On Thursday, ESPN revealed the top 10 spots on its annual ranking of the top 100 players in the NBA. These rankings can either serve as validation or motivation for plenty of NBA players and, of course, the rankings are always subject to debate.
Where Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis rank among the best in basketball depends on who is doing the ranking. Some feel neither of them deserves to be on the list of the top 10 players in the league, but ESPN disagrees with that sentiment.
James came in at No. 9 on this year’s list, although he fell three spots from No. 6 last year due to a right foot injury he suffered in February.
Via ESPN:
“The 38-year-old James continues to press the limits of his prime to unprecedented levels,” wrote Dave McMenamin. “He will become just the sixth player in league history to reach his 21st season and will be an important piece on a championship contender.”
James will have much more talent around him than he had the last two seasons, which should, at least in theory, help him reverse what McMenamin called the “string of bad luck for his body” that has forced the superstar to miss significant time in four of his five seasons in L.A.
Davis came in right behind James
Davis had a sensational campaign last season, at least statistically, as he averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots a game in the regular season. During the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals, he was a monster defensively and on the boards, as he averaged a league-high 14.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks a game in 16 contests.
A year ago, ESPN ranked Davis at just No. 20, but this year, he came in at No. 10, as the network’s expert panel acknowledged his big year.
“Coming off a renaissance season with the Lakers, when he posted career bests in field goal percentage (56.3%) and rebounds per game (12.5) and was rewarded with a three-year, $186 million contract extension, Davis appears ready to dominate again,” wrote McMenamin.
“Why he rose 10 spots: After two injury-riddled seasons following the 2020 title in the Orlando bubble, Davis missed 20 straight games from mid-December to late January last season, only to come back as a man on a mission to lead L.A. from a play-in berth to the Western Conference finals.”
Davis reportedly came to training camp in outstanding shape and impressed with his outside shooting during an informal minicamp James recently held. That shooting has so far carried over to the exhibition season, as he has shot 3-of-6 from downtown in two games.
