The BEST Player from Every Eastern Conference NBA Team 2023

In 2022, nine Eastern Conference teams had positive winning percentages against the West. Five teams had negative winning percentages, while one team was locked down in a tie. It's clear that the East has at least caught up to the West, and many can argue that as a collective conference, they've even surpassed what used to be a powerhouse. Today we're going to go over the best player on each Eastern team, and with that being said, let's get started. Alright guys, I'm going to start this off with the Miami Heat, and this one is a no-brainer. It's Jimmy Buckets. In his first season with Miami, Butler carried a ragtag crew consisting of role players and young guns to the NBA Finals, and last season, he was one three-point shot away from doing it again. He's been consistently making all-star teams, all NBA teams, all defensive teams, and from what we've seen of Jimmy in the playoffs, he's the definition of a winner. If the Miami Heat just had a solid number two option, then they'd be looking really scary. Now, from one powerhouse team to another, let's now talk about the Boston Celtics, and for the ones wearing green, it's gotta be Jason Tatum. Despite being 24 years old, Tatum has already achieved what most NBA players could only dream of. I mean, he was selected to the All-NBA First Team, was named the inaugural Eastern Conference Finals MVP last season, and aside from that, he's already made three consecutive all-star appearances, and that trend doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon. Though Jalen Brown has been doing really good for himself as well, Tatum is just on a whole different level. Anyways, moving on here from the Celtics, let's now shift to the Bucks, and I think everyone in the world can agree, it's Giannis Antetokounmpo. To me, the Greek freak is not only the best player on his squad, but he's also the player in the conference right now. I mean, in the last four years, Giannis has always been in the top five when it comes to the MVP race, and he's also got two MVP hardwares of his own. He's also gave the Bucks their first championship after a 50-year title drought, and was also the Finals MVP that year. In my honest opinion, there's no living soul in the NBA currently that can stop Giannis from tearing teams apart with the combination of his size and strength, and the scary thing is, he's only entered his prime. Anyway guys, moving on here, next up on the list is the 76ers, and honestly, while most people think it's a toss-up between Embiid and Harden, we can't ignore the rise of Tyrese Maxxie. On any given night, any of these three could put up 30 or 40 points, but if I had to give it to one player, I'd still give it to Embiid. He's a unicorn for a reason, and although sometimes he looks like he cries when he doesn't get his foul calls, the truth is, just like Giannis, he's unstoppable in one-on-one situations. Teams have to game plan on how to stop him, and even then, it's not an easy job. If someone said it was Tyrese or Harden for this season though, based on what I've seen so far, I probably wouldn't put any effort in arguing back. Anyway, from the 76ers, let's now move up north and talk about who's the best player for the Toronto Raptors. He's currently averaging about 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, while being decently efficient from the field. That's a pretty monster stat line, and if the Raptors could somehow end up within the top four in the Eastern Conference, I can see him getting some MVP votes. In saying that though, there's a high chance that last season's Rookie of the Year Scotty Barnes might just pass him in a few years. I mean, I see glimpses of a pretty all-NBA player in him, and from just watching him, he plays a lot wiser than his age. But as of this season, it's still Siakam. Alright guys, next up we got the Chicago Bulls, and for this one, it's also another toss up between Zach Levine and DeMar DeRozan. Both these guys are offensive assassins. One is the mid-range king, while the other has such a smooth outside looking jumper. In terms of production and efficiency, they're both about the same. Then in terms of who's the best player among these two, honestly, they're both Batman, and they're both Robin. On any given night, either of these two is capable of being the best player for the Bulls, so I'm gonna put this one as a two-way tie. Next off, we got the Brooklyn Nets. Obviously, it's not Ben Simmons, and slightly less obvious, it's not Kyrie. So by process of elimination, it's obviously Kevin Durant. Averaging almost 30 points a ball game, the Slim Reaper is still the Nets' best player hands down. At 34 years old, KD can still score the ball with the best of them, and he can still deliver the big shots in big games to prove that father time still has plenty of catching up to do in order to slow him down. From one big-time scorer to another, let's now go over to Trae Young and talk about why he's the best player for the Hawks. When DeJounte Murray entered the scene, some thought he would topple Trae from the top, but as we've seen so far this season, that hasn't happened as Trae is still the biggest little man in the Hawks lineup. If you compare their stats, Trae is still the far greater scorer, dime dropper, and then if you go by the eye test, he's