Since the dawn of basketball, people have debated which players are better, who would thrive in which era, and how would today’s players fare in a different time.
Given the nature of sports, even if we’re talking about a team sport such as basketball, people can’t help but make rankings, tiers, and comparisons left and right.
Take NBA analysts for instance. Recently, Bill Simmons said that LeBron James shouldn’t sit on the same table as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant this season, even though he’s still a top-10 player in the league:
“For LeBron, it’s year 19. I think he’s top 10, but it’s crazy to say he’s on the Giannis/Durant level. Could he have carried like Durant did last year? what Giannis did in those last two rounds? I don’t think so,” Simmons said on Zach Lowe’s podcast.
Simmons doesn’t seem to be the only pundit who believes that Durant is on a higher level than LeBron James at this point in his career, as CBS Sports’ also ranked them 1-2 entering the 2021/22 NBA season:
(Via NBA Central)
CBSSports’ top 15 NBA wings:
1. Kevin Durant
2. LeBron James
3. James Harden
4. Kawhi Leonard
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Paul George
7. Jimmy Butler
8. Bradley Beal
9. Donovan Mitchell
10. Devin Booker
11. Khris Middleton
12. Jaylen Brown
13. Zach LaVine
14. Draymond Green
15. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
CBSSports’ top 15 NBA wings:
1.Kevin Durant
2.LeBron James
3.James Harden
4.Kawhi Leonard
5.Jayson Tatum
6.Paul George
7.Jimmy Butler
8.Bradley Beal
9.Donovan Mitchell
10.Devin Booker
11.Khris Middleton
12.Jaylen Brown
13.Zach LaVine
14.Draymond Green
15.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 9, 2021
Needless to say, that ranking fueled a long debate on social media, and we’ll share some of the best replies we could gather from that thread:
they got sga and kd in the same category of players,insane
— Anton76 (@sixersmenace) October 9, 2021
Khris Middleton isn’t better than Jaylen brown
— 🦇 (@EasyCantMiss) October 9, 2021
Middleton is better than jaylen brown. When it comes down to it, brown is not the player whose going to put away a game in the trenches with a tough clutch shot. I would definitely say that Tatum is better but no way is brown a better wing. #clutchplayoffshooter
— Adam Dunn (@AdamDun36806807) October 9, 2021
Half these people aren't even wings
— Matt (@INMEnterprises) October 9, 2021
1.KD 2.Kawhi 3.Harden 4.Tatum 5.Lebron https://t.co/Ux9mNiggWL 7.Tatum 8.Booker 9.Lavine 10.Mitchell
— Derek Jones (@DerekJo49496718) October 9, 2021
https://twitter.com/buckets_dmt9431/status/1446846777894662156
As a Bradley Beal/Wizards fan; why tf is Bradley Beal a 6’3 guard on this list 😭
— Nard 🇳🇬 (@bernard_dat) October 9, 2021
Wtf harden doin on here too 😂
— pp mcgee (@celticsne) October 9, 2021
Brad beal, Donovan Mitchel and Devin Booker do not fit the body type of a wing at all. Neither does James harden, and shai barely does.
— Jonathan McNut (@NiceGuyBurner) October 9, 2021
LeBron >KD
— Michael Fraudan (@JorOverrated) October 9, 2021
STOP OVERRATING TF OUT OF KHRIS MIDDLETON pic.twitter.com/9Ec2d6J8oA
— Polaris✝️ (@PolarisJakob) October 9, 2021
Last time I checked the man is a four x mvp and finals mvp. 17 all star appearances, 17 all nba, 6x all defense, 4 rings, rookie of the year. I know for absolute fact no one on that list has done what Bron has done
— Ray Whitehurst (@nikepolo2283) October 10, 2021
Thinking Draymond is better than Shai in 2021 is unbelievable
— The Big Guard (@TheBigGuard) October 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/sanitycuhh/status/1446845221673725955https://twitter.com/spidathomas/status/1446943144923308033
The fact that Bron is even in the top 3 of lists like this, in his 19th year, is crazy to me
— Nehru (@ByrnndiWrld) October 10, 2021
Ball dominant guards who are technically 2s are different from wings, harden beal Mitchell booker lavine and sga are all not wing players.
— Fire Paul George Into The Sun (@i_kahn36) October 9, 2021
https://twitter.com/DjangoHard2real/status/1446861046476460037
He’s the most disrespected superstar in the past 20 years. Don’t let Twitter try and tell you it’s Steph or Bron.
— Trve (@CountryMusicReb) October 9, 2021
"The only way to successfully guard Kevin Durant @KDTrey5 is to not let him get his hands on the basketball." – Sam Mitchell (NBATV) pic.twitter.com/DuGfLZl4Le
— 🇯🇲🇺🇸STARSCREAM☯️🦋🏀🎮 (@Starscream35247) October 9, 2021
It’s funny that Heat fans try to hate on Khris so much even tho he’s daggered your team specifically so many times
— 🧸brandon knight burner🧸 (@sixinbucks) October 9, 2021
LMFAOOO
— mev 🏀🧸🌹 (@mevvybear) October 10, 2021
At the end of the day, there should be no shame for LeBron James on being the second-best wing in the world. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who’s in his 19th season.
Furthermore, he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to prove that he’s still number one, so maybe these rankings will only ignite his fire and we’ll see the best version of him next season.
