With the new NBA season right around the corner, fans and analysts worldwide are excitedly sharing their rankings of the top 10 players in the game.
Recently, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, both highly respected experts, revealed their player rankings on First Take, and the results came with some surprises.
Stephen A. Smith And Shannon Sharpe Reveal Their Top 10 Best NBA Players For This Seasonhttps://t.co/xzVPCvrJa1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 18, 2023
Let’s first take a look at Stephen A. Smith’s top 10 NBA players right now.
Topping his list are Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who secured the first and second spots on both Smith and Shannon’s rankings.
However, the rest of their lists differ significantly.
Smith’s remaining top five players consist of Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James.
These choices seem sensible, considering their exceptional skills and contributions to their respective teams.
Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Anthony Davis complete the rest of Smith’s list.
Moving on to Shannon Sharpe’s list, apart from Jokic and Antetokounmpo, he also ranks Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic among the top players.
However, Shannon places Stephen Curry at number five, while Smith believes he deserves a higher spot.
The remaining players on Sharpe’s list include Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Anthony Davis.
Although Smith and Sharpe have different opinions on the exact rankings, they both agree that Jokic and Antetokounmpo deserve the top two spots.
Jokic, as the reigning Finals MVP, undoubtedly deserves recognition, and his impressive statistics from the previous season support his placement.
With an average of 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game, shooting at an exceptional 63.2%, Jokic has established himself as one of the best players in the world.
Similarly, Giannis possesses unstoppable abilities on the court when he is in good health, and his upcoming partnership with Damian Lillard has raised expectations for his performance this season.
Although there may be debates regarding specific rankings, one common concern revolves around injury-prone players like Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis.
Both players have struggled with their health in past seasons, leading to uncertainties about their consistency.
However, despite these concerns, Stephen A. Smith favors more experienced players, while Shannon Sharpe leans towards younger talents.
Shannon Sharpe, a self-proclaimed massive LeBron James fan, surprisingly placed LeBron at the seventh spot on his list.
Given LeBron’s incredible legacy as a 19x All-Star, 4x MVP, and 4x NBA champion, this ranking caught many off guard.
However, considering LeBron’s 20-year-long NBA career, it’s only natural that he may experience a decline in performance.
With each new season, we witness the emergence of younger players like Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and potentially Victor Wembanyama, who may soon rival the established veterans.
While Jokic and Giannis continue to dominate, new contenders will undoubtedly rise and leave their mark on the NBA.
