Who’s Really the Best?
After what was an extraordinary and exciting basketball season that crowned the Milwaukee Bucks NBA champions, the start of a new season is right around the corner. It’s been under much speculation as to who is the world’s best player.
After a recent poll from scouts and executives tallying ten votes altogether, the consensus was that Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant and Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo gathered five votes each as the best player currently playing in the association. There was one prominent name that did not receive any votes, the face of the league, LeBron James. This is very similar to the start of the 2020 season as he did not gather much attention as the league’s best, with Kawhi Leonard getting much praise after winning a title. The same could be said this season as Antetokounmpo lead his team to a championship-winning finals MVP himself. Going into his 19th season, approaching the age of thirty-seven and coming off a season where he came up with another nagging injury, it’s fair to assume that James might not be at the mountain top still after seeing performances by the two dubbed as the league’s best.
The latest addition to the NBA 2K franchise recently dropped player ratings for NBA players to add insult to injury. For the first time in some time, James was not rated the highest player in the game marked for current players. He received an overall of 96, precisely on par with the likes of Durant and Antetokounmpo as it could be the start of a new era in the NBA as well as 2k. This season will play a significant role in determining the narrative going forward and who reigns supreme over the league.
Playoffs will be the deciding factor as whoever ends up raising the trophy at the end of the season could and would be dubbed the best in the world. Whether it be the biggest stars of the Lakers and Nets, James and Durant perceptively or the reigning and defending finals MVP and champion Antetokounmpo, or possibly a wildcard team and player that takes the leap and surprises the viewers and takes home the crown.
Much speculation and hype are going into this season as many teams are gearing up to what seems to be back to a regularly scheduled season after the last two were altered because of the COVID-19 outbreak last March to where the league and the whole world essentially had to shut down.
One thing that is certain, however, it will be a season of many questions that will be answered as there is a lot on the line for the legacies of many players and teams looking to make a statement and ultimately win a championship. One of the three is sure to have the top spot as they will be all trying to take that mantle.