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

By Jason Reed

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)
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 Mark Blinch/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

4. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid might win the MVP award this season but he still ranks fourth on my list. Personally, I would give the MVP award to the player that is ranked third on this list, but that does not seem to be what is going to happen.

We all know that the MVP award is half based on narratives and Embiid has the narrative. This is now his second great season in a row and voters are going to be more likely to want to award that performance, especially with him holding down the fort during the Ben Simmons fiasco.

Embiid is a rare specimen that can do just about anything on the court. He is someone who is going to punish every single team that goes small on him while also having the ability to stretch the floor and hit shots when needed.

Defensively, there are not many players who are better at the rim than Embiid is, making him one of the best two-way players in the entire league. However, you can get him uncomfortable a bit on defense if you draw him out of the paint with a big that can shoot or in small lineups.

But as mentioned, if you try and go small against the 76ers then Embiid is just going to drop 40 points on your head.

Embiid won the scoring title over LeBron James this season and quite frankly, that is better for basketball. Embiid is someone who went out and helped his team win games while LeBron was very obviously stat-padding over the second half of the season.