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“Hell no! It is far from accurate!” Kendrick Perkins is outraged by ESPN list ranking LaMelo Ball above Devin Booker

Tonoy Sengupta
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“Hell no! It is far from accurate!" Kendrick Perkins is outraged by ESPN list ranking LaMelo Ball above Devin Booker

Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins is not happy with ESPN’s list ranking LaMelo Ball above Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum. 

LaMelo Ball had one of the best ever rookie campaigns before his unfortunate wrist injury. The 19-year-old has proven that he can contribute to winning already. And given how much he has improved already, his upside could just be sky-high.  But it seems that ESPN seems to be riding a tad bit too high on the rookie.

Recently, the website posted an article where they listed the top 25 players in the NBA right now, below the age of 25. And on this list, LaMelo Ball was ranked third overall. Right behind the likes of Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson, and ahead of Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell.

And while the various NBA insiders who worked on the list may have their reasons, analyst Kendrick Perkins is not having it.

Also Read: Paul Pierce NBA salary: What are the Celtics legend’s career earnings through 19 years in the NBA?

Kendrick Perkins puts NBA insiders on blast for ranking LaMelo Ball over Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker

Kendrick Perkins was very recently on air with fellow NBA analyst Rachel Nichols, on ‘The Jump’. Here, when he was asked if the rankings on the list were accurate, this is what he had to say.

“Hell no! It is far from accurate. He (Devin Booker) should be top 5. I’m tired of the disrespect, and they need to put some respect on Devin Booker’s name. I’m tired of the All-Star snubs, they only need a replacement because someone is injured.”

The former player continued passionately on the topic.

“Listen! This guy is a walking bucket. One of the most prolific, efficient scorers in the game today. He’s averaging 25 points, on almost 50% from the field, and the team is number 2 in the Western Conference!”

Kendrick Perkins is by no means alone in having this opinion. Many in the NBA community agree completely with the ESPN analyst and are outraged by the ranking on the list.

But, to be fair to the insiders behind this list, they did specify that they were judging the players on their future potential. And so, LaMelo Ball may not be on the level of a Devin Booker or a Jayson Tatum in real-time. But, we will have to wait and watch to see if this list was correct about the players’ potential in the future.

Also Read: New York Knicks legend explains why he’d rather have his jersey retired outside Madison Square Garden than inside

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

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Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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