The King of Hoopsland

In honor of Jake's homeland and it's monarchy that although outdated is still alive and well and more pop culture than ever, we want to tackle the question of who is the king of the basketball world and who might be ripe for taking the throne.

The kingdom has seen many powerful men sit upon the throne. Starting with George Mikan, Wilt, Kareem, Magic & Bird, Jordan, Kobe, LeBron...

But what is the state of the current kingdom?

Who is the current King?

Jake: Despite his turbulent year with the Lakers, Rich Paul's poorly timed Anthony Davis power play and the Lakers' impending failure to make the playoffs (called it here first, they have to go 16-6 in order to even have a chance and just lost to the fucking Grizzlies...really?), I'm going to stick with King James here. He might have up and coming prodigies like Giannis, long time rivals like KD and transcendent players like Harden all snapping at his heels - but Father Time hasn't showed any signs of stopping him yet. LBJ didn't get to 8 consecutive Playoff Finals by chance, he destroyed Eastern Conference mini-dynasties along the way, upcoming superstars like Paul George, DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler were sent packing year after year by The King. Teams completely stripped down their rosters and some tanked entirely year after year because there was no hope of ever getting past the LeBron-sized roadblock in the East. Just look at how differently the Eastern conference looks this year, you've got Toronto, Philly, Boston, Milwaukee and even a Oladipo-less Indiana all fighting for home court advantage - it's going to be an absolute bloodbath this year. That's the LeBron James effect right there, ship him out West and the Eastern franchises have some of their most dominant non-LeBron teams ever.

Obviously the Western Conference is a whole different animal - even LeBron's excellence hasn't been able to drag a mediocre team into the playoffs like he could in the East. But the production and excellence is still there. He's averaging a career low in minutes but still posting his 5th best effective field goal percentage in his career (56.2%), his 4th best assist rate (7.8), career highs in rebounds (8.8) and a 25.6 PER. All this while still dropping 26+ points a night. That's still an MVP calibre season any other year - it just happens that he's now on a losing team and there are players like Giannis and Harden leading their teams to win after win while dropping similar numbers. I think LeBron will be the face of the NBA until he chooses to retire, which could still be 5-6 years from now. No matter how age impacts his stats and effectiveness in the game, he's built a reputation that is "bigger than basketball" no matter how cliche that sounds. His off-court accomplishments are beginning to be just as impressive as his dominance on court, and that ratio is only going to increase the further into his #FatherPrime he plays. So for that reason, I'm going to have to look at the next few questions from a statistical and basketball dominance point of view - The King will always be The King until he decides to hang them up.

Chad: Hoopsland has had some great leaders. Mikan led the creation of The Land and many kings have helped the hoops society prosper in many decades since. Wilt was the first to put up astronomical numbers that entranced the masses. Kareem captivated basketball fanatics with the unstoppable sky hook that led to a near 20 year reign. Magic and Bird brought life to the kingdom just when it seemed the drought may never cease. And once His Airness took over the leader of our great kingdom was a global power who has never been surpassed.

The current king and self-proclaimed, well, "King" has come as close as any king in history to reach the greatness on the court and in hoops culture that M.J. set the standard for nearly 30 years ago. Many have crumbled in the shadow of the great one, but LeBron James has carried that burden with honor and as you stated will be the King until the day he hangs up his signature shoes.

James has produced at a rate unseen since Wilt when it comes to all around production. He's the only player ever to be in the top ten in both scoring and assists. Which is incredible considering he doesn't even consider himself a scorer. His passing at 6' 8" is otherworldly. Like a pharaoh god. And while he's only managed to obtain three obnoxiously gaudy championship rings, the one he brought to the dying village of Cleveland was enough to catapult him into the second greatest king Hoopsland has ever seen. Some may say he's fallen down a peg this season. He's been injured, not put up his usual numbers, his team may not make the playoffs. But don't be so quick to count him out. He's proven to be more resilient than maybe any player ever. Long live the King.

1 year from now...

Jake: This is less a question of the arguments for Giannis being the "King" of the league and more of a case for "why not?". The kid is only 24 and already he's been an All Star Captain, 2x All NBA and very likely MVP this year. The only way is up for The Greek Freak - his scoring average, field goal percentage, field goal efficiency, rebounds and assists have improved every year he's been in the league. It's been at LeBron James levels for 2 years now and figures to only continue rising - particularly his assists average (currently at 6.0 per game) as he continues to flourish in Mike Budenholzer's fast-paced ball movement system and takes on more and more play making duties. I'm going to make a quick case for his MVP discussion this year - with the two other main candidates (Harden and Paul George) you can make the case for their individual brilliance as well as their excellent specific areas. James Harden is putting up the 7th highest points per game in NBA history while dragging his team from a slow start into the home court advantage picture, Paul George is dropping buckets and playing excellence defense on a flourishing OKC team. But Giannis is scoring at an elite level like both of those guys, he's also the best defensive player on his squad unlike Harden AND he's playmaking at an elite level unlike PG. Combine all of that with the fact his Bucks team have been back and forth all season with the Warriors for the best record in the league, you've got an easy case for MVP right there. His argument is less predicated on his strengths and more on his absolute lack of weaknesses. The only one thing I can point to as a major stepping stone for him to become the "King" of the league next season is his jump shot, he's only 24 so he's got plenty of time to improve his shooting, but the moment he gets that three point shot going - the league will be his playground.

