Bleacher Report disrespects Luka Doncic with recent ranking

Bleacher Report recently curated a list of the top NBA stars to build around right now. The list includes some honorable mentions, such as Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Zion Williamson.

All the honorable mentions are solid choices, although including Curry at 35 years old may be a bit of a stretch, even though he is still an all-world talent and the best shooter the game has ever seen. The only outlier is Zion Williamson. He is extremely talented but has only appeared in 114 games in four seasons.

Some other names to be considered are reigning MVP Joel Embiid, rising star Ja Morant, and two aging superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Next, five players are ranked from five to one. The players are listed as follows: 5. Victor Wembanyama, 4. Luka Doncic, 3. Jayson Tatum, 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, and 1. Nikola Jokic.

Immediately, Wembanyama's placement comes into question as he has yet to play a meaningful NBA game. However, the 19-year-old French phenom has tantalizing talent with a guard skillset at 7-foot-4. Adrian Wojnarowski even referred to Wembanyama as "maybe the greatest prospect in the history of team sports."

The real debate starts with Doncic's positioning on the list. Bleacher Report even begins Doncic's section by saying, "Luka Dončić will finish at the very top of this list for a bunch of people. And that's fair!"

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Their reasoning behind Doncic's ranking at number 4 was his lack of quality defense and most importantly, his play style. Bleacher Report ponders if Doncic will ever be able to play off the ball, set screens, or even work as a spot-up player more often than he does.

Ranking Tatum above Doncic is a bit of a head-scratcher. Tatum's teams have been more successful, but he's played with a much stronger supporting cast.

Tatum has suited up next to co-star Jaylen Brown during his entire career and has played with fantastic supporting pieces such as Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker, Al Horford, and Gordon Hayward. Also, he played alongside current Maverick and All-Star Kyrie Irving during his first two seasons in the association.

Doncic has never played with a full season with a teammate that made an All-Star game or All-NBA Team. Although Irving was elected an All-Star last season, he came to Dallas in February.

As for the top two players on the list, Antetokounmpo and Jokic, both players are dominant and should be at the top of any list when debating the best players in the NBA. But, both players have their limitations, like Doncic.

Antetokounmpo is four years older than Doncic and is a well-known below-average shooter. His athleticism, length, and defense are phenomenal, but he requires plus shooters to fill every position on the court to open up driving lanes so he can be most effective.

With Jokic, the lack of athleticism causes concern. Of course, he is a generational player with next-level playmaking abilities, but he must be accounted for on the defensive end. The Denver Nuggets have done a fantastic job of equipping their roster with jumbo-sized forwards and athletic guards who are more than capable of hiding Jokic's defensive deficiencies.

This upcoming season, Doncic may be looked at in a different light. The Mavs finally have gotten Doncic a co-star, as they re-signed Irving earlier this month, and have filled out the rest of the roster with quality additions, especially on defense.

Perhaps Doncic will be ranked as the number-one player to build around after the upcoming season. It's not like he lacks the accolades, as he is a 4-time All-Star and 4-time All-NBA first-teamer at only 24 years old.

The winning should come, which would ultimately propel Doncic to the number one spot on a list like this. And with continued success, Doncic's name would surely be discussed with other NBA greats.