And The New Best Player In The Eastern Conference is...

With Lebron James taking his talents to LA, there is now a void which the remaining players in the Eastern Conference must filll...and that is the position of best player in the East.

It's a task easier discussed than decided on, given that no one seems to be clearly the best player. But here are my top four candidates for that position.

Candidate #1 Kyrie Irving
Lebron's former teammate in Cleveland averaged 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in his lone, cut-way-too-short season in Boston. He's a dynamic scorer, very dangerous in the open court, and starting to learn how to be a playmaker for others.

His defense is suspect though and his athleticism may have taken a hit with this season's knee injury. Until he comes back and shows he is the same player he was in his days in Cleveland plus improve his defense and playmaking, I'd hesitate to crown him as the East's best player.



Candidate #2 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid finally completed a season in relatively good health and posted wild, wild numbers. With 22.9 points, 11 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks, there were time when Embiid definitely played like the best player in the East.

But there are warning signs with Embiid. Durability, consistency...might as well include game impact in there. Embiid is a potent offensive and defensive force but he is not a playmaker...yet. In fact, for the most part, he was reliant on another outstanding player on the Sixers, Ben Simmons. That, in effect, puts him out of the running for best player in the East.

Candidate #3 Ben Simmons
Yes, the Sixers have two players on this list. Ben Simmons was a wunderkind of the best sort, with 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.7 steals. That puts him basically in Russell Westbrook category.

So why not him? Well, let's go no further than the Sixers' playoff series with Boston. Simmons need to address his inconsistency as well as build a reputation for rising up to the occassion before we can consider him as the best player left in the East.

Candidate #4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee's do-it-all forward averaged 26.9 points, 10 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks, this season, as well as led the Bucks on a scintillating playoff run. The Bucks' roster is not as well put together as the Sixers' or the Celtics but Antetokounmpo was able to elevate the team beyond all reasonable expectations.

While there is still a lot of room for improvement, it's mainly because the sky's the limit for this young man. He needs to get his individual defense up to the elite level and his 3 point shooting percentage up to a more respectable number (from 30% to about 35%-37%) before he becomes unquestionably the best player in the East.

The verdict: I'd go with Antetokounmpo. His particular combination of high level skills, physical gifts, ceiling, and inner drive give him a slight edge over the others in this list.