201819playerrankings

Josh Cohen

ranking-nbas-top-25-shooting-guards-in-2018-19

Ranking NBA's Top 25 Shooting Guards in 2018-19

ranking-nbas-top-25-point-guards-in-2018-19

Ranking NBA's Top 25 Point Guards in 2018-19

OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen ranks the best point guards in the 2018-19 regular season. Click through this slideshow for full rankings and analysis.

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Kyle Lowry – Although he didn’t lead the league in charges drawn like last year, the 33-year-old did rank in the top 10 in that always underrated category. Lowry also averaged a career high in assists, an accomplishment that, to some degree, makes his poor shooting numbers this season seem less substantial.

Jamal Murray – Playing alongside Nikola Jokic, arguably the NBA's all-time greatest passer at his position, has helped Murray, who averaged career highs in nearly every major category this season. The 22-year-old’s best performance came in early November when he exploded for 48 points against the Celtics.

D.J. Augustin – Only Stephen Curry had a better 3-point percentage among all regular starting point guards than the Magic’s floor general, who also ranked among the best at his position in fewest turnovers committed.

Chris Paul – The Rockets’ defensive rating when CP3 was on the court was 103.2, eight points better than when he was off the floor. So although it’s true that he is on the downside of his career, the 33-year-old is still making a huge impact.

Eric Bledsoe – Among all starting guards, Bledsoe posted the best field goal percentage inside the 3-point line. Since coming to Milwaukee from Phoenix in the middle of last season, the now-29-year-old has been so much more efficient when he gets in the paint.

Spencer Dinwiddie – While Lou Williams is certainly the favorite to win his third Sixth Man of the Year award and second in a row, Dinwiddie definitely deserves to be in the conversation for that honor.

Justise Winslow - Moving into a point guard role really helped the 23-year-old blossom this year, his fourth in the NBA. With improved range on his jump shot mixed with his size and strength, Winslow has become one of the tougher matchups for opposing guards.

ranking-nbas-best-point-guards-in-2018-19

Ranking NBA's Best Point Guards in 2018-19

OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen ranks his Most Improved Player Award candidates. Click through this slideshow for full rankings and analysis.

You could argue that Indiana has as many as three Most Improved Player Award candidates – Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis and Bogdanovic. All three have been critical for the Pacers, especially after the Victor Oladipo injury. Bogdanovic has been the best of the three offensively, scoring 20 points or more 28 times through 72 games. His best performance so far came in late February when he posted 37 points against the Timberwolves.

ranking-nbas-most-improved-players-in-2018-19

Ranking NBA's Most Improved Players in 2018-19

OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen ranks his Defensive Player of the Year candidates. Click through this slideshow for full rankings and analysis.

Too early to put a 21-year-old just starting to come into his own on this list? Perhaps, but there’s no denying just how gifted Isaac is on the defensive side of the floor. Arguably the league’s most riveting defensive sequence came in early February in Atlanta when Isaac blocked fellow 2017 NBA draftee John Collins three times on the same possession. With a unique ability to guard all five positions at nearly 7-feet tall, Isaac is a big reason why the Magic have the league’s best defensive rating since late January.

ranking-nbas-best-defenders-in-2018-19

Ranking NBA's Best Defenders in 2018-19

OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen ranks his Sixth Man of the Year candidates. Click through this slideshow for full rankings and analysis.

The Pistons are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and Kennard is a big reason why. Since the All-Star break, the 22-year-old is averaging nearly 16 points per game while shooting 49 percent from 3-point range. Kennard, the 12th pick, is just one of many 2017 draftees making a big impact. It’s not outrageous to think that the 2017 draft, featuring Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, John Collins, Kyle Kuzma, Lauri Markkanen, Jonathan Isaac, De'Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball, will go down as one of the best drafts in NBA history when all is said and done.

ranking-2018-19-nba-sixth-man-of-the-year-candidates

Ranking 2018-19 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Candidates

OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen predicts who will be selected for this year's All-Star Game from the Western Conference. The players listed are in alphabetical order. Click through this slideshow for full rankings and analysis.

Somehow, someway, the greatest shooter in NBA history has become an even better shooter this year. At least the numbers suggest he has. And a lot of that has to do with how the Warriors are using Curry – as more of an off-ball screen, catch-and-shoot weapon. The three-time NBA champion and two-time league MVP actually leads the league in catch-and-shoot scoring per game with a third of his points coming in this fashion. He’s even on pace to shoot a career best percentage from 3-point range. Even more amazing, though, is that the Warriors have outscored their opponents by over 10 points when Curry is on the floor and they have been outscored by nearly two points when he is off the court. Golden State went 5-6 during a three-week stretch in November while the 30-year-old was recovering from a groin injury.

predicting-2019-nba-western-conference-all-stars

Predicting 2019 NBA Western Conference All-Stars

OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen predicts who will be selected for this year's All-Star Game from the Eastern Conference. The players listed are in alphabetical order. Click through this slideshow for full analysis.

Most still feel LeBron James is the league’s best player. Nobody will call you crazy if you think that, even as he recovers from his groin injury. But, now more than ever before, it’s not outrageous to claim that one of the other NBA’s premier superstars – whether it’s James Harden, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard or Antetokounmpo – is near, or even at, LeBron’s level. Antetokounmpo, specifically, has made a strong case this season that he should be the league’s Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, especially considering how good the Bucks have been on both sides of the ball. Milwaukee adding a few key complementary pieces before and during the season, particularly floor spacers Brook Lopez, George Hill and Ersan Ilyasova, has helped the Greek Freak become a far better playmaker this year.

predicting-2019-nba-eastern-conference-all-stars

Predicting 2019 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars

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