The Phoenix Suns' season came to an end over a month ago with a brutal loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and pessimism continues around the NBA regarding the team's future prospects.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey echoed that sentiment, noting that neither Suns superstars Kevin Durant or Devin Booker are currently top-10 players.
This follows the aforementioned sweep by the Timberwolves, with Booker having a disappointing performance in the first three games of the series and Durant being better than great.
Bailey's list, in order, is as follows:
10. Jalen Brunson
9. Anthony Edwards
8. Stephen Curry
7. LeBron James
6. Joel Embiid
5. Jayson Tatum
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Luka Doncic
1. Nikola Jokic
Bailey didn't mention the players just outside the top 10, but those results could be crucial in understanding why Booker and Durant were left out.
The NBA regular season is 82 games. Teams can play up to 28 more games in the playoffs.
But it's the second season — the postseason — that primarily drives the debate about who the best player in the league is.
I don't mind the lack of variety, at least compared to the regular season (playing the same team 4-7 times in a row before moving on to the next series), or the fact that winning 16 games and winning the championship is still a major accomplishment for a team.
Media, fans and the basketball world at large view these high-pressure, high-stakes performances as the ultimate test of an individual player's worth.
– Andy Bailey
A criterion where playoffs are the primary factor in the rankings would lend credibility to the overall list, but it placed too much weight on winning streaks overall.
Edwards was great in the first few games of the postseason but has been wildly inconsistent since then, and Brunson hasn't necessarily seen enough time at this level of play to be considered better than Booker or Durant.
LeBron is still a top-tier player at 39, but he's not as good at scoring or defending as Durant.
Ultimately, the effort seems like an overreaction: Durant is still in the prime of his age-36 season, and Booker remains arguably one of the 10 best offensive players in the game.
While it's right to focus on playoff success, there are many other factors behind playoff losses, including poor coaching decisions, inconsistent roster configurations and injuries.
Both Suns stars are considered top 10 players in the world, and Durant is a sure bet to play despite an early playoff exit.
