As the saying goes, "How capable you are determines how much you can earn." In the NBA league, it is very reasonable for superstar players to receive top-tier salaries. For instance, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, who are at the peak of their careers, deserve the highest salaries in the league. However, there are also many young players with high salaries but mediocre abilities, who have not even made it to the All-Star game yet, but still receive the maximum salary. For example, Pascal Siakam of the Raptors and Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, who signed a 5-year, 270millionmaxcontract,areveryexpensive.Withstatslike46+10and41+18,theyhavebumpedGiannisoutofthetopspotandrisentothefirstplaceintheleague,withasuperMVPsigninga5−year,400 million max contract.
This season, the most outstanding players in the NBA league are still Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama. In his second year in the league, Victor Wembanyama has entered the top five in the MVP rankings, putting up impressive stats and showing strong offensive and defensive capabilities, which is quite rare. Wembanyama averages 25.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 4.0 blocks (leading the league). After practicing his three-point shooting this season, his basketball skills are very comprehensive, with no obvious weaknesses.
Although the Bucks' record this season is not very good, Giannis is still ranked third in the MVP list. This is because Giannis' average points, rebounds, and other stats this season have been very sharp. According to reports from American NBA journalists, due to Giannis' injury, he scored only 10 points and 25 points in the last two games, causing his average points to drop from 33.3 to 31.3. As a result, he was surpassed by Jokic (averaging 31.5 points), who rose to the top of the scoring list. This is the first time this season that Jokic has topped the scoring list. Prior to this, Jokic's points, rebounds, and assists were consistently ranked among the top three in the league.
This season, Jokic averages 31.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and 1.7 steals, leading the league in scoring and ranking third in rebounds and second in assists. Additionally, Jokic's three-point shooting percentage is 47.3%, the best in the league. He has recorded 14 triple-doubles this season, also leading the league. Giannis averages 31.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks, ranking second in scoring and sixth in rebounds. Giannis leads the league in average points in the paint with 20.6 points.
In recent games, Jokic has continuously scored over 30 and 40 points, including a 46-point, 9-rebound, 10-assist, 2-steal, and 2-block performance, a 41-point, 18-rebound, 9-assist, 2-steal game, and a 36-point, 22-rebound, 11-assist, 4-steal game, among others, displaying his sharp skills. As the regular season progresses, stars like Jokic and Giannis are putting up increasingly explosive and insane stats. This is also why Jokic has consistently topped the MVP rankings. The regular-season MVP this season will depend on who among Jokic, Alexander, and Giannis can maintain their explosive stats and form for a longer period.
According to NBA salary experts, last offseason, Jayson Tatum signed a 5-year, 315millionsupermaxcontract,settinganewrecordforthehighest−paidcontractinhistory.Thisoffseason,LukaDoncicoftheMavericksiseligibletosigna5−year,346 million supermax contract, which will once again break the historical record. Next offseason, Jokic will be eligible to sign the largest 5-year, $403 million supermax contract, which will again set a new record for the highest salary in NBA history. As a fan, do you think Jokic and Doncic are worth the highest salaries?
