Who Is the Best Offensive Player From the 2019–2020 NBA Season?

Who is the best offensive player from the 2019-2020 NBA season?

Nowadays the world seems to consume all of its information in listicles and top-ten lists, and the NBA is no exception. Fans and media salivate over the “Top 10 Players of All Time,” the “Top 50 Players in the League Today,” and on and on.

These lists are inherently subjective. Defense is particularly hard in the list making business, because we don’t have shared metrics and standards. And besides, offense is just sexier content.

With that in mind, let’s take defense out of the equation and try to determine the most efficient and talented offensive NBA player for the 2019-2020 season. Things will obviously be a little subjective, leading to hopefully enjoyable disagreement, but let’s lay down some parameters.

I tried to chart the league’s best offensive forces across a few key metrics. The darker shade of blue, the more impressive stat. For example, James Harden led the league in scoring in the 2019-20 season, earning a deep blueberry color. In fact, the Beard led in four of the ten categories, and is in the top percentile in every other classification.

Scoring prowess is perhaps the most important part of today’s game. Harden has his peers licked in that regard. He’s been one of the league’s most prolific offensive weapons for some time, and the 2019-2020 campaign was his second-best year in terms of points per game.

Bradley Beal is second on the list at a respectable 30.5 points per contest, but it’s worth noting he worked a lot harder to get buckets. His shooting percentages and assists numbers are much lower than many of his colleagues on our list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo played significantly fewer minutes than Harden, but still managed impressive scoring and efficiency. Giannis doesn’t match Harden’s ability to make plays for his teammates, however. Harden was responsible for 54.1 points when you factor in his assists to teammates - an entire eight points better than Antetokounmpo. A simple eye-test would also reveal that Harden is a more polished offensive player.

Harden was the leader in points per game, the percentage of points he scored relative to his teammates, points responsible for, and offensive box plus-minus. However, Damian Lillard also led in four categories as well, and tied Harden in offensive box plus-minus.

This year Dame was actually a slightly better playmaker and shooter than Harden, but just barely. They’re functionally equal in these categories, though, and Lillard still has a lot of ground to make up in the “points responsible for” arena. He trails Harden by seven whole points.

Devin Booker, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard were all among the most effective offensive players during the 2019-20 season, but each had holes in their games. Booker is a great shooter, but his efficiency and playmaking were lacking. Westbrook also has big issues with efficiency, although he did show a willingness to cut down on bad threes this year.

LeBron James led the league in assists, an impressive feat in his 17th season, but didn’t shoulder as big of a scoring load as he has in the past. Kawhi just is not the playmaker Harden is nor does he possess the shooting efficiency to place him as one of the best scorers this year.

Trae Young and Luka Doncic both posted impressive numbers and each could make a compelling case for best offensive player this season. Neither were far behind in scoring, and each can distribute the basketball at an elite level. Doncic led the league in “points from assists” and Young is not far behind. Other than Harden, Trae and Luka were the only two players that surpassed the 50-point mark in how many points they were responsible for. (As a life-long Dallas fan, I would love to crown Luka as the season’s best offensive threat, but his resume just wasn’t as impressive as Harden’s.)

James Harden stands alone. His offensive talents are unique not just among his contemporaries, but perhaps in NBA history. He has the handles, court vision, ability to draw fouls, shooting range, and ability to drive to the basket. Kevin Durant is also uniquely talented on the offensive end, but his injury excuses him from consideration this time around.

Even with all of the numbers laid out, this is all still very subjective. Harden is a top talent, but perhaps if you value playmaking over scoring you’d take LeBron, Trae, or Luka as the best offensive talent today. If you prefer that Kobe-esque killer instinct, maybe your opinion is that Kawhi or Dame is the best threat. Giannis is a dominant physical specimen unlike any player we’ve seen in long time, perhaps since the likes of prime Shaq or Dwight Howard. Maybe the Greek Freak is your pick as the most formidable scorer. All of these possibilities are what makes basketball such a great sport to debate.