With the NBA’s television ratings up for this time of year, the inaugural In-Season Tournament was a huge success. Fans were eager to watch important game in December.
In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural IST, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis spearheading the team’s success. Both will be near the top of this list.
The fact that the Indiana Pacers, a smaller club that faced Los Angeles, advanced to the championship game was part of what made the IST so intriguing, though. This kind of event, which features a single-game knockout stage leading up to the title, is thrilling since anybody can win it.
In the end, though, the Lakers’ arsenal proved to be too strong for Indiana, as Los Angeles trounced the Pacers 123-09.
Our list of the best players from the 2023–24 In-Season Tournament is shown below.
12. Sabonis (Sacramento)
Over the course of five games in the In-Season Tournament, Domantas Sabonis, a big man for the Sacramento Kings, averaged 18.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists. Regretfully, neither he nor the supporters of the Kings were able to prevent Sacramento from losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round of the knockout round, as the club was defeated 127-117. Though Sabonis had a plus-five plus/minus and went off for 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in that game, it is difficult to blame him for that.
It is interesting to note that Tyrese Haliburton, the man the Kings acquired for Sabonis, totally destroyed the competition in which Sabonis did well. Although Sabonis and the Kings are playing well, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Pacers came out on top in that trade. While both players are still young, we will have to wait and see how it turns out, but given the current course of events, Kings supporters may not remember that transaction too positively.
11. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid, the current league MVP, had an excellent performance in the competition despite the Philadelphia 76ers not progressing past the group round of the In-Season Tournament this year. Over the course of four games, he scored 34.0 points, grabbed 12.0 rebounds, and blocked 1.8 shots. But Philadelphia’s record in the In-Season Tournament was a dismal 2-2; they were eliminated before the knockout round after losing to the Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Embiid did had a fantastic game against Indiana, finishing with 39 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in a 132-126 loss.
10. Luka Doncic of Dallas
In the In-Season Tournament, the Dallas Mavericks also failed to advance past the group stage, despite Luka Doncic’s outstanding play. During the course of four games in the IST, Doncic averaged 33.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. During this time, Dallas went 2-2 and finished third in its group. For Mavericks supporters, let us hope the team has greater fortune in the postseason. Against the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic had his greatest game of the competition, going off for 44 points on 17 of 21 shooting, six rebounds, and six assists.
9 Kevin Durant (New York)
The Phoenix Suns’ plus-34 point difference allowed them to advance to the In-Season Tournament knockout stage even though they placed second in their group. Nevertheless, they did eventually lose to Los Angeles 106-103 in the quarterfinals, forcing them to withdraw from the competition. Nevertheless, Kevin Durant, the former MVP of the NBA, had an incredible performance in the competition, averaging 34.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. He even had a 31-point, seven-rebound performance in the Lakers’ quarterfinal loss.
8 Devin Booker, the Phoenix
Devin Booker, Durant’s teammate, performed admirably in the In-Season Tournament as well, averaging 28.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists over the course of four games. However, Phoenix was unable to overcome Booker’s poor performance against the Lakers in the quarterfinals, particularly since Bradley Beal has not yet made his Suns debut. Despite shooting just six out of sixteen, Booker still managed 21 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists versus Los Angeles in what was perhaps his poorest performance of the In-Season Tournament. Even with the Phoenix Suns down 105-103 with seconds left, he was still a plus-two on the night and was on the verge of making a game-changing steal on Austin Reaves. However, the Lakers were awarded a timeout due to an odd whistle.
7. Aaron Fox (Sacramento)
Over the course of four games in the competition, Kings standout guard De’Aaron Fox averaged 34.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. It was an incredible performance. It should be mentioned, though, that he did not play well in Sacramento’s quarterfinal defeat to the Pelicans. Despite scoring thirty points, he shot just 10 for 25 on the game, turned the ball over six times, and had a plus-nine plus/minus.
6. Nikola Jokic, Denver
With a 2-2 record and a minus-10 point differential, the Denver Nuggets finished third in their group and were eliminated prior to the knockout stage of the In-Season Tournament. Nevertheless, Nikola Jokic, the two-time league MVP, outperformed the opposition with an average of 32.3 points, 16.3 rebounds, and 11.0 assists. In Denver’s last game of the competition, Jokic had a very impressive performance against the Houston Rockets, recording 38 points, grabbing 19 rebounds, handing out eight assists, and stealing three steals. The fact that the Nuggets lost 105-86 despite such performance makes it even more shocking.
5. Dani Lillard from Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Bucks lost 128-119 to Indiana in the semi-final round, just missing out on a trip to the In-Season Tournament title game. Damian Lillard, who shot 50.0 percent from the field and 51.1 percent from three, averaged 28.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in six games, but it was still an excellent competition. Milwaukee had performed admirably in crucial situations thus far this season, but toward the end of the team’s defeat against the Pacers, some new-look issues surfaced. Fortunately for Bucks supporters, the team has plenty of time until the postseason starts to resolve those issues.
4. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo
Similar to Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo shined for the Bucks over the six games of the In-Season Tournament, averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. Every night, the Greek Freak dominated the paint area with a 64.6 percent shooting percentage in the IST. More astonishingly, Antetokounmpo’s performance increased over the course of two games in the knockout stages, putting up 36.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game.
3. LA Lakers’ Anthony Davis
Based on his performance in the championship game, where he went off for 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks on 16 of 24 shots, Anthony Davis shot up this ranking. When it comes to the playoffs, Indiana’s style of play may prove detrimental because the Pacers were unable to counter Davis’ skill at the low post. Naturally, Davis presents an extremely poor image of many opposition defenses. The Lakers will be a formidable opponent in the postseason if he stays healthy.
2. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana
Tyrese Haliburton deserves a lot of credit for his performance in the competition, which had fans questioning whether he was already the best point guard in the league (at least if you do not count Doncic as a pure point guard) despite the Pacers’ lopsided loss in the championship. In a contest where few predicted Indiana to get that far, he not only produced incredible raw numbers but also made clutch baskets and led the Pacers to victory. Over seven IST games, Haliburton averaged 26.7 points and 13.3 assists.
1. Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James
What impact will this have on LeBron James’ impeccable legacy? It is hard to say for sure, but it is fantastic to claim that James won the inaugural In-Season Tournament and was named MVP. Because of James’s performance in the competition’s first edition, the IST will have legitimacy for as long as the NBA does, so do not be shocked if the MVP award is someday named after him. Ultimately, affection will be felt for the player who may go down as the league’s greatest player ever for entering a new competition and winning it in its first year of existence.
In the IST, James averaged 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists. His best performance came in the quarterfinals against Phoenix, where the four-time league MVP led his Lakers to a victory against Durant and the Suns with 31 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, and five steals.