Earlier this week, we dropped our USA TODAY Sports Top 100 NBA player rankings.
We asked seven of our best basketball minds to rank their picks for the top 100 NBA players for the 2026-27 season, using the entire player pool. Then, we took those lists and compiled them together to give us the final draft, which we revealed in two parts: Nos. 51-100
dropped Monday, Oct. 12, and the Top 50 published the following day.Naturally, loving this game as much as I do, I wanted to do a deep dive into the data. In other words, I’m going to nerd out a little bit, and the question I wanted to pose after this exercise was a simple one.
Does our Top 100 players ranking say anything about who will win the 2027 NBA Finals? I think it does.
Only four teams, the
Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers, featured their entire starting five units across the entire Top 100.
Benches and role players are a key part of any title run. But the overall talent on a starting five, in my opinion, is what matters most when assessing a team’s overall positioning in the balance of power.
But let’s dig a bit deeper. Of those four teams, the 76ers led the way with an average player position of 33.6, outpacing the Knicks (36.4), Thunder (43.6) and Cavaliers (46.6).
The 76ers featured three players – Tyrese Maxey (No. 14), Jaylen Brown (15) and LeBron James (19) – all inside the Top 20, which propped up that average.
Yet, the Thunder stand alone as the only team to feature six players in the Top 100, with reserve guard Alex Caruso coming in at No. 77. Interestingly, that’s eight spots higher than starting center Isaiah Hartenstein and 10 spots above starting guard Cason Wallace.
The Thunder also hold the exceptional advantage of employing the No. 1 ranked player in the world, two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
I was already appointing the Thunder as my preseason pick to win the Finals come next June. All this reaffirmed that.
And while the East is certainly more crowded, top to bottom in the playoff field, I had been leaning toward picking the Sixers to come out of the conference to face Oklahoma City. Having three of their starters all rank within the Top 19 and four within the Top 41 is a strong selling point.
Philadelphia will have to navigate the complexities of incorporating two new stars, and coach Nick Nurse will have to get his group to buy into each of the starters having their respective roles tweaked somewhat. It may take some time to figure it all out.
What else can we glean from the USA TODAY Sports Top 100 NBA players ranking?
Well, a couple of teams out West might see some marked improvement. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers just missed out on having all five starters cracking the list.
Yet, should Minnesota opt to insert Ayo Dosunmu in the lineup over Jonathan Kuminga, and should Portland go with a three-guard lineup that favors Jrue Holiday over forward Toumani Camara, both would also have their starting fives in the Top 100. Either way, it does say a lot for a team to feature five players on the list, and the Wolves got a massive boost with their offseason addition of LaMelo Ball.
And speaking of offseason additions, none was bigger than Miami’s blockbuster trade for two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, who came in at No. 5, as the highest-ranked player with a new team. And while the Heat should be an intriguing squad, the list suggests that Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo (No. 20) will need to do heavy lifting, with no other Miami players cracking the Top 100.
Same could be said about the Toronto Raptors, who added Kawhi Leonard (No. 10) this offseason and who will be paired with Scottie Barnes (No. 24).
Either way, all of this hinges on player health and availability and how teams evolve, adjust and adapt to the rigors of the NBA grind.
But, come June, when the Thunder are raising their second Larry O’Brien in three years as James and the 76ers walk off the floor, just remember: you heard it here first.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What our Top 100 player rankings reveal about who could meet in NBA Finals
