After breaking down the Top 27 at each position (point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards, and centers), we are finally releasing our list of projected Top 100 players for the 2026-27 season.
The ranking features a new player at No. 1, five international talents in the Top 7 and a well-known sophomore moving up 78 spots relative to where he was in our 2025-26 list. Also: LeBron James is out of our Top 25 for the first time.
Here is our full projection of the Top 100 players heading into 2026-27:
100. Jimmy Butler (Golden State)
2025-26 stats: 20.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 51.9 FG%, 37.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $56,832,773 (10th overall)
After an offseason in which the Golden State Warriors franchise didn’t add any sort of firepower, a lot of pressure will
lie on the shoulders of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who could reportedly return anywhere from January to February of next year after suffering a torn ACL. That’s particularly troublesome considering Butler will be 37 by then, but if there’s anyone with the willpower to return from a major injury and remain a high-level player, despite being at an advanced age, it’s Butler.
If Butler does return in All-Star form, the Warriors’ outlook might not be so bleak, as Golden State boasts an impressive 42-18 record (a 57-win pace extrapolated for a full regular season) with Butler and Stephen Curry in the lineup. Butler was still an elite player when he went down, with a plus-5.5 BPM, a mark that would rank seventh in the NBA (ahead of Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant) if Butler had played enough games to be ranked.
When healthy, Butler remained an elite tough-shot-maker, a high-level, versatile defender and a winning player, as evidenced by his making Golden State 11.6 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor in 2025-26.
We’ll just have to wait and see if he can reach that same level post-ACL injury. Either way, that injury is the main reason we have Butler this low in this ranking.
For the latest Jimmy Butler news and rumors, click here.
99. CJ McCollum (Atlanta)
2025-26 stats: 18.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.8 spg, 45.5 FG%, 37.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $21,000,000 (86th overall)
CJ McCollum did see his numbers take a dip last season. In fact, it was the first time since 2014-15 that McCollum didn’t average at least 20 points for a campaign.
Still, McCollum stepped up in the playoffs, proving he’s still got it when things matter most. In the 2026 postseason, he averaged 19.2 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor, including a throwback 32-point explosion in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series between Atlanta and the eventual champion New York Knicks, a 107-106 win for the Hawks:
Although McCollum’s getting up there in age, he’s still got his shooting ability, which should keep him an effective starter for the foreseeable future. McCollum’s also got a quick crossover, stop-on-a-dime ability and knockdown midrange scoring, amounting to an overall skill set that isn’t overly reliant on athleticism, so we expect another good season out of McCollum in 2026-27.
It'll also be interesting to see how much lead guard McCollum ends up playing for Atlanta in 2026-27 with Trae Young now in Washington, as McCollum and rookie Kingston Flemings will be the Hawks' main options to replace Young at point guard. A lot of the job may wind up falling on McCollum's shoulders, which could affect his output one way or the other. McCollum has always been an underrated playmaker, so we don’t worry about his ability to create for Atlanta teammates. More so, we wonder how having to bring the ball down while likely being guarded full-court will affect him. Could that tire him out and hurt his scoring, his most important trait? We’ll find out this season.
For the latest CJ McCollum news and rumors, click here.
98. Derik Queen (New Orleans)
2025-26 stats: 11.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.9 bpg, 47.3 FG%, 26.1 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $5,416,080 (265th overall)
The modern NBA loves players with versatility, and Derik Queen fits the bill quite well in that regard, as he’s a center who makes up for his lack of size and athleticism by being an extremely skilled passer, especially for a center, while being able to score down low with craft. Queen won’t be leaping and finishing explosively over top-level NBA defenders anytime soon, but he can score with a mix of unorthodox hook shots and floaters near the rim.
Queen is also skilled enough to grab a rebound, bring the ball down the floor himself, set up the offense and hit the right player for easy buckets. The 21-year-old even earned the Baby Jokic nickname for his passing prowess, as he can hit cutting players with pinpoint bounce passes, even in half-court settings when the lane so often gets congested. Queen possesses the versatility to run the pick-and-roll himself as a ball-handler or be the screener and roll to the basket.
Of course, his ultimate upside is going to depend on how much he improves as an outside shooter, as it’s simply going to be difficult for him to become an All-Star in the modern NBA if he continues to be a sub-27-percent marksman from three. But his rookie season did have moments of promise, so it’ll be exciting to see what he has in store for Year 2.
For the latest Derik Queen news and rumors, click here.
