[https://nbarankings.theringer.com/](https://nbarankings.theringer.com/)
Some things to note:
\- While he’s still incredibly efficient in the RS KD at 4 might be just a touch too high after his performances in the last two playoffs
\- Kawhi should 100% be taken out for like LeBron or someone given how terrible his availability is at this point
\- Butler at 9 seems like a somewhat reasonable compromise between the “he’s HIMMY BUTLER, the best playoff player in the league and MJ’s son” takes and the “he’s a fraud who had one good series” contrarian takes
by honestnbafan
44 Comments
Very generous to Embiid at 5.
Feel like Booker is slightly underrated and KD overrated here. Although not sure who I take Booker over on this list.
Jimmy Butler lmao. Bro had one good series, was a foul merchant in the playoffs and sucked for the last 3 weeks. No where near the top 10.
Kawhi in the top 10 is comical at this point.
Tatum over Luka is a complete joke
Tatum completely embarrassed Embiid in game 7 and still ends up ranked worse
I would have had Luka at 4 tbh
Rankings that are changed 30 times per year are very meaningful and we should have many takeaways from them
[Kevin O’Connor](https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1669104818164748288) who apparently didn’t make this list gave his thoughts in the link shown:
He listed LeBron(12), Siakam(27), Haliburton(32), Brook Lopez(54), and Wendell Carter Jr.(98) as players who he thought were too low
He listed Jimmy Butler(9), Sabonis(20), Trae(23), Mobley(36), and Dillon Brooks(125) as players who he thought were too high
When pressed in the comment section he agreed that Kevin Durant(4) and Kawhi Leonard(8) are also too high
I agree on everything else but I do think it’s a bit odd that he seems adamant about Haliburton over Sabonis/Trae(assuming “too low/high” doesn’t mean only 1-2 spots) probably partially based on playoff performance when Haliburton hasn’t even PLAYED in the playoffs yet
Love Steph but come on man Giannis and Jokic are the only players now with the argument for best player in the world, they’re the top 2
I feel like after that Jokic/Curry/Giannis top 3, arranged however you prefer, it gets really tough to nail down the rest of the top 10. Where do you put Luka after missing the playoffs last year? What about Booker and Tatum who’ve led their teams to the Finals? Jimmy was good in the playoffs but is he a top 10 guy? How do you factor in KDs health issue? Lebron’s? What about Anthony Davis? Embiid deserved MVP but it’s hard to ignore the poor playoffs. Kawhi is made of glass but is clearly a top 5 guy when healthy. Dame just had statistically his best season so where does he factor in?
I feel like there’s a lot of flexibility in how the #4 through #12/#13 guy could be ordered.
Jamal Murray at 16 seems pretty generous. Brunson and Markannen are also underrated
Can someone give me legit argument why KD is over Embiid
Where the hell is LeBron? Kawhi is in the list and LeBron isn’t?
Top 7 is surprisingly reasonable, not saying everyone has to agree for moving 1 spot up or down among them
Kawhi needs to go out of that list, I had push Butler also a bit low but that Bucks series was phenomenal so everyone may not agree here
People’s butler takes are some of the stupidest nephew things I’ve ever heard. The dude got injured in the second round, played on a watermelon ankle for the rest of the playoffs and gets called a fraud.
His team has been to the finals twice and ecf 3/4 years with him as the best player and he’s basically been one of the top 3 or 4 players in the playoffs during each of those years. This subreddit doesn’t watch basketball.
I do not understand the case for Kawhi over Lebron.
How is Kawhi even on this list? Dude is never healthy and is ranked above LeBron and AD?
Embiid above Tatum after choking a 3-2 lead is terrible and honestly. lets move Booker into top 8.
Booker deserves to be higher. He scored 40+ points multiple times during the playoffs this year. And kawhi should be out and Lebron in.
I like the top 3, I’d have Luka 4, KD 5, Tatum 6, Embiid 7, Jimmy 8, Booker 9, AD or Lebron 10
Embiid should be way higher he is dogshit in the playoffs and literally got outplayed by tatum this year but is somehow above him
We are giving Kawhi the benefit of the doubt and putting him in the top 10, but the guy who played on a season-ending injury and made it all the way to the wcf and then proceeded to avg a 28-point triple-double on 61%TS against the best team in the league is out of the top 10.
How in the hell you don’t have LeBron in the top 10? I would be fine with him & Jimmy Butler trading spots.
Bron and Davis getting little respect from this list tbh. Kawhi also is just simply too high up
LeBron not in the top-10 (and behind AD no less) is comical. Also, how can Kawhi be in the top-10 when he doesn’t play basketball? Also, LaVine and DeRozan are both top-30 players (and Vooch is top-60)
Sorry but Kyrie at 40 is just fucking stupid no matter how much context you want to add around him
No AD is absolutely criminal. He was top-5 in Raptor in the regular season AND the playoffs. The only other guy that was true for was Jokic.
Evan Mobley – 36
Scottie Barnes – 57
Franz Wagner – 84
An absolute joke
Lol Kyrie might be a fucking nut but we’re not at the point where Desmond Bane is better than him
In what way is Tatum better than Luka
That ankle roll really messed up Jimmy the long way
Dude’s hatred for lebron is comical. He’s taken a step down since the injury but avged 29/8/7 this year. Yet somehow kawhi is #8 lol
Seeing Fox ranked above Ja makes my heart beam 💜
Bruh Lebron should clearly be here over 8, 9, 10 and debatably others.
Preemptively saying that, yes, I am aware Embiid chokes in the playoffs all the time
How is Steph 2?
Jimmy Butler is not better than LeBron lmao
Bron and AD won a chip more recently than Kawhi did
LeBron not in there but Kawhi and Butler are?
Why is steph at 2 when ad outplayed him
AD’s defense was historically great this year and was still giving you an efficient 27ppg.
He almost single hand-idly carried the Lakers defense this year and was why we beat Memphis/Golden State. He’s top ten easily.
Once again, how does Kawhi still included in these things?
KD should be lower. He wasn’t even his team’s best player in the playoffs
Lebron?
Kawhi top 10 but AD isnt? 🤔
Tatum ahead of Luka is a joke. I would normally blame being a prisoner of the moment, but that’s not even a great reason, cause Tatum struggled in the playoffs. But I guess Luka sitting at home makes him worse at basketball…