1. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James, PF
With all due respect to Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the best player on the Los Angeles Lakers is as obvious as it gets. Not just the best player on his team, the best player in the league came to Los Angeles to rebuild the Lakers name. Interestingly, he is one of just two players on this list to change teams this offseason — perhaps the calm before the storm of 2019. Even changing teams, LeBron James still rules the league.
As he ages he has not slipped offensively, girding up his outside shot to stay efficient. He coasts through the regular season defensively, but the playoffs showed he still has every bit of the dominant athleticism that has given him his throne. James dragged one of his worst supporting casts all the way to the NBA Finals, even dropping 51 points on the Warriors in Game 1.
At 33, James will start to slow down at some point, and then Steph Curry or Kevin Durant could supplant him from this spot. But whoever seeks to be at the top will have to take it forcibly from James, who is quickly making his case not just for the best now, but the best ever.