It is September which means it is apparently time to unilaterally and subjectively rank players by their skills in a numerical order. It is a fun exercise, and often a controversial one.
Let's not waste time. The only two players ranked higher are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. Giannis being ranked this high makes sense, coming off of a glorious Championship run and being the best player on the World Championship time. Kevin Durant is rated as the best player in the NBA. Apparently joining yet another super team is what makes you the best player in the NBA, and not being an MVP player on a team you lead to a Championship that did not have other superstars. Still, Kevin Durant is a world class talent.
LeBron James at the age of 36 is still ranked number 3. Here's the excerpt from NBA.com Canada.
LeBron lands at three here, but The King is far from washed.
In fact, in our last ranking, James landed at No. 1, just days before he would go down with the ankle injury that altered the course of his and the Lakers’ season. Despite missing 25 of LA’s last 29 regular-season games, LeBron was full-go for the postseason, where he first led the Lakers past the Warriors in the Seven-Eight Play-In Game and then averaged 23.3 points, 8.0 assists and 7.2 rebounds in six games against the Suns, as he was eliminated in the first round for the first time in his career.
That LeBron is even in the conversation for the top spot ahead of his 19th season is incredible, and he has plenty of motivation to reclaim the throne. With an almost entirely new cast around him, James is primed to make some noise.
Based on that description, LeBron James may have been ranked even higher than number three had father time not brought on some injuries for King James. The 2021-2022 season is sure to be a big one for the Lakers and LeBron James.
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