On Thursday morning, esteemed NBA analyst Nick Wright took it upon himself to post his NBA “player pyramid” to Twitter.
At the top is the defending NBA Champion, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is a tier above LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Steph Curry while players like Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kyrie Irving didn’t break out of the bottom two.
Top 36 players in the league as we sit here today. pic.twitter.com/UbCDvlJstu
— nick wright (@getnickwright) February 3, 2022
The pyramid, which features 8 levels in total, has some pretty controversial placements and the NBA community responded with all kinds of criticism.
The big issue for fans was the clear disrespect towards Nikola Jokic.
https://twitter.com/Suti_Tooti/status/1489291822421655557
people are just trolling Jokic at this point. Best player in the world for 18 months and counting
— Lucas Niven (@lucasdedirecta) February 3, 2022
https://twitter.com/MattBud35/status/1489306668768845828
Jokic can't be any lower than the third level. I'd swap Embiid with LeBron and Jokic with CP3.
— The Benevolent Bringer of Light (@EonAnglin) February 3, 2022
https://twitter.com/aajebiga/status/1489286635485335555https://twitter.com/jv20zika/status/1489271687531175939
Even as the reigning league MVP, Jokic being overlooked and underrated is not a new trend. This season especially, as the Nuggets struggle to stay afloat with a shorthanded roster, the star big man is frequently an afterthought by spectators.
Of course, Jokic’s rank wasn’t the only thing criticized about Wright’s Tweet. In the hours after it was posted, the thing got bombarded with criticisms and corrections.
Okay Ja above Trae is BLASPHEMY when Ja hasn’t won anything in the postseason yet!!! At least have them on the same level but not above!!! Mans is averaging almost 30 and 10!!!
— James Hellams (@Jamieh711) February 3, 2022
Kyrie in tier 8 is criminal, he averaged 27 ppg on 50/40/90 last season and you have him on a tier lower than Gorbert, you don’t know basketball or your a hater
— NetsMax (@Nba77777778) February 3, 2022
https://twitter.com/ExtendRasulDgls/status/1489268350836486150
Chris Paul is not better than Luka, Kawhi, or AD 😂😂😂😂. Oh and Giannis is not better than LeBron.
— LeFreeAgent 🔥💨💼 (@IDAIKTco) February 3, 2022
Have you looked at Trar Young's numbers ?? Have you forgotten he was 2 wins and a good ankle from the finals ? You my guy Nick but bro
— Mike Seney (@CoachMike_Seney) February 3, 2022
Trae seems a tier too low a bit biased here but he did drag the Hawks to the ECF last year and has less help than anyone above him also more memorable playoff moments than several ranked above him 🤔
— Blogging Dirty (@BloggingDirty) February 3, 2022
Wright has consistently been among LeBron James’ loudest supporters over the years. So ranking LeBron anywhere but the top, while he is averaging 29.1 points per game, is a pretty big deal for Nick.
In fact, just last month, the basketball analyst denied that he would rank anybody above “the King.”
“This was a reminder, and it was a reminder of this. So, there was a point early in the year when LeBron got hurt, and I was like ‘oh boy! Am I going to have to retool the player pyramid? Where Giannis is 1, and then there’s LeBron and KD right beneath him. Is LeBron going to have to drop?’ And the answer is, no I’m not.”
“It’s a reminder that LeBron still has an argument that if you were to pick any player in the league for a series or a game, that somehow it’s still him.”
Something must have changed his mind over the past few weeks because he now Giannis at the top of his pyramid.
Regardless, it’s hard to deny that a 2x MVP and 1x league Champion has no business being called the best in basketball. How much longer he can hold that place, however, is the real mystery.
As the second half of this season plays out, Giannis (just like many of his peers) will have to prove once again that his Bucks are the team to beat.
