With the new NBA season around the corner, fans and analysts across the globe are going on record to reveal their top 10 players in the game. On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe became the latest experts to drop their player ranking, and the results are somewhat surprising.
Stephen A. Smith’s Top 10 NBA players right now:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Stephen Curry
4. Joel Embiid
5. LeBron James
6. Kevin Durant
7. Jayson Tatum
8. Luka Doncic
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
10. Anthony Davis
Besides Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ranked first and second on both rankings, Smith and Shannon provided very different answers on which players are the best right now.
Shannon Sharpe’s Top 10 NBA player right now:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Joel Embiid
4. Luka Doncic
5. Stephen Curry
6. Jayson Tatum
7. LeBron James
8. Kevin Durant
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
10. Anthony Davis
What they did agree on was the two names at the very top. As the reigning Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic needed to be at the top of the list simply out of respect. Until Jokic gets beat in the playoffs, he has to be considered the best in the world and his numbers reflected that status with a stat line of 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game on 63.2% shooting last season. As for Giannis, he’s also a must-have in the top two. Despite his flaws, he’s unstoppable when healthy and he’s projected to have one of his best seasons yet with Damian Lillard as his new teammate.
Stephen A. Smith Respects The OG Legends
Stephen A.’s top five was pretty sensible with Jokic, Giannis, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James making the cut. Arguably the most debatable part of his list was putting Luka Doncic as low as 8th on the list, below Jayson Tatum and 35-year-old Kevin Durant.
Heading into the season, there are some concerns about the players on this list, especially Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis, who struggle to stay healthy from season to season. Overall, however, Stephen A. still leans heavily toward the old-school players, which differs from Shannon, who leans more toward the youth.
Shannon Sharpe Snubs LeBron From His Top Five
Shannon Sharpe has always classified himself as a massive LeBron James fan, and he’s typically the first one to credit the King when he reaches a milestone. So when Sharpe had LeBron seventh on this ranking for the 2023-24 season, it took many by surprise. But after 20 seasons in the league, a decline seems inevitable for LeBron and there is a strong case to be made that he’s no longer among the five best players in the NBA.
As a 19x All-Star, 4x MVP, and 4x NBA champion, LeBron has nothing left to prove at this stage of his career, but it’s weird to see him so low on any NBA list, especially one that comes from one of his biggest fans. But the truth is, with James set to turn 39 this December, he’s not the player he used to be.
Going into the new season, we could see younger players like Luka, Shai, or even Victor Wembanyama start to take the baton from the longtime veterans. And as Jokic and Giannis continue their reign at the top, new challengers will inevitably rise to make their mark. The biggest question for now, however, is if a player who isn’t on those lists can somehow make a name for themselves as one of the 10 best in the game.
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