Lakers: Ranking LeBron James and the 10 best players in the NBA

By Jason Reed | Apr 13, 2022

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena on February 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

6. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain in the last game of the regular season and has not been given a timetable to return. That truly is a shame as Luka has been playing at an MVP level in the second half of the season and the Mavericks have really started to figure things out after trading Kristaps Porzingis.

Dallas made the leap into being a true contender by winning 52 games this season and while the heliocentric teams don’t always tend to do well in the playoffs, it is hard not to like Dallas’s chances to make a deep run with Luka running the show.

Of course, he is not going to be doing that and the difference without him is going to be massive. While he does not have a bad supporting cast, it will become abundantly clear just how good Luka Doncic really is when we see the Mavericks play the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

The 23-year-old Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this season. He definitely is going to be a front-runner to win the MVP award next season and there is no doubt that he has the potential to be the best player in the league as early as next season.

The 2022 playoffs could have been the true launching pad to that moment for Luka and it is a shame that he got hurt.