A Sports Illustrated preseason ranking of the top 100 NBA players is no doubt sparking controversy because of the placement of Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the seventh spot.
Sports Illustrated’s top 15
1)LeBron James
2)Giannis Antetokounmpo
3)Kawhi Leonard
4)James Harden
5)Stephen Curry
6)Kevin Durant
7)Anthony Davis
8)Nikola Jokic
9)Luka Doncic
10)Joel Embiid
11)Jimmy Butler
12)Damian Lillard
13)Paul George
14)Chris Paul
15)Bradley Beal— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 17, 2020
Atop the list is Davis’ Lakers teammate LeBron James, but the other five players ahead of Davis all are coming off either disappointing finishes or injuries from last year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has won two consecutive MVP awards, but his Milwaukee Bucks teams have yet to reach the NBA Finals during his time with the organization.
Kawhi Leonard and James Harden both entered the 2019-20 season as key members of title-contending teams, but ended up watching their seasons end sooner than expected.
Stephen Curry only saw limited action last season with the Golden State Warriors because of an injury, while Kevin Durant saw no action because of an Achilles injury.
Davis and James helped lead the Lakers to their first NBA title since 2010, with the achievement coming in Davis’ first season after being acquired last last year.