still the far better big shot maker. To Murray's credit however, he's a great complimentary player with his versatility on both ends of the floor, and together they make one of the better backcourts in the entire league. Anyways, let's move on to the Cavaliers, and for their best player, I got my money on Darius Garland. Now, I know most of you would pick Donovan Mitchell over Garland, and I can't blame you since Donovan is a perennial all-star who can put up buckets in his sleep. Then if you look at his stats this season, the man is scoring big numbers on extremely efficient numbers. Still though, Donovan's performance so far this season is based on a small sample size, and if you look at their historical numbers, Garland is actually the more efficient scorer and team player. Sure, Donovan might be the flashier scorer, but overall Garland is the better all-around player as he can do a lot more things on the court while remaining efficient at the same time. Moving on here, let's now talk about the Hornets, and I think we can all agree that Lamello Ball is the best hooper on this team. Let's be honest here guys, no one watched Hornets games until Lamello arrived two seasons ago. I mean, apart from affecting the game on every level from scoring, rebounding, to assisting, Lamello brought entertainment value when he entered the league with his jaw-dropping plays, and he didn't waste time as he made his presence felt by winning rookie of the year in 2021, and just last season, he followed through by being nominated as an all-star at just 20 years old. The future certainly looks bright for the Hornets as long as Lamello continues to steer the ship for them, and with solid players like Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., P.J. Washington, and Gordon Hayward, this team can do some real damage in the East once they get it all figured out. Anyway guys, next off, we got the New York Knicks, and for the best player on this team, I actually got Jalen Brunson. I mean, in terms of effective field goal percentages, which includes the difference in point values of a 2 and a 3, Brunson is the efficient when it comes to him, Julius Randle, and R.J. Barrett. Then when it comes to stats, he's also currently leading the team in points per game and assists. Finally, when it comes to playoff performances, he's proven that he can lead his team to wins while being the number one option, whereas the other two seem to shrink under the brightest lights. Moving on here, the Wizards are up next, and for this team, Bradley Beal is obviously still the number one guy. Two years ago, he was the second leading scorer in the NBA, and although his points production has dropped significantly since then, he's still the leading scorer for DC. Now, Christaps Porzingis can also be seen as a legit contender for the best player on this team, but based on his history in the last few years, I'm going to have to say no. He's always injured and doesn't play to his strengths enough to be considered truly elite, while Beal is one of the most dangerous guards in the league till this day. Next up, we got Tyrese Halliburton for the Indiana Pacers. The blockbuster trade between the Pacers and the Kings last season was the perfect opportunity that Halliburton needed to fully showcase his potential. I mean, look, so far for the season, the third year guard is averaging about 22 points, 9 assists, while shooting 49% from the field, 45% from three, and 95% at the free throw line. Those are some mad numbers, and to be honest, Halliburton is currently flirting with an all-star season right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if he got the call. Anyways, the next team we got here is the Pistons, and there's definitely no better player on this team than Cade Cuttingham. Despite getting beaten by Scottie Barnes in the Rookie of the Year race, Cade still produced solid numbers for the Pistons by averaging 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists last year. Then for this season, you can clearly see Cade taking more responsibility in leading the team and being more confident on offense. Bogdanovich is clearly the more efficient scorer, but Cade does a bit of everything on the court, and uh, being only 21 years old, there's nowhere to go but up for the 2021 number one pick, and I'd bet that it's just a matter of time before we see him suit up for an all-star game. Anyway guys, the last team on the list is the Orlando Magic, and the best player on this team is none other than Paulo Boncaro. Right off the bat, the Duke product shut down his doubters by exceeding all expectations as this year's top prized pick. In his first ever NBA game, Boncaro became the first rookie since LeBron James to debut in the NBA, with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He's also become the 7th player in NBA history to start his career with 5 20 point games, joining the company of legendary players like Wilk Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Grant Hill, Dominic Wilkins, and Oscar Robertson. Though Orlando is still struggling to find wins, the future definitely looks bright for Boncaro as their franchise player, and despite all the other lottery picks the Magic have on the roster, the 2022 number one pick is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of them when it comes to talent.