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NBA: 10 best players of calendar year 2019

By Josh Cornelissen

Toronto Raptors Kawhi Leonard Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo. Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Toronto Raptors Kawhi Leonard Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo. Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images /
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NBA Houston Rockets James Harden Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James
Houston Rockets James Harden Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images /

The NBA is a league of stars, and 2019 saw many of them breakout or maintain their dominance. Who were the 10 best players of 2019 from start to finish?

Anyone who says that the NBA is predictable and boring was not paying attention in 2019. The world saw an all-time dynasty fall apart, a silent mercenary bring a title to Canada, countless stars change teams and a new class of NBA talent ascend to the upper class.

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On Jan. 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the Western Conference’s third-best record, the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets were firmly in the playoff field and the Utah Jazz were under .500. The New York Knicks had the most losses in the league. OK, so not everything was set up to change.

Since then the Utah Jazz have had the league’s fourth-best record, while the Knicks have had the league’s worst. The Lakers and Hornets both missed the playoffs, but this year are in position to push for the postseason (the Lakers overwhelmingly so). The Milwaukee Bucks have continued their incredible streak in the regular season, with a 59-16 record that significantly outpaces the rest of the league.

Contributing to the rise and fall of these teams are their players, and more specifically their stars. A league that sees just 10 players on the court at one time and sees 20 or so take the court in any given game is going to be significantly influenced by its stars. The NBA and each of its teams exist and find success because of a handful of the best players in the world.

Which players have been the best over the past calendar year? This takes into account the heart and stretch run of the 2018-19 NBA season, the first two months of the 2019-20 season and most importantly the 2019 NBA playoffs.

Evaluating players on a combination of two-way production, availability, award selection and narrative we can uncover the top 10 NBA players of the year 2019.