97. Cedric Coward (Memphis)
2025-26 stats: 13.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 47.1 FG%, 33.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $6,001,080 (241st overall)
After being drafted 11th overall in the 2025 draft out of Washington State, Cedric Coward had a standout rookie campaign, one that saw him finish fifth in the Rookie of the Year vote. Coward ranked seventh amongst all rookies in nightly points per game and ninth in nightly rebounds last season, giving Memphis fans some hope for the future after a brutal run of things over recent campaigns.
Projecting as a high-end two-way role player as opposed to a future All-Star, Coward’s 7-foot-2 wingspan should help him make a big impact on the less glamorous end of the floor. He’s also got a pretty jumper, one that was quite effective in college, as Coward hit nearly 39 percent of his threes in the NCAA.
Coward is a heady player, too, one who won’t try to do too much but rather make the right pass and keep the ball moving, or look for his own shot when the situation calls for it. His story is an interesting one, too, as back in 2021-22, Coward was playing for D-III Willamette University, so his ascension has been an eye-catching one.
We think he’ll take a step forward in 2026-27.
For the latest Cedric Coward news and rumors, click here.
96. Dillon Brooks (Phoenix)
2025-26 stats: 20.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg, 43.5 FG%, 34.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $20,992,727 (88th overall)
Phoenix Suns agitator Dillon Brooks had arguably the best season of his career in 2025-26, averaging a career-high in points at 20.2 per game. He did so without needing to likewise post a career-high usage rate, although his 28.6 percent usage rate last season was the second-highest mark of his career, just trailing his 28.8 percent rate in 2021-22.
There’s a question as to how impactful Brooks’ production in 2025-26 actually was, however, as the Canadian swingman made the Suns 3.9 points per 100 possessions worse while he was in the game last season. His minus-2.3 BPM also ranked outside of the Top 145 players in the league in 2025-26.
Even so, Brooks has become a pretty solid off-the-dribble scorer from the midrange and can hit threes with his feet set or of the tougher variety, expanding his game in a noteworthy way in his age-30 campaign. Most importantly, his pest-like defending has the propensity to get under foes’ skin, making him a throwback instigator and an effective defender.
For the latest Dillon Brooks news and rumors, click here.
95. Alex Sarr (Washington)
2025-26 stats: 16.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 bpg, 48.2 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $12,370,680 (154th overall)
How far has Washington Wizards big man Alex Sarr come since his 2024 Summer League showing, which included a historically poor 0-for-15 shooting game? Today, Sarr is one of the most promising young big men in the Eastern Conference, a modern center with the ability to shoot threes and protect the paint at a high level.
Last season, had Sarr played in enough games to qualify for Basketball-Reference’s ranking, he would have ranked Top 3 in block rate at 6.4 percent. Sarr also ranked No. 2 in the NBA in 2025-26 in blocks per game, showing how effective a shot-blocker his 7-foot-4-plus wingspan, his mobility and his instincts made him.
Sarr also uses his quickness well on the offensive end, as he has the burst to blow by slower-footed big men and finish around the basket with explosiveness. That’s on top of his quickly improving three-point shooting and his underrated nose for passing.
Of course, it’ll be interesting to see how Sarr meshes with the team’s established star big man, Anthony Davis, but considering Davis’ preference to play power forward, we think Sarr will remain the team’s starter at the 5. How well the duo plays together remains to be seen, as Davis and Sarr possess somewhat similar skill sets at these respective stages of their careers.
Regardless, we’re high on Sarr’s upside, as he has shown a lot of promise already, looking very much like he could turn into the player Washington drafted No. 2 overall back in 2024.
For the latest Alex Sarr news and rumors, click here.
94. Caleb Wilson (Chicago)
2026-27 salary: $10,683,720 (170th overall)
There is a lot of excitement in Chicago around the upcoming debut of the most recent No. 4 overall pick in the draft, Caleb Wilson.
Many believe that the Bulls might have gotten a steal because, in college at UNC, Wilson didn’t shoot that many threes (the Atlanta native attempted 27 three-pointers at Carolina and made just seven), while in the pre-draft process and even at Summer League, Wilson was making three-point shooting look like a plus skill of his.
Wilson shot 42 percent from three in Summer League, including a seven-for-11 outing in his debut in the competition, with many of those shots coming off the dribble. If a player with Wilson’s size and explosiveness is going to be nailing off-the-dribble threes, then there’s a non-zero chance the Bulls just selected the best player in the draft with the fourth pick.
Other NBA players are quite high on Wilson’s potential, with Hall-of-Fame power forward Kevin Garnett, who was nicknamed The Big Ticket, calling Wilson The Little Ticket. Draymond Green took it a step further, saying he believes Wilson’s floor as an NBA player is Garnett.
