Damian Lillard Names Top 5 Favorite Players in NBA

There are few things that sports fans like to argue about more than a list of players, and Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard certainly sparked a debate this week with his latest rankings.

When asked to name his top five favorite players in the NBA right now, Lillard told the guys on the Club 520 Podcast his guys were as follows:

Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While it's not a bad list of top guys, what is stirring up controversy is who is not on the list, rather than who is. No Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, or Joel Embiid? No Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson, or Devin Booker?

Of course, any list an athlete puts out there is going to be met with criticism. However, you have to realize that Lillard was listing his favorite players to watch in the current NBA, not who he thought was the best.

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When you look at it through that lens, it's much easier to defend. There are few players who are as talented and electric as Edwards and Morant. Nobody in the league can hit the shots that Doncic hits, and when it comes to freakish athleticism and unreal play-making abilities, both Jokic and Antetokounmpo are in a class of their own.

Had the question been about the best players in the NBA, the list likely would have looked quite a bit different. But with the premise given, I see no issue.

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