3. LeBron James
It has been a long, long, looong time since LeBron James wasn’t considered one of the top three best basketball players in the world. This season feels like the closes he has been to falling out of that upper echelon — but if we’ve learned anything over the years, it is don’t bet against the king.
We have to assume that father time will catch up to LBJ at some point. He’s certainly dealt with an unusual amount of injuries and setbacks since joining the Los Angeles Lakers and it is painfully obvious to everyone that he has lost a step or two athletically. He’s still an otherworldly athlete — just not the type of super-human he was before.
Even so, James has only expanded his arsenal by playing some of the smartest basketball we have ever seen. His IQ is off the charts and he doesn’t need to be a spry 20-year-old anymore, he can win in other ways.
The two months between winning a championship and jumping straight back into the fire had a huge impact on James and the Lakers’ ability to stay healthy last season. With a much longer layoff this time, I think James will have enough gas in the tank to be a weapon of mass destruction once more.
As always, we can expect him to coast during the regular season. For as odd as the trade for Russell Westbrook felt, it does benefit them during this time as Russ tends to go 110 percent at all times. This will give James more time to relax during the regular season before inevitably reminding us how great he is in the playoffs all over again.