The strongest assistant? The US media rated the five strongest second-hand players currently in service. The 40-year-old James ranked second and Butler fourth.

As the new NBA season is about to start, each team is gearing up to hit its goals in the new season after going through the preseason. Recently, the famous American media Yahoo also selected the strongest second players based on the current situation in the NBA. What is somewhat surprising is that Jaylen Brown, who has dominated the list for a long time, was not selected this time. This is probably largely due to Jayson Tatum's serious injury, which made him appear as the Celtics' first core this season, so he was not included on the list. Let us take a look at the selection of this list and see who they are!

Fifth place: Karl Anthony Towns

Last season's statistics: 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists

Team: New York Knicks

The fifth place is Towns of the Knicks. After joining the Knicks last season, he and Jaylen There was a good chemical reaction between Brunson, and the average data per game directly increased to 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, and the shooting and three-point shooting percentages reached 52.6% and 42% respectively. Although Towns was a little disappointed after leaving the Timberwolves, where he had played for 9 seasons, it has to be said that he came to the Knicks and is indeed more suitable. After helping the Knicks achieve the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, he was directly selected to the All-Season Third Team, was selected to the All-Star Team for the fifth time, and was also a starter in the Eastern Conference All-Star Game. Not only that, he was also able to output 21.4 points and 11.6 rebounds in the playoffs, helping the Knicks return to the Eastern Conference finals after many years. The pattern of the Eastern Conference this season is likely to undergo earth-shaking changes. The Knicks' lineup is very neat. As the second boss, he has the opportunity to help the Knicks achieve new breakthroughs.

Fourth place: Jimmy Butler

Last season's statistics: 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals (Warriors)

Team: Golden State Warriors

Behind Towns The former is his big brother Butler during the Timberwolves period. Although he is 36 years old, Butler is still in pretty good shape. With many years of core career in the Heat, plus the experience of reaching the finals twice, even if he failed to win the championship trophy, his ability is beyond doubt. After moving to the Warriors last season, he and Stephen Curry are also very complementary. His strong ball-handling ability, coupled with his ability to still create enough damage at the basket, has liberated Curry to a large extent and shared the organizational burden of Draymond Green. Don't look at his average data dropped to 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. In fact, his role cannot be fully reflected in the data. It was precisely because of Butler's arrival that the Warriors got out of the quagmire, and finally advanced to the playoffs as seventh in the Western Conference at the end of the season, and staged a Black Seven miracle against the Rockets. With Jonathan Kuminga completing his contract extension, the Warriors' stars have returned. They have shown good form in the preseason and have a chance to create miracles again.

Third place: Evan Mobley

Last season's statistics: 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 blocks

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Last season was a turning point for the Cavaliers, because since entering the post-LeBron James era, although the team reached the playoffs again after acquiring Donovan Mitchell, it was not able to match the performance of the James era. But last season, they went against the norm and directly posted the first record in the Eastern Conference with 64 wins and 18 losses. Their performance in the regular season was extremely outstanding. The Cavaliers can achieve such an amazing record, in addition to Mitchell's stable output, it is also inseparable from the rapid growth of Mobley inside.

Last season, he not only received a five-year contract extension with a maximum salary of US$269 million, but also was directly reused after new coach Atkinson took over. His role on the offensive end increased significantly, while on the defensive end, he was a pillar of strength, building the strongest iron wall defensive system with Jarrett Allen. With averages of 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 blocks per game, Mobley was successfully selected to the All-NBA Second Team, All-Defensive First Team and All-Star Team, and also won the first DPOY trophy of his career. From the outside, Mobley may continue to grow in the new season. With the Eastern Conference in chaos, whether Mobley can perform more brilliantly as expected will largely determine how far the Cavaliers can go.

Second place: LeBron James

Last season's statistics: 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

In second place is the legendary player of the Lakers, James, who is about to turn 41 years old in the new season. Although he has been criticized by fans and the media recently due to the "Decision Two" incident and untimely accidental injuries, he is still the best in terms of his performance on the court. Last season, at the age of 40, he handed over a data sheet of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. Looking back at the entire NBA history, no one except Lao James can do this kind of performance at the age of 40. However, Lao James really needs to start to take a back seat now. After all, the arrival of Luka Doncic has made it clear that the Lakers have begun preparing for the great cause of taking over, and Doncic will be the team's first core in the new season.

Of course, Lao James can still play an important second-in-command role next to Doncic. After all, his organizational skills and finishing abilities are still among the best in the league, not to mention that at this age, he has also developed a stable three-point shooting.. If the Lakers can formulate appropriate tactics and make some personnel adjustments in the middle of the season, it is entirely possible to hit the championship at the end of James' career.

First place: Jaylen Williams

Last season's statistics: 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals

Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Finally, let's talk about the strongest second-choice player at the moment, and there is no surprise in this choice. He is Jaylen Williams of the Thunder. Although last season was only his third season, this young man has already performed very convincingly, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The Thunder were able to create the best record of 68 wins and 14 losses in team history, and it is inseparable from his rapid progress.

In fact, in the eyes of the outside world, Williams already has the ability to become a leader in other teams. After all, he has been selected to the All-Star Team, the Best Third Team, and the Best Defensive Second Team. Players with both offense and defense are very rare in this era. In addition, in the playoffs, he was able to deliver 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. In the finals, he had an explosive performance of 40 points in a single game. Therefore, ranking Williams first is completely deserved.