We won’t go that far, as it’s a lot to say the worst-case scenario for a 20-year-old who hasn’t even played an official NBA game yet is to be a 15-time All-Star, but we understand the excitement, as Wilson is explosive and intense, and has skill as a shooter, slasher and face-up bucket-getter, so his ceiling could legitimately be at the All-NBA level.
For the latest Caleb Wilson news and rumors, click here.
93. Cam Boozer (Memphis)
2026-27 salary: $11,849,760 (156th overall)
The NBA got a much-needed replenishment at the power forward position in the most recent draft, as not only does Wilson have loads of upside, but so does the player who was drafted one pick ahead of him at No. 3, former Duke star Cameron Boozer.
Boozer, the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, had a dominant lone season at Duke, even if it didn’t end in team glory. Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals on 55.6 percent shooting from the floor and 39.1 percent from three at Duke, winning the Naismith Award, the Wooden Award and AP Player of the Year for his troubles.
Boozer has a fascinating game, as he isn’t overly athletic, but, like his father, he’s very instinctual, showing the ability to score as a spot-up shooter, off the dribble, with crafty post-ups, and more. He’s also a fantastic playmaker for his position, an area we believe he’ll shine in right away in the NBA, thanks to his headiness and feel for the game.
Boozer is also quite strong for his position, giving him the ability to score near the rim by banging through defenders, as well as to defend down low on the other end. Boozer also has quick hands and feet, making him an adept switch defender.
In Summer League, Boozer introduced himself to the pro ranks quite well, averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals, while leading Memphis to the Summer League championship game. His lack of super-elite athleticism could mean he has a bit of an acclimation period in the NBA, but once he figures out the pro game, we think Boozer has an All-Star ceiling thanks to his basketball IQ and instincts, as well as shooting ability from the outside.
For the latest Cam Boozer news and rumors, click here.
92. RJ Barrett (Toronto)
2025-26 stats: 19.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 49.1 FG%, 33.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $29,616,071 (65th overall)
Although Canadian swingman RJ Barrett's numbers are solidly impressive, his actual impact on winning remains highly questionable. Barrett’s plus-0.2 BPM ranked him merely 89th league-wide in 2025-26. On the other hand, the former Duke Blue Devil has posted a positive swing rating in each of the last three seasons, including a career-high plus-3.6 mark just this past season.
Barrett has the ability to score off the dribble from the midrange, as well as from three, at solid enough levels, but where he runs into trouble is both in getting to the rim and finishing at an elite level from there. He also doesn’t draw enough fouls to be a star, and when he does get to the stripe, he’s pretty inaccurate from there, hitting just 68.6 percent of his 5.1 nightly free throws over the past three seasons.
Barrett makes up for it somewhat with his underrated rebounding and playmaking, but overall, he’s more in that solid starter tier and not all that close to the All-Star tier, making him a somewhat disappointing former No. 3 overall pick.
For the latest RJ Barrett news and rumors, click here.
91. Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City)
2025-26 stats: 13.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 48.5 FG%, 34.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $2,850,000 (363rd overall)
Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell broke out in 2025-26, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes for his regular-season contributions and improving even further in the playoffs.
Injuries hampered his output and ended his season early in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, but the crafty lefty with pull-up scoring ability was a beast in the first two rounds of the postseason, averaging 18.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 47.1 percent shooting in eight games against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.
Mitchell’s breakout gave the Thunder, faced with difficulties against the tax, the confidence to trade away veteran guard options like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to lower their tax bill, while keeping the 24-year-old Belgian and his extremely team-friendly contract.
For the latest Ajay Mitchell news and rumors, click here.
90. Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans)
2025-26 stats: 14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 43.4 FG%, 33.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $7,896,240 (208th overall)
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jeremiah Fears had an impressive first season in the NBA, especially considering he was playing arguably the most difficult position on the floor - and as a 19-year-old, at that. Fears even started 49 games as a rookie point guard for the Pelicans, albeit on a 26-win team.
As a starter, Fears averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals on 42.9 percent shooting, noteworthy numbers considering the circumstances. Fears has an explosive first step and the shiftiness needed as a ball-handler to shake defenders to get to his spots on the floor.
The former Oklahoma standout can get to the basket and finish with athleticism or pull up to hit jumpers off the dribble from the midrange, making him a dual threat as a scorer. Fears can also do some playmaking when defenses collapse on him, but he does need to work on the tunnel vision he gets with the ball. He’ll also need to continue developing as a three-point shooter.
