NBA fans love to rank the players in the league. There is always a debate over which NBA players are better than others and who is the best of them all. CBS Sports, for one, got in on the fun of NBA debates with a list of their own. They put out their own ranking of the current top 20 players in the NBA.
The list was mercilessly mocked by NBA social media. The list was a bit controversial with some of its placements. Check out the list in the tweet below.
One of the most glaring controversies with the list is the placement of one of the greatest NBA players of all time, LeBron James. The King was ranked 12th on the list. One fan called out the disrespect,
“Putting LeBron 12 just for the clicks and engagement,” one tweeter wrote.
James showed that he is still one of the best players in the world despite his age last season. He played a heavy load of minutes as he led the LA Lakers to the Western Conference finals. James seems rejuvenated and expressed that he is still better than 90 or 95 percent of the NBA.
Other controversial parts of the list included the placement of some other players based on last year’s stats. Damian Lillard was placed above James at No. 10 even though he was shut down for the latter part of last season.
Ja Morant and Kawhi Leonard were also included in the top 20 at No. 14 and 15 respectively. Both players started less than 60 games last season.
Jaylen Brown signed the richest value contract in the NBA and was named as All NBA Second Team last season but was excluded from the top 20 list. Jimmy Butler was also excluded after leading the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals. He also made All NBA as a second-teamer last season.
The list was flawed. Check out more of the reactions to the rankings.
Who is the best player in the NBA?
It may be an endless question. Most have crowned Nikola Jokic as the best player in the NBA right now as he just led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title. Most claim his ability on offense as a scorer and playmaker has elevated him to the highest level. The two-time MVP almost won a third straight and some believed that Embiid got sympathy votes.
However, Joel Embiid got the honor this year so technically he was named the best player in the regular season last year. Others may claim older veteran greats like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant would get votes as best in the league.
Go back two years ago, and most people claimed Giannis Antetokounmpo was the best basketball player in the world. He was coming off two straight MVP trophies and an NBA title.
The debate never ends. Perhaps this year someone like Durant could retake the crown by leading the Phoenix Suns to a title or maybe another championship for James would make him enter the G.O.A.T. conversation once again.
