The Ringer recently revealed its player rankings for the upcoming NBA season, and Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn’t receive tons of love.
According to the site, Davis is the No. 11 player in the NBA entering the new season while James is No. 12.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves made the list at No. 60.
James and Davis often find themselves in conversations regarding the 10 best players in the league, but according to The Ringer, they’re currently on the outside looking in.
If the star veterans catch wind of their spots on the list, it may simply give them some added motivation for the 2023-24 season. The Lakers do have their fair share of believers after making the 2023 Western Conference Finals, but there’s also some bulletin board material floating around if they want to use it.
James is entering his 21st NBA season while Davis is entering his 12th. Both players were impressive when healthy last season but missed time due to injuries.
Availability concerns remain a topic of conversation for James and Davis going into the 2023-24 season, as the Lakers need both players on the floor as often as possible. James appeared in 55 games during the 2022-23 regular season, and Davis suited up for 56.
To their credit, both players were available during the entirety of L.A.’s run to the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers are less than a week away from opening their 2023-24 season. They’ll do so against the Denver Nuggets on the road in a playoff rematch.
The new season may come with small changes for both James and Davis. The former is expected to have a new structure for his minutes and workload, and the latter could spend more time playing the 4 as a result of L.A.’s offseason additions.
It’s no secret that the Western Conference is loaded with contenders, but the Lakers seemingly have enough talent to be worthy of a seat at the table in the title conversation. That will become especially true if James and Davis perform like top-10 players when the new campaign begins.
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