AI Summary
5 min read“I have LeBron low,” Matt Moore said, nominating LeBron James for the 21st spot in the Locked On NBA Top 100. That sentence set the tone for an episode that wrestled with one of the hardest questions in player ranking: how much does availability matter when a player’s peak is still elite? The panel—Matt Moore, Hayes, and Andy Kamenetzky—spent the episode ranking players 21 through 30, and the throughline was a tense negotiation between past dominance, present ability, and future projection, with injuries acting as the wildcard that made every decision feel unsettled.
The LeBron Problem and the 25th Spot
LeBron James was the first and most charged nomination. At 40 years old, coming off a season where he played 60 games and averaged 20.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, the panel was split. Andy argued that LeBron’s highs—where he can still be as good as anyone in the league for a quarter or a half—get offset by his lows, especially when he coasts on a Tuesday in January or his body simply doesn’t cooperate. Matt had LeBron at 34 on his personal list; Hayes had him at 16. The gap was wide enough that Andy proposed a pragmatic compromise: slot LeBron at 25 and move on. “I think the consensus between all of us is that he’s 25,” Andy said, and the panel agreed. The decision sidestepped a circular debate, but it also highlighted a deeper tension: are you grading at the peak
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:15) **Episode Setup & Rules Refresh** - Hosts Matt Moore, Hayes, and guest Andy Kamenetzky (Locked On Lakers) introduce the ranking of players 21-30 and recap the nomination/veto rules.
- 2 (03:40) **Nomination #1: LeBron James at #21** - Matt Moore nominates LeBron, sparking a debate on whether the aging superstar belongs in this range.
- 3 (08:14) **Nomination #2: Joel Embiid at #21** - Matt also floats Joel Embiid, but the debate immediately pivots to his extreme availability issues.
- 4 (09:05) **Nomination #3: Jalen Johnson vs. Jalen Williams at #21** - Hayes nominates Jalen Johnson; Andy nominates Jalen Williams, setting up a direct comparison between two rising forwards.
- 5 (21:45) **Nomination #4: Anthony Davis, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams at #22** - The panel reopens the debate with a new slate of nominees.
- 6 (30:11) **Nomination #5: Chet Holmgren at #23** - Andy nominates Chet Holmgren, arguing his playoff struggles against Wembanyama are overblown.
- 7 (31:56) **Nomination #6: OG Anunoby, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero at #24** - The debate shifts to whether a "prototype role player" like OG is more valuable than the Magic's young stars.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
It's the Locked On NBA Top 100 player rankings! Today, Wes, Matt, Haize and Andy come together to rank players 21-30. Will LeBron James continue to slide? Does Cooper Flagg crack the top 30? Find out on today's episode!
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