The Top 10 players in the NBA debate has been one of the biggest talking points for the NBA media in the last three days. While the inclusion of players like Ja Morant in the list was a welcome addition for many, it is the ranking of established players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant which has upset many.
Arguably the best two players of the last decade, seeing KD and Bron so far down ESPN’s best players list was debatable. Despite their teams’ disappointing performances, both Durant and LeBron actually had very productive seasons in the regular season and were among the top 3 scorers in the league in terms of points per game.
Kendrick Perkins Challenges Kevin Durant To Prove Him Wrong And Make It To The Top 5 Players List
While the top 5 list has been under a lot of scrutiny, it was the point of discussion in the latest edition of NBA Today. While all the panelists presented their version of the top 5, Kevin Durant’s former teammate and champion Kendrick Perkins presented his take on the top 5 players in the league.
With Giannis topping the list and LeBron jumping up to 3rd, Perkins surprisingly excluded Durant from the list of his top 5. Later the big man clarified that Durant was indeed 6th in the list and if he wanted to enter the top 5, he would have to prove himself in the upcoming season.
My Top 5 Players in the NBA!!! KD is number 6 on my list… but he can always move up later into the season!!! Carry the hell on… https://t.co/fgn1wgvMaE
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) September 23, 2022
The majority of criticism towards Durant stems from the fact that the forward had a disappointing performance in the playoffs series against the Boston Celtics. Given that Durant and Co. were swept by the Celtics, the Nets and KD will have a chip on their shoulder for the next season.
While the 2012 MVP did request a trade, he is going back to a team that has a much better squad compared to last season. The Nets will surely fancy their chances in the East and if they can finally make a deep run in the playoffs, there is no doubt that KD will be back in everyone’s top 5 list in no time.
