garbage to me.


I would look at the players who had the greatest individual seasons over the course of the decade, compare that to the players with the best cumulative stats over the decade, then see where there's overlap.


Kawhi wouldn't be on the first team, for one thing.  That's recency bias.


No clue why Kobe would be on any of the teams.  He was the second best player on two title winners in 10 and 11 but didn't do much of note after that.


Pau has a much better case.



First team should be CP3, Curry, Harden, LeBron, KD

[footey]

Lamarcus Aldridge seems random in comparison to the others.  I'd even put Horford ahead of him... I mean, Horford has been on a lot of winning teams in the past 10 years.

Yeah, I'd put Horford in there. Maybe Marc Gasol too.

Aldridge is 6th in the decade in points scored and had more starts than any other front court player (according to the write-up).  He had 7 all star appearances and 5 All NBA Teams.  It wasn't in the article but he also had 3 top 10 MVP finishes.  For the decade he averaged 20.8 ppg.  Al Horford has never averaged more than 18.6 in any given season.  Horford has 1 All NBA Team (also has 1 defensive team) and 5 all star games (and has never received a MVP vote).  Gasol has the DPOY, but other than that is a significantly worse candidate than Aldridge. 

This just strikes me more as forgetting just how good Aldridge has been than anything else.  I guess that happens spending your career in Portland and San Antonio.

Agreed. I think people don't realize how good Lamarcus is. And it's not like he's played on lottery teams. He's basically been a lock for All-star and All-NBA play since 2011.

He's basically been a walking 20/10 over the decade, and has changed his game to a degree to adapt to the modern league. I'd bump him to 2nd team over Melo, and drop Melo for Dirk.

And also drop Kobe for someone

The thing is Dirk just wasn't very good for most of the decade.  Only 3 All NBA Teams (the first 3 of the decade).  5 All Star games (not counting this year).  Games played are way down.  And yeah the Mavs had that incredible playoff run, but those were the only 4 playoff series the Mavs won this decade and they haven't been in the playoffs the last 3.  Dirk's prime was in the 00's not the 10's.

Can say the same thing about Kobe and Melo, no?

[PhoSita]

Problem for LaMarcus is he doesn't have any single truly amazing season.  Just outstanding consistency and high level production over the decade.  Was never the best player on a team with a serious shot at winning the title.


Pau Gasol was the best player on two title teams at the start of the decade, is among the top 20 in cumulative win shares, and has one of the top regular seasons of the decade (2011).

[Moranis]

Lamarcus Aldridge seems random in comparison to the others.  I'd even put Horford ahead of him... I mean, Horford has been on a lot of winning teams in the past 10 years.

Yeah, I'd put Horford in there. Maybe Marc Gasol too.

Aldridge is 6th in the decade in points scored and had more starts than any other front court player (according to the write-up).  He had 7 all star appearances and 5 All NBA Teams.  It wasn't in the article but he also had 3 top 10 MVP finishes.  For the decade he averaged 20.8 ppg.  Al Horford has never averaged more than 18.6 in any given season.  Horford has 1 All NBA Team (also has 1 defensive team) and 5 all star games (and has never received a MVP vote).  Gasol has the DPOY, but other than that is a significantly worse candidate than Aldridge. 

This just strikes me more as forgetting just how good Aldridge has been than anything else.  I guess that happens spending your career in Portland and San Antonio.

Agreed. I think people don't realize how good Lamarcus is. And it's not like he's played on lottery teams. He's basically been a lock for All-star and All-NBA play since 2011.

He's basically been a walking 20/10 over the decade, and has changed his game to a degree to adapt to the modern league. I'd bump him to 2nd team over Melo, and drop Melo for Dirk.

And also drop Kobe for someone

The thing is Dirk just wasn't very good for most of the decade.  Only 3 All NBA Teams (the first 3 of the decade).  5 All Star games (not counting this year).  Games played are way down.  And yeah the Mavs had that incredible playoff run, but those were the only 4 playoff series the Mavs won this decade and they haven't been in the playoffs the last 3.  Dirk's prime was in the 00's not the 10's.

Can say the same thing about Kobe and Melo, no?

I've already said I wouldn't have Kobe on the team.  Probably Lillard though wouldn't object to Klay or possibly a few others. 

Anthony is trickier in part because he was still a great player the first half of the decade and there aren't any other really great candidates (comparing him to Pau, Dirk, Duncan, Love, Draymond, and Bosh pretty much and none of them are great for the decade either).

[Moranis]

Clearly Lebron was the player of the decade, but it got me wondering, who was the player of the decade for the 2000's.  Duncan?  Shaq? Kobe? was it Lebron that decade also?  My gut says Duncan, but I'm just not sure.  And that really is the only decade where there is really any real debate as the 90's was Jordan, 80's was Magic, 70's was Kareem, 60's was Russell, and 50's was Pettit.

[PhoSita]

This is pretty much unquestionable:


All-Decade 1st Team

LeBron (141.8 total WS)
Best season: 2013 ... 19.3 WS ... 27 pts / 7 ast / 8 reb / 1.7 stl / 60% EFG

Durant (131.5 total WS)
Best season:  2014 ... 19.2 WS ... 32 pts / 5.5 ast / 7.5 reb / 1.3 stl / 56% EFG

Harden (121.9 total WS)
Best season: 2017 ... 15.0 WS ... 29 pts / 11 ast / 8 reb / 1.5 stl / 52.5% EFG

Paul (116.2 total WS)
Best season: 2015 ... 16.1 WS ... 19 pts / 10 ast / 4.5 reb / 1.9 stl / 54.5% EFG

Curry (102.9 total WS)
Best season: 2016 ... 17.9 WS ... 30 pts / 6.5 ast / 5.5 reb / 2.1 stl / 63% EFG

[Somebody]

Clearly Lebron was the player of the decade, but it got me wondering, who was the player of the decade for the 2000's.  Duncan?  Shaq? Kobe? was it Lebron that decade also?  My gut says Duncan, but I'm just not sure.  And that really is the only decade where there is really any real debate as the 90's was Jordan, 80's was Magic, 70's was Kareem, 60's was Russell, and 50's was Pettit.

80s was Magic? Bird has a good argument.