"The Greek Freak, I think, is a force," Durant said in 2017. "His ceiling is probably — he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That's pretty scary to think about."“希腊怪兽，我认为，是一种力量，”杜兰特在2017年说道。“他的上限大概是在——最终成为有史以来最好的球员，如果他想的话。想到这个确实很可怕。

What's even scarier? Since Durant made those comments a year and a half ago, Antetokounmpo has added more than 20 pounds of muscle. The Bucks¹ have catapulted to the top of the NBA this season, with coach Mike Budenholzer's five-out system spacing the floor for Antetokounmpo to attack the rim² with ease.

更可怕的是？自从一年半前杜兰特发表那些评论，字母哥已经增重20磅。本赛季雄鹿队高居榜首，称霸全联盟，在主教练迈克·布登霍尔泽的五出战术下，让字母哥能轻杀到篮下。

He won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award in 2017, and he has been named the league's player of the month three times. He has made the All-NBA Second Team twice, and he was voted into his third All-Star game this season, this time a captain. Perhaps a less formal decoration — the title of best player in the league — is not far off.It's easy to forget Antetokounmpo is only 24 and he is still getting better — even though he already is in the MVP conversation.

他赢得2017年NBA最快进步球员奖，已经三次获得联盟月最佳球员。两次当选联盟全明星二阵，本赛季是他第三次入选全明星正赛，这次他还是队长。或许这不是一个正式的称号—联盟最佳球员—已经不远了。很难忘记字母哥还只有24岁，而且他还在变强—尽管他已经在MVP的话题之中了。

Luka Doncic, at 19 years old, already has earned his way into LeBron James' excive company, in terms of all-around production as NBA teens. Nobody else compares.He arrived in the NBA as the most hyped European prospect³ ever, and he has exceeded expectations so far with the Dallas Mavericks⁴, who expedited their rebuilding process in part because Doncic is already a dominant⁵ force.

19岁的卢卡东契奇，通过努力进入勒布詹姆斯的公司。作为一名新秀，东契奇各方面表现是最好，作为欧洲最具天赋球员登录NBA，他已经超过达拉斯独行侠的加速球队重建过程的预期，某种程度上因为东契奇已经是球队基石。

"I love the fact that he loves carrying the load," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said Sunday after Doncic scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Mavs to a comeback win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. "He has great belief in himself, and he's one of these dynamic young players that has the charisma⁶ to give his teammates confidence."“我欣赏他愿意承担责任的事实，” 达拉斯小牛教练里克卡莱尔在东契奇在第四节拿到他28分中的13分，带领球队逆转取胜到访的波特兰开拓者队。“他有很强的信念，他是那些最具活力球员中的一位，他有那份给球员自信的魅力。”

Doncic was a proven winner before he played a minute in the NBA, having led Slovenia to a EuroBasket championship and Real Madrid to Spanish league and Euroleague titles. He possesses the intangible quality required to have a chance to take over the title as the NBA's best player: the ability to thrive under pressure.

在NBA打球之前，他已经是一位被证明过的胜利者。他带领斯洛文尼亚赢得了欧洲篮球锦标赛冠军，并带领皇家马德里赢得了西班牙联赛和欧洲联赛的冠军。他拥有一种无形的品质，需要有机会接管NBA最好的球员的头衔：在压力下茁壮成长的能力NBA

When running through a list of the things that would allow a player to become the face of the NBA today, Joel Embiid checks every one of them.

当浏览一份谁将成为当今NBA代言人的名单时，恩比德是通过检查的最佳人选。

For starters, he is a tremendous player. Despite missing two full seasons and most of a third with injuries, the 24-year-old is one of the NBA's most gifted stars. He is an efficient hub of the Philadelphia 76ers' offense⁷ and a massive anchor of the team's defense⁸, making him one of the league's most valuable players. His ascent⁹ has been the biggest reason the 76ers have risen from the rubble¹⁰ of The Process to one of the league's elite¹¹ teams.

首先，他是一个伟大的球员。尽管错过了两个完整的赛季，并且有三分之一的时间是受伤的，这位24岁的球员是NBA最有天赋的球星之一。他是费城76人队进攻的有效中枢，也是球队防守的重要支柱，使他成为联盟最有价值的球员之一。他的崛起是76人从这一过程的废墟中崛起为联盟顶级球队的最大原因。

On top of that, Embiid also has a personality specifically built for today's media environment. His social media game — whether it be Instagram posts or tweets — is entertaining, and he plays to the camera in virtually every setting. He is, in every way, the modern embodiment of Shaquille O'Neal — another guy who, for a time, was arguably the face of the league.

除此之外，恩比德还有一种为当今媒体环境量身打造的个性。他的社交媒体游戏——不管是Instagram上的帖子还是twitter上的帖子——都很有趣，他几乎在任何场景下都对着镜头玩。从各方面来看，他都是沙奎尔·奥尼尔的现代化身——在一段时间内，他可以说是联盟的代表人物。

Anthony Davis already has the hard part out of the way: the nickname. He's The Brow. And with one of the most complete, dominating skill sets in the league, he has the other big thing: He's a league power broker¹², able to shift the balance depending on what he does.

安东尼·戴维斯已经有了最难的部分：绰号。他的额头。拥有联盟最全面、最具统治力的技能，他还有另一件重要的事情：他是联盟的权力掮客，能够根据自己的行为改变平衡。

Big market, small market, it doesn't especially matter. But should Davis complete a move to a different franchise¹³, what elevates stardom isn't necessarily your new zip code. It's visibility when it matters: Davis has played in the postseason twice and made it to the second round once, but to make a case for being the face of the league, he has to dominate on the biggest stage. That's the critical element behind whatever decision he makes.

大市场，小市场，这不是特别重要。但是，如果戴维斯完成了向不同的特许经营的迁移，提升明星地位的并不一定是你的新邮政编码。重要的是可见度：戴维斯打进季后赛二次，并进入了第二轮，但要想成为联盟的代言人，他必须变得更有统治力。这就是他做出任何决定背后的关键因素。