Before the start of the new season, ESPN once again gave the league's top 100 players list. Although the top five have not been announced yet, the candidates for the entire list have been determined.
It is worth mentioning that in the list given by ESPN, although James and Durant both ranked in the top ten in the league, they both missed the top five . Last season, Durant was ranked first in the league, and James was also ranked third. For James, this is also his first time has fallen out of the top five.
ESPN has been selecting the top 100 players in the new season since the 2011-12 season, and has been selected for 12 consecutive years. Coincidentally, it was from the 11-12 game that James replaced Kobe and became the new league number one, so James ranked first in the league, and for the next eight consecutive years, James ranked first in the league , and no one could pose a threat to him, even Durant and Curry .
It was not until the 19-20 season that James gave up the league first, ranking third in the league, losing to Antetokounmpo and Leonard , because he failed to enter the playoffs after joining Lakers in the previous season. However, James led the Lakers to the championship in the 19-20 season, so he returned to the league first in the next season.
Before the new season, James' lowest ranking in history was third , and only twice, but in the new season, James fell out of the top five in the league. This is mainly because the Lakers' poor record last season and failed to make the playoffs. In addition, James is about to be 38 years old, so many people are not optimistic about him.
However, James' personal performance last season was quite impressive. averaged 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game. From this point of view, James is undoubtedly a top player in the league. However, James is indeed older and his dominance has declined, so it is understandable to fall out of the top five, but this does not mean that James is not good.
From another perspective, , James is still in the top ten in the league at the age of 38, and ranks sixth in , which is also quite amazing. Next season is James' 20th season, and there are not many players in the league who are older than James. With this in mind, it would be incredible if James could still rank in the top five or even the top three in the league.
