In the myriad of barrel-scraping offseason content that always involves player ratings, rankings or any debate-stirring comparables, finding Brooklyn Nets has become its own game of Where’s Waldo. At least that guy wore a red hat and sweater to make himself stand out. Neither Brooklyn’s color scheme nor their roster has helped them establish a noticeable presence.
In August, NBA2K dropped their Top 100 player ratings for the 2026 version of their critically acclaimed game. With Brooklyn in the thick
of a rebuild and carrying an abundance of unproven players, they lacked representation there as well. Only Michael Porter Jr. made the list, clocking in as the game’s 67th best player.
So this week, when CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, and The Ringer all dropped their own Top 100 lists, it shouldn’t have been surprise to see the Nets play the role of a needle in a haystack once more.
For both Bleacher Report and The Ringer, only Michael Porter Jr. made the cut, with the latter putting him at No. 74 and the former at No. 77. However, with CBS, Porter Jr. did have some company in the fodder. Nic Claxton made their list as well, earning the 96th best spot, curiously ahead of MPJ, who they had at No. 98.
Each publication assembled its lists by pooling opinions from its writers. Bleacher Report put theirs together with the intent to include “players who will compete at the most elite levels right now, and players who will impact winning on a star level.” The Ringer’s criteria included “players making the biggest impact on the league right now.” CBS simply mentioned an intent to predict the best players for the upcoming season — a bit different, but also, not really.
The big name missing, and perhaps the only one worthy of a “snub” tag across the board, is the same one that polarized everyone this summer: Cam Thomas.
Last year, CT averaged 24.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 assists per game, all representing career-highs. That said, he only appeared in 25 games due to a nagging hamstring injury. Fair or not, mainstream media members again questioned his ability to be more than just a scorer after the shortened campaign, badgering him over missed reads on one end and poor positioning at the other.
Besides his ability to put the ball through the hoop, the only thing clear about the combo guard is that opinions on his collective game vary. He still has much to prove. His own team made that quite clear this summer.
Be that as it may, he’s not alone, made quite clear by all these lists. While it’s always a long shot for any rookie to ascend into the NBA’s cream of the crop after just one campaign, Terance Mann, Ziaire Williams, Claxton (at least for B/R and The Ringer), Haywood Highsmith, and Kobe Bufkin are all veterans who’ll have a bigger opportunity this year than their careers have ever presented. Guys like Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney are also expected to take a next step this season as well.
I’m not saying they or Thomas will all ascend all the way into “Top 100” talks, but they won’t climb alone, that’s for sure.