Chad: I'm not disagreeing with Giannis as the ruler of Hoopsland in a years time. But I'm also not agreeing either. In a year LeBron will likely have tapered off a bit in his production but we won't think of it as him losing the throne. Why you ask? Because the Lakers will sign at least one big time free agent which will enable King James to take a lighter load next season while still appearing to be the greatest in the game whether he actually is or not. As we know from years past if LeBron's team wins it's because of LeBron and if they lose it's because of everyone else. So with the Lakers not only in the playoff hunt but in the running for a championship next season LeBron will still sit atop the mountain looking down on all of his subjects. Depending on who the Lakers sign I wouldn't be surprised to see LeBron average less points than this year but potentially a career high in assists. Michael Jordan was still considered the best in the league up until his final retirement from Chicago. LeBron won't get quite that far still sitting on the throne but he's at least got one more year left in him.

3 years from now...

Jake: I'm calling it, "The Prince" as LeBron James refers to him as, will be "King" of the NBA in 3 years time. His play making skills and basketball IQ is much more developed than Giannis and he has more potential to develop into an elite defender with his footwork and body frame. But the thing is here, I'm calling him to develop into this transcendent player that eclipses Giannis, LeBron, KD etc by eventually moving to a different team. Call it blasphemy but I honestly think Big Ben needs his own team, surrounded by shooters similar to how ideal LeBron teams work. Put him on a team with players who thrive off the ball - like the system that the Bucks have built around Giannis - and watch him develop into a superstar. WHEN his shot eventually extends to the three point line his career trajectory will look very similar to LeBron's, a player who can lift everybody around him through sheer athletic dominance combined with eagle-eyed play making and the ability to suck in a defense. If he can develop a reasonable jump shot like LeBron did in Miami then he's got the potential to develop into the next King James, the hype surrounding Ben Simmons isn't just for show - this kid is the real deal and he needs room to develop at this stage in his career, not be dragged into a slow half court offense alongside iso players like Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler. I still think that my AD to Philly for Ben Simmons trade was phenomenal.

Chad: I actually think that in three years time we will have just crowned a new king of Hoopsland. It will have taken a few years longer than your 1 year prediction but Giannis will be the first foreign king in basketball history. Whether he develops a jumper or not, but especially if he does, he'll be an unstoppable force. But unfortunately for him I see his time as king as a very short reign. Think Kobe in the mid to late 2000s. Giannis will have a string of seasons like none we've seen since Wilt Chamberlain but with the absence of a deadly jumper which he's unlikely to ever obtain, he'll be knocked off the throne relatively quickly compared to his predecessor. That said, in the next three to five years Giannis will win at least two MVP awards while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals on multiple occasions. Although he won't win a 'ship in this time frame, we've learned from LeBron you don't have to win to be the greatest.

10 years from now...

Jake: Don't sleep on this.

LeBron is the King of the NBA right now at 34 years old - in 10 years time Ben Simmons will only be 32, LBJ powered Cleveland to a title just 2 years ago when he was 32. Logic says that Ben Simmons (as long as a he develops a jump shot) will absolutely be relevant in 10 years time and will perhaps have his name thrown around as a Hall of Famer. I'm calling him to be the face of the league in 10, maybe even 15 years time until he retires.

Chad: I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Ben Simmons as the king in 10 years time. He's essentially a slightly less athletic but tougher and stronger version of LeBron at his current age. That's saying a lot.

I actually think we're gonna have another short tenured king of Hoopsland in ten years time. That king will be the second foreigner in history, the Wonderkid, Luka Doncic. He's gonna be putting up LeBron numbers on a winning team once Porzingis is back and healthy. That's a recipe for greatness. Luka will have a reign as king similar to Larry Bird though. No not because he's white...well maybe partly. But primarily because he'll be a short lived greatest in the game who won't be fully honored as the greatest because of the other great player(s) in his era. Larry won over the masses both black and white. He had everyone's respect for how he played the game. Luka will do the same. But there will be a Magic to his Bird. Will it be Zion Williamson? R.J. Barrett? Ben Simmons? Jayson Tatum? Some unknown player? I don't know who but this is what the oracle has prophesied.

We're not wrong. It's all opinion and imagination. But we're sure you're itching to tell us we're wrong. So hit us up in the comments with your take and we'll see what we think.