Fansided

3 things The Ringer top 100 NBA player list got right and 1 they got wrong

By Matthew Razzano

Dec 16, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts after being called for a foul against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts after being called for a foul against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wrong: LeBron James at No. 9

Finally, where did the Ringer go wrong? There might be some pushback here, but the idea that LeBron James is currently the ninth-best player in the NBA is laughable. The league has gotten so deep, with so much young talent, it is hard to imagine present-day LeBron cracking the top 10.

This is clearly a legacy pity choice, a nod to potentially the greatest player of all time, but certainly not one of the greatest players in the league today.

Sure, LeBron is putting up solid numbers this season — from one angle. His 26.5 points per game are good enough for 14th in the league in scoring. But with 21.9 field goal attempts per game, he is launching up more shots per game since the 2005-06 season. At 47.5 percent shooting per game, it is his lowest percentage since 2004-05. Moreover, the LeBron James-constructed Los Angeles Lakers are on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Granted, these are still impressive stats, especially for a 38-year-old. But I would suspect that there are not many GMs in the league, disregarding jersey and ticket sales, who would rather have current LeBron on the floor over the likes of current-day Ja Morant, or Devin Booker, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Zion Williamson.

LeBron is one of the greatest players to have ever played this sport. But if The Ringer truly wanted to capture the best players in the NBA right now, he is not in the top 10.

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