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TNT’s Kenny Smith recently placed Luka Doncic low in the NBA player rankings, which shows that perfection isn’t real. Smith, 59, is a sports commentator on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” and a former point guard who played in the NBA for 10 years. The 59-year-old was selected with the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings after playing four years of college basketball at North Carolina from 1983 to 1987.
Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal recently voted on the top 50 players in the NBA, and Bleacher Report released the trio’s recent votes to the general public. Read on for Smith’s recent placement of Doncic in the player rankings.
Kenny Smith’s Luka Doncic Placement
Kenny Smith is one of three sports commentators on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” crew. However, Smith had a different opinion than his two co-workers, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, who ranked Luka Doncic higher in their respective NBA player rankings.
Smith ranked Doncic, who settled for third place in the 2024 MVP race, sixth behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Joel Embiid. Smith’s ranking of Doncic wasn’t super low, but low enough to spark backlash from the general public.
Two Commentators’ Luka Doncic Placements
Kenny Smith isn’t the lone sports commentator on TNT’s “Inside The NBA.” The two other sports commentators Barkley and O’Neal also ranked Luka Doncic in the NBA player rankings. Barkley, 61, ranked Doncic, the current NBA MVP favorite, second, while O’Neal, 52, placed Doncic third.
As mentioned earlier, Smith ranked Doncic sixth and placed LeBron James second, which is quite surprising. James, 39, will enter his 22nd season in the NBA, and at that age, James’ difficulties in becoming the second-best player in the league will likely show in the 2024-25 campaign. In addition, Joel Embiid reportedly said that he wouldn’t play both games in a back-to-back situation, so he might not be there at the end of the campaign.
Latest Luka Doncic News
Luka Doncic has made plenty of headlines in basketball. Doncic suffered a left calf contusion during a workout and missed the entire preseason, but Doncic’s injury was always considered minor. The 25-year-old was reportedly cleared to play in the Dallas Mavericks’ season opener against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center on Thursday.
Doncic will enter his seventh season in the NBA as the favorite to win the 2025 NBA MVP, per most betting sites and some sports commentators. Doncic’s momentum from a shocking 2023-24 campaign should successfully set him up for regular season and postseason success in 2024-25.
Aside from Doncic, Kyrie Irving was the only other Dallas Mavericks player in the NBA player rankings. Irving, 32, was ranked 18th. Charles Barkley ranked Irving 18th, Shaquille O’Neal placed him 17th, and Kenny Smith had him much lower at 30th.
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LeBron James and Anthony Davis share the same cryptic quote on social media
It has been roughly six months since the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most stunning blockbuster trades in NBA history, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis appear to still be missing one another. Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February as part of the deal that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. The 10-time All-Star has since spoken about how he remains close with LeBron, and some strange social media activity on Tuesday seemed to illustrate that. LeBron and Davis both shared the exact same cryptic quote on their Instagram stories on Tuesday. They each posted the quote at around the same time of the day, too. The quote said, “Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.” Fans were left a bit confused. The move looked like one a high school couple might pull after a breakup, but a lot of time has passed since Davis was traded. Some people speculated that LeBron might be sending some sort of message to the Lakers, as there have been rumblings that the 40-year-old is unhappy with his current situation. James and Davis were teammates on the Lakers for five-plus seasons and won an NBA title together. One report claimed LeBron had grown frustrated with Davis prior to the trade, and James had a very enthusiastic response to that. For whatever reason, the two pals felt the need to share the same cryptic quote.
Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes may continue to be one of the top contenders for the National League Cy Young Award, but there is one place where he has appeared mortal this season. On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers did to Skenes what they have done to plenty of MLB pitchers in 2025 ... put up big offensive numbers. For the second time this season (Skenes also pitched in Milwaukee on June 25), the Brewers forced him from the game after just 4.0 innings on Tuesday night, logging six hits and four runs during his time on the mound. Both of those performances came at Milwaukee's home stadium (American Family Field) and both are now Skenes' shortest outings of the season. While another NL Central team has put up more runs against Skenes this season (the St. Louis Cardinals nicked him for five runs in 6.0 innings on April 8), no other team has had the same kind of success over multiple starts by Skenes in 2025 as have the Brewers inside their home stadium. In all this season, Skenes has given up 10 hits and eight runs in 8.0 innings in Milwaukee. It was his third career outing on the road against the Brewers, with his lone 2024 start representing arguably the best outing of his rookie season. On July 11, 2024, Skenes struck out 11 and didn't allow a hit over 7.0 innings as the Pirates would eventually post a 1-0 victory. Tuesday's short outing was highlighted by a pair of Milwaukee home runs, including a leadoff solo shot by Sal Frelick that quickly set the tone for the Brewers. While Milwaukee's hit parade helped raise Skenes' ERA on the season to 2.13, it's hardly any reason for concern in a season where the 23-year-old right-hander is still a heavy favorite (-600) to win the NL Cy Young Award, per BetMGM. Skenes struggling in Milwaukee is likely more yet another stamp of approval on the Brewers' potential to be a threat once the postseason arrives. With an 18-4 record since the All-Star break entering Tuesday, Milwaukee has taken over the NL Central race from the Chicago Cubs. So what's the good news for Skenes? This is Pittsburgh's last trip to Milwaukee this season and the next-to-last series for the Pirates against the red-hot Brewers. Milwaukee will visit PNC Park for a three-game series on Sept. 5-7, and if Skenes gets a chance for revenge against Milwaukee, there couldn't be a better place for him to take the mound. This season, in 11 starts covering 68.2 innings, Skenes has a 1.70 ERA in the Steel City.
Bryson DeChambeau divulges Scottie Scheffler's biggest advantage
We all know Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet by a fairly large margin, but what makes him so much more consistent than other stars in professional golf? Bryson DeChambeau, one of Scheffler's biggest rivals in major championships, thinks he knows the answer. In Tuesday's appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," DeChambeau detailed how Scheffler dominates the PGA Tour weekly. "He's got the best spin and distance control I've ever seen," DeChambeau said. "He controls the golf ball from a spin perspective so much better than everybody else. Like, if you're 175 yards out, and it's 10 miles [an hour] into the wind, he knows how to control the flight and spin to get that ball to land right next to the hole every time. Probably since Tiger [Woods], he's the best that we've seen." The stats confirm DeChambeau's breakdown. Scheffler has ranked first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach in three straight seasons. He also ranks first in proximity to the hole and greens in regulation percentage over the last four years. Iron play is Scheffler's superpower, but it wasn't always that way. "I played with him in college a bunch, and I've said it before, but he's definitely improved since college for sure," DeChambeau said with a chuckle. "It's impressive to see what he's done, and we're all aspiring to do that. That's something I've gotta get better at. I can hit it farther than him. I can hit it probably straighter than him. I can make just as many putts as him, but, really, it's about my iron play right now and wedges to get a little more consistent." Iron play is the biggest indicator of success in professional golf. If you're giving yourself more birdie chances from close range than anyone in the field, you're going to have the best chance to win by Sunday afternoon. No one is better at hitting specific distances more consistently than Scheffler. Just look at how accurate he is. DeChambeau has the best chance to catch Scheffler as the best player in the world because he's elite off the tee and on the greens, but that won't happen unless he makes a major improvement to his iron game.
Dan Campbell questions whether he set Lions up for failure
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell thinks he set his team up for failure last season with the messages he sent. The Lions won the NFC North and the top overall seed in the NFC Playoffs by going 15-2, but lost in their first playoff game to the Washington Commanders. In a new interview with WXYZ in Detroit, Campbell confessed that he thinks his messaging led the Lions to get too complacent after achieving the goal of securing the No. 1 seed. “There was a little part of me last year, I’m like, Man, did I put such an emphasis on the one-seed, playing at home, all these things that it was almost like — the set of circumstances, we had a bunch of injuries — that it was like, [sigh]. We took a deep breath,” Campbell said. “And then it was like, ‘Oh man, we reached one of those goals,’ but the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl.” “So I just, in my own head, did I set us up for failure by the way that I spoke about it? I think about little things like that. Whereas, you know what? We didn’t lose on the road last year. What if we had gone on the road?” Campbell is quick to take responsibility when his team loses, but last year’s playoff exit was particularly shocking. The Minnesota Vikings pushed them all the way to Week 18, giving them no real opportunity to exhale. Their playoff bye may have given them an opportunity to do that when they shouldn’t have. Of course, Campbell was plenty confident in his team heading into the playoffs. Still, the messaging will clearly be different in Detroit this season.
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