Fears showed his immense upside on multiple occasions as a rookie, particularly on April 7, 2026, when, at 19 years and 175 days old, he became the youngest guard in league history to score at least 40 points in a game, on a night he went off for 40 points on 17-of-29 shooting against the Utah Jazz, in a 156-137 win for New Orleans. To go with his 40-ball, Fears also had six assists and three steals in the win. We expect Fears to take another step forward in 2026-27.
For the latest Jeremiah Fears news and rumors, click here.
89. Coby White (Charlotte)
2025-26 stats: 17.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 0.5 spg, 44.6 FG%, 36.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $26,811,593 (70th overall)
After spending portions of the last couple of seasons playing a bit more off the ball, former UNC standout Coby White projects to play point guard full-time in 2026-27 as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, something that became very apparent when the team traded star point guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
White acclimated himself quickly in Charlotte, making the team 7.7 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor last season, which probably gave the Hornets the confidence to make the bold Ball deal.
Sharing a backcourt with young phenom shooter Kon Knueppel, White’s speed in the open floor and playmaking will become vital for Charlotte’s chances to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. White’s also got deep three-point shooting range and pull-up scoring ability from the midrange, making him one of the better starting point guards in the league, especially factoring in his fantastic speed in transition.
For the latest Coby White news and rumors, click here.
88. Jalen Green (Phoenix)
2025-26 stats: 17.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 42.2 FG%, 31.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $36,251,166 (48th overall)
Former No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green went into last season with some hype, as he was about to play his first campaign with the Suns after spending his first four seasons with Houston.
Unfortunately for the young shooting guard, he spent most of the campaign injured, as Green was only able to suit up for 32 contests due to a plethora of ailments, including his hamstring, his hip and his knee. So most important for Green in 2026-27 will be his health, as the Suns need his scoring punch to make noise in the West this upcoming campaign.
Green flashed some moments of brilliance last season, including a 36-point, four-steal showing in a 123-108 win for Phoenix over the Indiana Pacers on March 12. However, Green was poor in the 2026 postseason, averaging 21.8 points but on 38.6 percent shooting from the floor and 20.6 percent shooting from three.
Green is still just 24, so he’s young despite how long it has felt he’s been in the NBA, but he badly needs to figure out how to make a winning impact during his minutes and not just worry about scoring. An explosive athlete, Green does have some tough shot-making ability, but he’s not the most efficient with his scoring, boasting a career field-goal percentage of 42.2 percent. As such, he’s yet to be a positive-impact player in his career. Over his five seasons in the NBA, Green has a negative-4.8 swing rating.
There’s still time for Green to figure things out and reach a higher level as a player, but we’re going to have to see it to believe it at this point.
For the latest Jalen Green news and rumors, click here.
87. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Atlanta)
2025-26 stats: 20.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 45.9 FG%, 39.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $14,403,710 (132nd overall)
Over the first six seasons of his career, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a role player through and through. In that stretch of time, Alexander-Walker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin, averaged 8.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 41.4/36.0/74.3 percent shooting splits, while providing some solid defense on the other end.
That’s what made his 2025-26, his first campaign with the Hawks, all the more impressive, as Alexander-Walker broke out in a rare way, upping his averages to 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game to go with 1.3 steals and 45.9/39.9/90.2 percent shooting splits.
2026-27 for Alexander-Walker will be about proving his 2025-26 wasn’t a flukeish one-off, which we’re eagerly waiting to find out for ourselves. If he does keep up that level of play, or improve on it even further, we may be underestimating the two-way 2-guard with his place in this ranking.
For the latest Nickeil Alexander-Walker news and rumors, click here.
86. Immanuel Quickley (Toronto)
2025-26 stats: 16.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 44.3 FG%, 37.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $32,500,000 (57th overall)
The lightning-quick Immanuel Quickley has a smooth crossover, a quick first step and the ability to hit shots from deep and from the midrange, making him difficult to defend. He’s also a solid playmaker out of the pick-and-roll and an adept outside shooter, either with his feet set or off the dribble. If not for the injury troubles he faced late last season, which cost him the playoffs, Quickley might rank higher on this list, as the Kentucky product averaged 17.3 points and 6.0 assists over his first 63 games of the season, and just 8.6 points and 5.1 assists over the final month of the campaign, which saw him miss nine of the season’s final 16 games and the entire postseason.
For the latest Immanuel Quickley news and rumors, click here.
