Los Angeles Lakers ace LeBron James has always been among the best players in the league every season. There is a reason why the NBA community considers him for the GOAT debate. Very few players can even imagine coming close to what he has achieved in his career. He was the most highly anticipated rookie from his high school days. Later, James was the overall number one draft. After his first season with Cleveland Cavaliers, he won the best rookie of the year in 2004. Along the journey of twenty long years, he went on to win four championships for three different franchises.
Most recently, LeBron James broke NBA’s all-time scoring record as he has gone past the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In his entire career, the NBA Legend from Akron, Ohio, has always been among the top ten players in the league. For most of the championships he won, the credit goes to some individual brilliance of King James. He has also won four MVP Finals awards. But in recent years, it has been apparent that individual brilliance is not enough to help his team win championships.
LeBron James Is Not Among The Top Ten Players Anymore
Even in the 20th NBA season of his career, LeBron James averaged 28.0 points per game. But it was not enough to help the Lakers win their 18th title. Maybe that is why, in the latest edition of ‘The NBA Ranked’ via The Ringer’s yearly update, James is out of the top ten best players. It has happened for the first time in his twenty seasons in the league. The Ringer pushed back arguably the GOAT to the 12th position. According to the list, he is even behind his teammate Anthony Davis who got 11th place.
Surprisingly, the greatest rivals of LeBron James got places in the top ten. For instance, Stephen Curry secured the number two position, and Kevin Durant is number four on the list. Even Devin Booker secured 10th place. Although, Kevin O’Connor, Senior Staff Writer of The Ringer, praised the impressive longevity of LeBron James. According to O’Connor, “LeBron James has aged beyond his physical prime.” The staff writer of The Ringer feels the King can be the best player on any given night. But what concerns the most is his recent ankle and groin injuries. It is not a good sign if James wants to continue for a few more years. He is already 38 at present. Moreover, his dream of winning the 5th championship is already in jeopardy, as per Skip Bayless.
Skip Bayless Predicts Lakers Will Have Tougher Time In The West Next Year
In a similar tone, the Undisputed co-host and LeBron James’ biggest critic, Skip Bayless, feels that after the Phoneix Suns got an impressive deal with the Washington Wizards to acquire Bradley Beal, the Western Conference is more challenging for the Lakers to dominate. Teams like the Suns, Denver Nuggets, and even their city rivals are getting stronger this offseason. Now, according to Bayless, James will hope that the Lakers sign Kevin Durant or Devin Booker to strengthen their side. Moreover, the best thing the Lakers can do at present is to retain Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves somehow. But it would be better if they traded D’Angelo Russell to get Fred VanVleet in exchange.
