One game that is very popular among NBA circles, especially on social media is ‘start, bench, and cut’. The objective of the game is to take 3 players, who are usually very good, and provide the player with the dilemma of having to bench and cut at least two of the players. But this latest round of ‘start, bench, and cut’ might be one of the toughest.
In a post by Hoop Central, fans were asked to start, bench, and cut any of the following three players: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Given that each of these players has a legitimate argument to be made on their behalf for being the best player in the world, this was not going to be an easy decision to make for fans.
Start one
Bench one
Cut one pic.twitter.com/XbAczxpBNA
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 22, 2022
NBA fans reacted to this surprisingly, with a lot of fans arguing for LeBron James to be cut. This is perhaps due to James’ advanced age, as he is 37 years old, and while being very good, he is no longer the player he once was. But given how well LeBron has been playing this season, some fans even chose to cut Giannis and Kevin Durant from their teams.
W comment W take W account
— cam (@camrynjd26) March 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/RuNotEntertain/status/1506454122039586822
Is calling bron washed still a thing? Lmfao some people refuse to learn
— Felix (@felixshengyang) March 23, 2022
https://twitter.com/NETSCHIPSZN2022/status/1506380714153021440
KD ain’t won ish without curry. How you starting him?
— LP (@ronnielynnprice) March 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/mustang6944/status/1506410815871598592https://twitter.com/LavineMVP8/status/1506456483441037317
When Kd plays he wins though, bron is only scoring now he can’t win
— Lamars burner🇭🇹 (@Scottypippe_n) March 22, 2022
tell me you are a bucks fan without telling me
— 🇺🇸 (@mcfcbillson) March 23, 2022
https://twitter.com/AirGiannis/status/1506425944961073153
This was not an easy choice to make, as all three players are playing at an elite level. Most fans leaned toward cutting LeBron James, mostly due to his age, and the way the Lakers have played this season. But there were fans who wanted to cut KD, being critical of him, especially as a winner since he left Golden State.
There is no denying the legacy of all three of these players. Each of them will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history. But as things stand, most fans would rather rely on Giannis or Kevin Durant, because they are closer to their peaks than LeBron James is.
