There’s no question LeBron James has had one of, if not the best careers in the NBA. He’s a four-time champion, four-time NBA Finals MVP, four-time MVP, 17-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-Star Game MVP, 13-time All-NBA First Team and 3-time All-NBA Second Team. But when ESPN interviewed 10 scouts and executives on who the best player in the NBA was in the 2021-2022 season, none answered with LeBron James.
Five scouts and executives said Giannis Antetokounmpo and five said Kevin Durant. Antetokounmpo just helped the Bucks win their first championship in over 50 years while Durant brought home a gold medal for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. Both of those players are very well deserving of being the face of the NBA.
However, LeBron James took to Twitter to laugh about it. He wrote, “THANK YOU! As if I didn’t need more to fuel ME! #Washed” James doesn’t really care about what other scouts and executives think about him and he sarcastically wrote that he was washed. It’s true though, James is getting older and for a guy who never really got injured in his prime, he had lots of issues last year dealing with injuries. That could be due to age.
In the article, they spoke about how Antetokounmpo doesn’t get the love he deserves at times. “People love to focus on his faults,” an Eastern Conference executive said of Antetokounmpo, “but he’s a hell of a player.” Another executive in the East did point out that LeBron would be in his top three. “(Antetokounmpo) unlocked a different cheat code at both ends that gives him that spot,” he said. “You can certainly argue for Durant and LeBron [James], but between injury and age, can they consistently do it?” A western conference scout argued Durant because of his scoring ability.
“I think he’s the best scorer in the league, I don’t think it’s close, and he’s pretty good defensively too,” a Western Conference scout said. “The things he’s able to do offensively are generational, and I don’t know if you can stop him. “He’s absolutely lethal.” The ESPN article concluded with James being mentioned by those polled but ultimately didn’t get any votes.
This is James’ year to show out. The Lakers added Russell Westbrook and plenty of other pieces to contend in the West and compete for a championship. The new look squad is a bit older than most would like but experience never hurts in big games. The Lakers have added more size, more athleticism, tough defense and big time three point shooting.
They’ll have a deep rotation so if one sstar does go down for a longer period of time, the Lakers hope they don’t miss a beat like last year’s team. It’s not that James is washed up. It’s that he’s aging and other players are in their prime. Nobody is questioning James being the best player in this generation. They’re questioning his ability now that he’s getting older and younger players are starting to take over the game.
Michael Jordan wasn’t lethal with the Washington Wizards. Can LeBron be as lethal as Durant and Antetokounmpo? Probably not. But if he wins a title, it’ll shut up the media real quick. This season should be fun in the NBA. There are more than two teams that we can consider for the finals this year, unlike plenty of other years. That makes things more interesting and if the media added more fuel to James, the season will only be better.