The Ringer recently released its player rankings for the upcoming NBA season, and Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis aren’t getting much love.
According to the website, Davis is the 11th player in the NBA entering the new season, while James is ranked 12th.
Lakers guard Austin Reeves ranked 60th.
James and Davis often find themselves talking about the 10 best players in the league, but according to The Ringer, they’re currently just sitting on the sidelines.
If the star veterans learn where they stand on the roster, it could give them some extra motivation heading into the 2023-24 season. The Lakers do have their fair share of believers after reaching the 2023 Western Conference Finals, but there’s also some bulletin board material circulating if they want to use it.
James is entering his 21st NBA season, while Davis is entering his 12th. Both players performed well last season when healthy, but both missed time due to injuries.
Going into the 2023-24 season, the issue of playing time remains a topic of discussion for James and Davis, as the Lakers need both players to play as much as possible. James will play 55 games in the 2022-23 regular season, while Davis will play 56 games.
To their credit, both players were available throughout Los Angeles’ run to the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers are less than a week away from kicking off the 2023-24 season. They will face the Denver Nuggets in the playoff rematch.
The new season may have some small changes for both James and Davis. The former is expected to have a new playing time and workload structure, while the latter will likely spend more time at the four due to Los Angeles’ offseason additions.
It’s no secret that the Western Conference is filled with contenders, but the Lakers appear to have enough talent to deserve a spot in the title race. This will be especially true if James and Davis start the season playing like top-10 players.