85. Zach LaVine (Sacramento)
2025-26 stats: 19.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 47.9 FG%, 39.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $48,967,380 (22nd overall)
After a relatively healthy 2024-25 that saw him make 74 appearances with the Bulls and Sacramento Kings, Zach LaVine took a step back last season, appearing in just 39 games. LaVine’s appearances weren’t overly impressive, either, as his 19.2 points per game were his lowest since 2017-18, while his 2.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds nightly were career-low marks.
LaVine, now 31, still has some three-level scoring juice and the ability to hit tough shots; his efficiency has also improved of late, as the former UCLA standout has hit 42.8 percent of his triples over the last two campaigns. But after all the injury troubles, LaVine’s athleticism has taken a hit, and it’s unclear if he’ll ever be that high-flying athlete he was in his prime. We’re banking on that probably not happening, though.
LaVine now heads into the final contract of his season, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s still with the Kings by the trade deadline. We could easily see him agreeing to a buyout to join a contender by mid-season. If that were to happen, it would be just the second time in his career that LaVine makes the playoffs (thus far, he’s played in the postseason just once, a five-game defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks as a member of the Bulls in 2021-22), and using his three-level scoring, maybe he could have the first big playoff moment of his career this upcoming campaign.
For the latest Zach LaVine news and rumors, click here.
84. Payton Pritchard (Boston)
2025-26 stats: 17.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 46.4 FG%, 37.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $7,767,857 (211th overall)
Boston Celtics shot-caller Brad Stevens received some criticism when he signed bench player Payton Pritchard to a four-year, $30 million fully guaranteed deal early in the 2023-24 season, before he had proven much in the NBA. However, that extension is looking like a stroke of genius in hindsight, as Pritchard is one year removed from winning Sixth Man of the Year, and followed that up by putting up a career-high 17.0 points per game last season on 46.4 percent shooting from the floor, which also saw him start a career-high 50 games.
Pritchard now still has two years and merely $16.1 million left on his deal, while performing like an impactful starter, and it’s that team-friendly contract that should continue to help the Celtics play at the Eastern Conference contender level they have been at for the past half-decade-plus. Pritchard is both quick and strong, and has bombastic shooting range from deep beyond the arc. He can also get hot at a moment’s notice, making him quite an entertaining lead guard to watch.
For the latest Payton Pritchard news and rumors, click here.
83. Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota)
2025-26 stats: 14.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 51.5 FG%, 41.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $25,750,001 (72nd overall)
Two-way swingman Jaden McDaniels has improved his offensive game over recent seasons, coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him post career-high averages in points per game and assists per game. Now 25 years old, however, it’s unclear how much more of a ceiling McDaniels has to reach. Did he just peak, or will he be able to improve his offensive output further in his late 20s? Perhaps with Julius Randle now gone to Brooklyn and playing alongside a playmaker at the level of LaMelo Ball, McDaniels will be able to take another leap offensively in 2026-27.
Regardless, the Washington native has done well to improve his offensive game as much as he has already, and considering the level of impact he makes defensively on a nightly basis, even his mundane offensive production is enough to make him an important player for Minnesota.
McDaniels, standing 6-foot-9 with a reported 7-foot wingspan, has fantastic length and lateral quickness on the wing, making him a beastly point-of-attack defender, one who is fully capable of earning the second All-Defensive Team honor of his career this upcoming league year.
For the latest Jaden McDaniels news and rumors, click here.
82. Devin Vassell (San Antonio)
2025-26 stats: 13.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.9 spg, 43.7 FG%, 38.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $27,500,000 (68th overall)
San Antonio Spurs swingman Devin Vassell is a high-level two-way player thanks to his shooting ability, his long arms and his speed laterally. Vassell ranked in the NBA’s 85th percentile as a spot-up shooter last season, producing 1.20 points per possession out of the play type, a higher mark than Desmond Bane (1.18 PPP) and Tyler Herro (1.18 PPP), two similarly well-regarded shooters.
But Vassell has more in his bag on offense than just spot-up shooting, as the former Florida State star is able to attack strong closeouts by taking a few dribbles and knocking down pull-up jumpers from the midrange, even over good contests, as Vassell gets great lift on his jumper, making it easier for him to hit shots over tight defense.
Vassell is an impactful role player, too, as he made the Spurs 6.4 points per 100 possessions better while he was on the floor in 2025-26. We don’t think Vassell has All-Star potential or anything, but we certainly think he’s an All-Star role player thanks to his two-way prowess and outside shooting.
For the latest Devin Vassell news and rumors, click here.
