NBA: Player Rankings – Week 8

4. LeBron James (SF, Miami Heat) 

Dec 20, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

That’s right … LeBron is No. 4, everyone. Here’s the positive.  LeBron’s play this season has simply been otherworldly and it just shows how much of a freak of nature James really is. As his quest for a three-peat dwells in his mind, LeBron is averaging 24.9 points, 6.6 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game while posting a PER of 29.98, which is tops in the league. He remains third in the league in scoring and his assists total ranks him first among all small forwards. As the Heat remain in the second position of the Eastern Conference at 20-6, they are in prime position for another successful postseason. Here’s the negative, while LeBron is having another great season, he is showing nothing that would keep him in contention for yet another MVP. His numbers are not staggering and there are many others who surpass him in points per game. While by no means does this call into question his greatness, it does challenge those who claim LeBron will reign as MVP once again, because he will not.