One premature first-round exit and the NBA forgets how great you are. That was the case for Luka Doncic and LeBron James in a recent abomination of a list released on the league's official site.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com compiled a ranking of the 10 best players in the West heading into 2025-26. The Los Angeles Lakers superstars were both on the list. However, the placement was a bit questionable for both elite talents.
The list went in the following order: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Doncic, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, James, and Victor Wembanyama.
The criticisms of the overall rankings are easy to make. For Doncic specifically, the gripe has to do with one questionable decision that sticks out immediately. For James, the discussions is much longer.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James see their greatness underestimated once again
Does one head-to-head series win really elevate Edwards over Doncic in these sorts of discussions? Sure, the NBA is a 'what have you done for me lately' type of league. But to this extent?
Edwards is an ascending superstar in this league. No one is questioning that. However, arguing that the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar has already climbed above Doncic in the NBA's upper echelon is highly questionable.
Doncic has proven much more during his time in the league than Edwards has. If head-to-head matchups is the discussion some will care to have, looking back at Luka's 2024 run to the NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks should offer a healthy reminder that Doncic has beaten Edwards too.
Surely, not enough time has passed since that series to discount how the MVP-caliber superstar sent the Timberwolves packing. It should not even really come down to either of those points.
Luka Doncic put Anthony Edwards in a SPIN CYCLE 🌪️
pic.twitter.com/LwXgWeBhY9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 23, 2024
Doncic is a five-time All-NBA member and a generational superstar that has proven himself to be just that from the get-go. That body of work should not be discounted in favor of recency bias putting too much weight on a tough, injury-riddled campaign.
For all the dissatisfaction that can be found with Doncic being one spot lower than he probably should be, James' placement brings a ton more of it. One would be under the impression that LeBron is fading a lot faster than he actually is by looking at those rankings.
James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.0 steal during 34.9 minutes per game during the 2024-25 season. That resulted in an All-Star selection and a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.
The case for James being saddled below his fellow old-heads is just not there yet. Were Curry, Durant, and Leonard really undeniably better than James in 2025-26? Was Davis?
LeBron's refusal to go away quietly as a senior citizen has clearly created some confusion for these types of evaluations. It should not surprise anyone to see James outplaying the expectations once more in 2025-26.