81. Isaiah Hartenstein (Oklahoma City)
2025-26 stats: 9.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 62.2 FG%, 62.1 FT%
2026-27 salary: $23,148,148 (81st overall)
A role player through and through, Isaiah Hartenstein has never been and will never be an All-Star. However, he’s extremely impactful in his role, as evidenced by his being a starter during the team’s championship run in 2024-25.
Hartenstein sets strong screens, rolls hard to the basket and can either finish around the rim or set up teammates spotting up from the outside, as he’s a very good passer out of the short roll. He also fights hard on the glass, isn’t scared to put his body on the line to earn his team extra possessions and can block some shots. All of those skills make up for the fact that Hartenstein doesn’t shoot threes and doesn’t have any sort of a post game of which to speak.
The Oregon native made the Thunder 6.2 points per 100 possessions better while he was on the floor in 2025-26, which should prove to young players everywhere that no matter how limited your skill set is, you can still make a huge impact on a championship-caliber team if you just play the game the right way, master the small things and play with great effort on both ends.
For the latest Isaiah Hartenstein news and rumors, click here.
80. Dejounte Murray (New Orleans)
2025-26 stats: 16.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 48.4 FG%, 30.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $32,785,071 (56th overall)
In 2025-26, New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray returned from a brutal Achilles injury to make 14 appearances with the team, putting up similar numbers to his 2024-25 output (17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.0 steals).
Although Murray is more of a point guard, the emergence of young floor general Jeremiah Fears will very likely force New Orleans to play him off the ball more in 2026-27, which might be tricky considering his struggles as an outside shooter. For his career, Murray has hit just 33.9 percent of his three-point attempts, while over the past two seasons (45 appearances), he’s at 30.1 percent accuracy from beyond the arc.
Maybe all the downtime Murray had from the injury led to him working on his outside stroke, and if that is the case, he could have a better-than-expected 2026-27 playing alongside Fears.
Regardless, when healthy, Murray can be one of the better guard defenders in the league thanks to his wingspan and toughness, and he’s also one of the best rebounders for his position in the Association. Couple that with his short midrange scoring and slashing ability overall, and you have a pretty solid starting guard.
At the end of the day, Murray’s 2026-27 output will come down to his health.
For the latest Dejounte Murray news and rumors, click here.
79. Naz Reid (Charlotte)
2025-26 stats: 13.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.0 bpg, 45.6 FG%, 36.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $23,275,862 (80th overall)
After being one of the league’s best sixth men over the past three seasons, even winning the Sixth Man of the Year award outright in 2023-24, Naz Reid was traded to the Hornets this summer, where he could slot into the same role behind Diabate.
It’s not out of the question that Reid starts at power forward, either, but truth be told, the last time he played more minutes at the 4 than the 5 (2023-24) was also the last time he had a negative swing rating.
It’s also possible Reid starts over Diabate, but Charlotte might not want to stymie the 24-year-old’s impressive progress by moving him back to the bench.
Regardless, Reid was a great pickup by Charlotte, as his ability to shoot (the LSU product has hit 38.4 percent of his threes over the last three seasons) or drive the ball and finish around the rim is quite impactful and will provide the team with a different look than Diabate; the former providing skill and the latter providing endless energy.
For the latest Naz Reid news and rumors, click here.
78. Michael Porter Jr. (Brooklyn)
2025-26 stats: 24.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 46.3 FG%, 36.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $40,806,150 (39th overall)
Coming off the best statistical season of his career, Michael Porter Jr. made a charge at first-time All-Star honors in 2025-26, falling just short of achieving that. Once Porter Jr. wasn’t named an All-Star, his play did taper off; prior to Feb. 1, 2026, when All-Star reserves were announced, Porter Jr. was averaging 25.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists on 39.8 percent shooting from three. After that, over his final 14 appearances of 2025-26 after that, the 28-year-old put up 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds on 25.6 percent shooting from three.
We have a feeling we could see the former version of Porter Jr. in 2026-27, considering it’s a contract year for the high-level scorer. Porter Jr.’s current contract only runs through next season, so he’ll be trying his hardest to prove he can be a top option for a team as he seeks his next big payday.
Either way, Porter Jr. has won a championship as a role player before, too; it’s just that role players don’t get paid as much as stars, so the Missouri product will surely be looking to prove the 2025-26 version of himself was not a fluke. Porter Jr. ranked in the Top 30 league-wide in BPM in 2025-26 thanks to his ability to shoot and hit ridiculous jumpers in his massive 6-foot-10 frame, so his production was impactful, even if his Brooklyn Nets were one of the worst teams in the league.
