SUMMARY
- ESPN has ranked LeBron James at #3 and Jalen Brunson at #15 on their most valuable Players after the first round list.
- Fans completely disagree with these rankings and call out ESPN on social media.
ESPN recently released a list of the top most valuable players after the first round of the playoffs and many NBA fans think that they gave LeBron James a surprisingly high position. As the majority of the basketball community should be aware, the conference semi-finals are currently ongoing and only 8 teams remain after the first round of the postseason.
Since ESPN is well known for making unique lists and keeping fans informed, not many were surprised to find out that it named 20 players as the most valuable for the first round of the playoffs. While this is certainly an interesting concept, fans believe that ESPN got it wrong and made crucial errors. With that being said, one might want to take a closer look at this list and find out more.
Fans think LeBron James is ranked too high
LeBron James is quite a polarizing figure in the NBA. While he has several admirers, there are also plenty of critics. Since the 4x NBA champion just finished Year 21 of his career and is clearly not the player he used to be, ESPN’s list placing him at #3 on the most valuable players from the first round caught fans off guard.
ESPN’s 20 most valuable players of NBA playoffs’ first round
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Anthony Edwards
3. LeBron James
4. Kyrie Irving
5. Derrick White
6. Joel Embiid
7. Anthony Davis
8. Jalen Williams
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
10. Michael Porter Jr.
11. Jayson Tatum
12. Luka Doncic…— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 6, 2024
While LeBron did play quite well in the series against the Nuggets and was undoubtedly the second-best player on his team, fans did not believe that his play was good enough to be considered a top 3 player for the first round. Especially since the Lakers ended up losing to the Nuggets in 5 games, “How is LeBron above anyone who won in the first round?”
How is LeBron above anyone who won in the first round?
— Invest4life (@mc_tonym) May 7, 2024
LeBron at 3 pic.twitter.com/QfYoe9UiRK
— ³⁰🌞 (@GameOnSteph_) May 6, 2024
Since the list merely refers to the most valuable players as opposed to the ones who advanced to the next round, it has been a subject of intense discussion and debate among the basketball community. Moreover, King James’ position is not the only mistake that was made.
Why Jalen Brunson deserves a better spot?
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has been playing at a top-tier level in this postseason and is the biggest reason that the Knicks are still in contention for an NBA title. Despite being the best player on the court with multiple 40-point games, Brunson was ranked 15th behind Franz Wagner and James Harden.
…how is Brunson 15? ESPN should shut down.
— RGT 85 (@RGT_85) May 6, 2024
Jalen Brunson should be top 3. This list is embarrassing
— ny homer (@D26034482) May 6, 2024
This must clearly be a mistake given that Brunson is the #1 option on his team while Franz and Harden are not. Moreover, the list has also failed to include others such as Donovan Mitchell, who undoubtedly deserves a spot after their contributions in the first round. In any case, fans are left wondering if the list of the second round’s most valuable players will be more accurate.