While the NBA offseason can be a drag sometimes, fans do their best to keep the time passing through debates, hot takes, and inclusive conversations.
One such conversation took place on Twitter, where one account asked fans to eliminate one of these four players: Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum.
1 Gotta Go pic.twitter.com/Ovtxi7loo6
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 21, 2022
All of these guys have their own strengths and weaknesses, and all of them are some of the best at what they do. For those reasons, and couldn’t come to a clear agreement on which one to take out.
AD its not even a question pic.twitter.com/bQGhrgq4W4
— lij (@doc_szn) July 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/niko_tsitsos/status/1550245316787507200
Lillard is gone lol
— mrunknownn_ ✭ (@Mr_Smoove45) July 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/M4Kadir/status/1550241622981582848
Dame respectfully.. Jimmy and Tatum can lead a deep playoff run and im taking my chances on AD coz when he plays hes easily Top 5 in the league and the best player here without a doubt and has won a ring
— Supremo (@itzZSupremo) July 21, 2022
Jimmy butler, only person here who cant create his own shot
— NBA Expert. (@WhatSeperatesU) July 21, 2022
Tatum best one of the 4 anyway but prob the guy who can't play more than 30 gms should go sadly.
— Natanael Mercado (@natedog4133) July 21, 2022
AD based on health alone
— Z 💍 (@CyphervL) July 21, 2022
In the past 3 years 3 of the players made the finals… Dame has not. That being said AD gotta go.
— David Allen (@obiwankobe1) July 21, 2022
It's between Lillard and Jimmy Bubbler
— Jace (@BasedJace_) July 21, 2022
I’m super low on AD but I still think Tatum gotta go
— Connor (@von_tann) July 21, 2022
Though. None have proven they can get it done as the #1.
Drop Tatum I guess
— RIP MFFLs (@BC_Buckets18) July 21, 2022
Each person had their own reasons for eliminating who they did, but let’s break down the four options and make a case for each player on the list.
First up is Anthony Davis, whose talent, strength, and size easily make him the most valuable of the bunch. When healthy, he’s an unstoppable force that dominates on both ends of the floor. Besides maybe Jimmy Butler, AD is the best defender here. Unfortunately, his health has made him anything but dependable, and for that alone, he’s a major candidate for elimination.
Butler isn’t flashy like Lillard and doesn’t have a ring like Davis, but his leadership and late-game heroics make him a hard player to exile. Thanks to his game, the Heat have found real success in the playoffs and are a favorite almost every year to make the Finals. On the flip side, Butler isn’t the best at any individual category, and his game doesn’t always hold up when you compare him to some of his peers.
Of course, there’s also Damian Lillard. A lot of fans were ready to kick him off the 4-man crew, but his shooting and scoring prowess is truly unmatched. With the nickname ‘Logo Lillard,’ the guy is literally known for his long-distance shot-making, and it has carried the Blazers franchise for years. What really separates him from the bunch, though, is his lack of success in the postseason.
Finally, there’s Jayson Tatum. He is the youngest and most unproven of the four players, but we all saw what he was capable of this season when he led Boston to the NBA Finals. Despite his success, and his deep bag of tricks on the court, Tatum’s inexperience has led to some doubt that he is in the same rank as Butler, Dame, and Davis.
In the end, it’s pretty much impossible for any group to come to a consensus on which player “gotta go,” but it’s still fun to talk and debate about it with others. Hopefully, during the 2022-23 season, we’ll get to see once and for all which of these is cut above the rest.
