Backpicks' Ben Taylor’s 10 greatest NBA player peaks since 1977

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10. Magic Johnson (1987-1989)- One of the three best decision makers in league history and an underrated scorer who greatly ramped up his volume scoring in the postseason. Downside is his defense. He often guarded bigger,lesser skilled players. He also wasn't much of a paint presence defensively despite his size.

9. Tim Duncan (2001-2003)- Alongside quality teammates, Duncan made the Spurs a title contender every year he was healthy during his prime. His advanced metrics in the playoffs were even better than Magic's.

8. Kevin Garnett (2002-2004)- Duncan was the better scorer but Garnett was clearly the better passer which gives him a playmaking edge. Garnett's scoring against elite defenses was just as good as Duncan but Duncan dominated weaker defenses in a way Garnett never did. Garnett has the best defensive awareness of any player (that Taylor) has ever studied in a considerable sample. That gives him a small defensive edge over Duncan. Taylor ultimately values Garnett's passing and outside shooting over Duncan's isolation scoring.

7. Stephen Curry (2016-2018)- From 2016-2019, the Warriors outscored playoff opponents by 10 points/48 minutes with Curry on the court. That was a 15 point improvement from when Curry sat in those games.

6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1977-1979)- His crazy scoring powered most of his value. It was almost impossible to take away his individual scoring but he doesn't have the playmaking to crack the inner circle of modern offensive legends. While he was an incredible post anchor, he doesn't have the three or four best peaks since the merger.

5. Larry Bird (1986-1988)- Bird's incredible passing, movement, shooting, split second decision making, and propensity for finding teammates for open layups made him an all-time great playmaker. That spacing and movement isn't easily detectable in a stat sheet but they do help the team's offense perform at amazing levels. On defense, he was a playmaker with great hands and some rim protection and was often early in paint rotations. He was limited as a perimeter defender but that's still a good positive package which is essentially the difference between him and Magic.

4. Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-1995)- The best of the two-way big men and a solid offensive centerpiece with the right offensive talent around him but somewhat limited by his playmaking which prevents him from cracking the top two.

3. Shaquille O'Neal (2000-2002)- Shaq's off-ball presence constantly working for dangerous paint catches allowed him to fit next to perimeter stars without monopolizing the ball. He was also a solid passer so he can hit those shooters and cutters too. Ironically, his defense prevents him from having a top two peak. Even though Shaq has success as a rim protector, his lack of mobility and engagement clearly limited his defensive punch relative to his size. In a number of playoff series over the years, teams successfully attacked Shaq in the pick and roll and stretch big men could give him problems as well.

2. LeBron James (2012-2014)- He's one of the three best decision makers of the three-point era. When you take away his scoring, he punishes you with playmaking. Peak LeBron was a better defender than MJ. His two-way impact makes him the greatest floor raiser ever.

1. Michael Jordan (1989-1991)- His relentless pressure turned MJ into one of history's greatest playmakers. His shot creation estimates are higher than LeBron's were at his three best Miami seasons even when Wade went to the bench. Ultimately, team construction makes a big difference when choosing between Jordan and LeBron's peaks. LeBronball works with 3-and-D rosters and stretch big men but it's also a slower, more tactical approach that doesn't fit as well next to other ball dominant players. Jordan's (playing style) fits on more teams while LeBron really has to be the engine with spacers around him to exert that mega value.

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