Porter Jr. might even be a trade candidate this upcoming season, especially if a low-level playoff team finds itself in need of some scoring punch. Either way, we’re quite intrigued to see what 2026-27 brings for the seven-year NBA veteran.
For the latest Michael Porter Jr. news and rumors, click here.
77. Aaron Gordon (Denver)
2025-26 stats: 16.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.6 spg, 49.7 FG%, 38.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $31,978,037 (59th overall)
Veteran power forward Aaron Gordon has been battling the injury bug over the last couple of seasons, which is concerning because at his peak he was quite dependent on his otherworldly athleticism to make an impact. If Gordon were to lose a step athletically, might that impact start to look a little less impressive? Gordon has appeared in just 87 regular-season games dating back to 2024-25.
Giving us some hope that Gordon’s game might age better than expected is the fact that he has hit 41.3 percent of his threes over his injury-plagued last two seasons.
When healthy, Gordon is an athletic freak with fantastic strength and mobility, making up for his former lack of skill as a shooter. The jury remains out on whether his last two seasons of accurate shooting are an aberration or not, but for his career, the former Arizona Wildcat is a 33.5 percent shooter from the outside.
Where Gordon shines is as a slasher, as his explosiveness is absurd while he stands at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, so he’s got a ton of power behind his athleticism, too. Gordon’s cutting is highlighted fantastically by Nikola Jokic’s unreal passing ability; the big Serbian knows exactly when and where to hit Gordon when he’s slashing off the ball. Gordon is also a good defender and offensive rebounder, especially when smaller players are trying to box him out, so he makes a two-way impact.
For the latest Aaron Gordon news and rumors, click here.
76. Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City)
2025-26 stats: 8.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 43.2 FG%, 35.1 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $7,421,121 (217th overall)
Although it may appear like Cason Wallace hasn’t improved much since getting to the NBA, at least judging by his raw numbers (Wallace has gone from averaging 6.8 points as a rookie to 8.4 points as a sophomore to 8.6 points most recently), that couldn’t be further from the truth, as the raw numbers don’t tell the entire story here.
Wallace has done well to develop into one of the most impactful guard defenders in the NBA, one so adept in his role that it gave the team confidence to trade Dort, another player with a similar role to Wallace’s and Caruso’s, to Atlanta.
Wallace was such an impactful defender last season that he finished seventh in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, earned 2nd Team All-Defense honors and made the Thunder 3.7 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor. He also really stepped it up offensively in the postseason, too, hitting 48.4 percent of his threes over 15 playoff games last year. For the regular season, Wallace ranked roughly as a Top 75 player in the NBA in VORP and BPM, even despite his mundane scoring average.
For the latest Cason Wallace news and rumors, click here.
75. Ausar Thompson (Detroit)
2025-26 stats: 9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.0 spg, 52.5 FG%, 25.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $11,118,130 (163rd overall)
The league leader in nightly steals in 2025-26, Ausar Thompson, much like his twin brother who is coming up later in this list, is an elite defender and rebounder out of the backcourt, but a flawed player offensively. The difference between the two Thompsons is that Ausar is way more of an off-ball player who can make an offensive impact, but prefers to do so off of cuts and slashes to the basket, rather than initiating his own offense as his twin brother is able to do.
Even so, Ausar Thompson’s offense is a huge work in progress, as the Thompson twin is shooting 20.4 percent from three for his career and averaging merely 9.6 points during his time in the league. On the other hand, he’s such a monster defensively that he made this ranking anyway, and in a pretty decent spot at that.
Thompson is one of just nine non-big men in league history to average at least 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks for the first three seasons of their career, joining the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the list, showing the historic level of defensive impact Thompson provides.
If Thompson can just become at least a serviceable outside shooter, his outlook changes mightily, too, so keep an eye on that in 2026-27.
For the latest Ausar Thompson news and rumors, click here.
74. Donovan Clingan (Portland)
2025-26 stats: 12.1 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 bpg, 52.0 FG%, 34.1 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $7,519,920 (215th overall)
Portland big man Donovan Clingan has developed quickly since being drafted seventh overall in 2024, going from being more of a screen-and-roll big man who stuck to finishing around the rim to already averaging over three three-pointers per game last season and hitting 34.1 percent of them in his sophomore campaign.
If Clingan continues to improve as a shooter, the Blazers will have an extremely impactful player on their hands, as the former UConn star is already the best offensive rebounder in the NBA (he led the league last season in offensive rebounds with 4.5 per game) and an excellent rim-protector. Just imagine Clingan adding above-average spot-up three-point shooting to that already-impressive mix.
