Bleacher Report's Top 50 NBA Stars of the 2010s | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
48. Danny Green
The first question many readers will ask upon seeing this placement is something along the lines of, "How can anyone think Danny Green is better than DeMar DeRozan?!"
Well, when their names were taken out of the equation, voters chose Green's numbers over DeRozan's.
The two-time champion may well be the prototype for three-and-D players, an archetype that gained favor throughout the league during the 2010s.
And his consistent contributions to winning teams place him in the top 100 all-time in career box plus/minus.
47. Steve Nash
Nash did the bulk of his damage in the 2000s. He only played five seasons in the decade in question, but his numbers therein were stellar for a player in his late 30s.
From 2009-10 to the end of his career, Nash put up 14.0 points, 10.0 assists and 1.1 threes with a 60.7 true shooting percentage.
He also led the league assists twice and made two All-Star teams in the decade. And he took the Phoenix Suns to the Western Conference Finals in 2010.
Chandler was the defensive backbone of the 2011 champion Mavericks. That season, Dallas' net rating was 6.6 points better with Chandler on the floor.
That trend carried through the 2010s for the veteran center. Over the course of the decade, Chandler's teams outscored opponents by 0.5 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. They were outscored by 0.9 points per 100 possessions when he was off.
His basic numbers of 9.3 rebounds, 8.5 points and 1.0 blocks don't pop off the screen, but his impact as a finisher and rim protector was undeniable.
45. Bradley Beal
Beal came on strong over the end of the decade, averaging 23.8 points, 4.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 threes and 1.2 steals from 2016-17 to 2018-19. He made two All-Star teams in that run.
Given that he's just 26 years old and only recently found this level, there's a decent chance Beal will have an argument to make the top 50 of the 2020s.
Over the first half of the 2010s, Noah was one of the game's most reliable defenders and versatile centers. From 2009-10 to 2013-14, he trailed only LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili in box plus/minus.
In the same stretch, he averaged 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals and made two All-Star teams, three All-Defense teams and one All-NBA team. In 2014, he finished fourth in MVP voting.
Things tailed off dramatically after that, but the Chicago Bulls teams he led were among the best of the 2010s.
As is the case with Nash, Pierce would likely be a lot higher on a list ranking 2000s players by the same criteria.
Still, over the first four years of the 2010s (his last four with the Boston Celtics), Pierce averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals. He also made three All-Star teams.
Pierce was then part of the infamous trade that stunted the Brooklyn Nets for years, but his veteran leadership on the 2014-15 Washington Wizards helped erase his struggles there.
T41. Mike Conley
The Grit 'n' Grind Memphis Grizzlies are right there with Noah's Bulls in the conversation for best 2010s teams that never won a title.
Year after year, as things changed around the league, the Grizzlies felt like one of the only constants. Conley was emblematic of that.
His steady floor generalship placed him 21st in the 2010s in wins over replacement player and 27th in playoff wins over replacement player.
Back at the start of the 2010s, Ibaka was a key cog in the young Oklahoma City Thunder core that many thought would rule the league for years to come.
It took all the way to the last year of the decade for Ibaka to get his title, but it came with the Raptors. And he was a much different player.
Early-career Ibaka was known largely for his shot-blocking, but he developed into a legitimate floor-spacing big. By the end of the decade, he had 1,626 blocks and 462 threes. No one in NBA history had achieved both marks.
