ESPN dropped Luka Doncic one spot to No. 4, and the three players ahead of him are the same three who beat him in last season's MVP vote.
Three players stand between guard Luka Doncic and the top of ESPN's new NBA Rank, and the Los Angeles Lakers star knows all three names well.
ESPN released its top 10 this week, and Doncic landed at No. 4 after sitting at No. 3 a year ago.
Who Is Ahead of Doncic
Center Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets held the No. 1 spot for a third straight year.
Center Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs jumped from No. 5 to No. 2, and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder slipped from No. 2 to No. 3.
Just three voting points separated those top three, and the panel ranked players on what it expects from them this regular season.
The order lines up with last season's MVP vote.
Gilgeous-Alexander won it, Jokic finished second, Wembanyama was third and Doncic was fourth.
Doncic won the scoring title at 33.5 points per game and added 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 64 games, and he made first-team All-NBA.
The Playoffs Are the Gap
ESPN's write-up on Doncic asked whether he can win with this group.
It noted that he has been on the court for only one playoff win with the Lakers, which is hard to argue with.
A Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2 at Oklahoma City cost him the final 15 games, including the whole postseason.
The Lakers still beat Houston in the first round, but the Thunder swept them in the second.
Doncic said after that season ended that the team felt good about its chances, according to NBA.com.
"Obviously this season didn't end how we wanted, but I feel like the last push we made in the end of the regular season, we thought we could compete for a championship," Doncic said.
The three players ahead of him have already turned seasons like that into trophies.
Gilgeous-Alexander has two MVPs and a title, Jokic has three MVPs and Wembanyama just reached the Finals with San Antonio.
Doncic has the talent to match any of them, but he has not had a healthy, deep playoff run in purple and gold yet.
His health should not hold him back, since Doncic told fans in August that he is 100 percent healthy, which should ease any worries about the hamstring heading into camp.
How He Can Climb Back Up
The Lakers built around Doncic this summer.
Guard Austin Reaves jumped from No. 60 to No. 37 on ESPN's list, and center Walker Kessler came in at No. 73 after the Lakers traded for him.
Adding another forward who knows Doncic's game could still help, but the core is set.
Doncic does not need to change much to pass the three ahead of him.
He needs to stay on the floor and turn a strong regular season into a deep playoff run, which is also his clearest path to a first MVP.
If he does that, No. 4 will look far too low by next fall.
Media day is Monday, training camp opens Tuesday, and the Lakers open the regular season at home against Golden State on Oct. 21.
Sitting fourth gives Doncic something to chase from the first day of camp.