Clingan has monstrous length, with a near 7-foot-7 wingspan, which he uses wonderfully to protect the paint. Clingan ranked eighth in the NBA last season with 1.7 rejections per game, and his block rate (5.5 percent) ranked fifth in the league. The big man isn’t just long, but he’s also deceptively quick and has a great nose for rejecting opponent shot attempts near the paint.
For the latest Donovan Clingan news and rumors, click here.
73. Myles Turner (Milwaukee)
2025-26 stats: 11.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.6 bpg, 44.0 FG%, 38.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $26,584,164 (71st overall)
In a sort of last-ditch effort to build a roster impressive enough to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay in Milwaukee, the Bucks picked up floor-spacing big man Myles Turner in the summer of 2025.
That effort failed; the Bucks’ season was a disaster, Antetokounmpo left and the team is now somewhat stuck with Turner, who has three seasons left on his deal, with a player option on the final year worth over$29 million.
Of course, that’s not to say it was Turner’s fault Antetokounmpo left, but he didn’t help matters much. Turner posted a career-low field-goal percentage last season while averaging a paltry 5.3 rebounds per game. The Texas product also continued to provide next to nothing as a passer.
Turner did alright within his role as a shot-blocking floor-spacer, averaging 1.6 blocks per game while hitting 38.3 percent of his threes, but he didn’t impact games much. Turner made the Bucks just 1.0 points per 100 possessions better while he was on the floor in 2025-26, a mark that wasn’t close to good enough to help Milwaukee win games and convince Antetokounmpo the team could win at a high level.
Turner remains a solid starting center, but considering he’s now 30 years old, it’s safe to say now that he’s never going to improve his rebounding or playmaking. The big man will continue to be a positive-impact player thanks to his outside shooting on one end and shot-blocking on the other, but he has a ceiling on his impact that isn’t all that high due to his other limitations.
For the latest Myles Turner news and rumors, click here.
72. Keyonte George (Utah)
2025-26 stats: 23.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.0 spg, 45.6 FG%, 37.1 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $6,563,608 (229th overall)
Keyonte George has upped his assist average each season in the league, going from averaging 4.4 assists as a rookie to 6.1 assists last season. He is also a much-improved three-point shooter, going from 33.4 percent accuracy from three as a rookie to 37.1 percent in 2025-26.
We think George and Darryn Peterson will take turns playing on or off the ball, something made simpler by how position-less today’s NBA is.
George makes up for his size-related and athletic limitations (his first step is just decent and his vertical explosiveness is not all that) by being a smooth scorer, one capable of navigating picks at a high level to find his spots and knock down jumpers, both from three and the midrange. He can also get to the basket and finish from time to time to keep defenses honest.
Getting to share the ball with a talent like Peterson should also help mask George’s weaknesses as a decision-maker. George’s 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio last season ranked just 178th in the NBA, behind the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Russell Westbrook, so getting him off the ball occasionally, where he’ll be able to focus on scoring and not creating, could help him reach an even higher level as a player.
For the latest Keyonte George news and rumors, click here.
71. Kristaps Porzingis (Golden State)
2025-26 stats: 16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 bpg, 44.6 FG%, 33.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $20,000,000 (94th overall)
It’s unfortunately nothing new for Kristaps Porzingis, but his biggest issue over the past two seasons has been his availability, as he has faced both health problems and actual physical injuries, including to his back, knee, Achilles and ankle. Porzingis has suited up in just 74 games over the past two seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, and that’s while his production has dropped.
In 2025-26, Porzingis’ 16.7-point-per-game average was the second-lowest mark of his career, while his 33.8 percent shooting mark from three was the third-lowest. Porzingis isn’t as mobile as he was in his athletic prime before all the injuries, which used to be one of his more standout skills, as you don’t come across relatively quick 7-foot-2 giants all that often.
Even so, the Warriors signed Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million extension this summer with a player option in Year 2, so the team must be banking on the big Latvian having better luck health-wise going forward. Also somewhat comforting is the fact that Porzingis did have a positive swing rating (plus-1.9) last season, so he helped the team while he was out there, even despite his poor shooting. Perhaps with a more Porzingis-like shooting season, the big man can have a big 2026-27 with the team, which will need a lot out of him, as they will remain without Jimmy Butler for a good stretch of the campaign.
For the latest Kristaps Porzingis news and rumors, click here.
70. Trey Murphy (New Orleans)
2025-26 stats: 21.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 47.0 FG%, 37.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $27,000,000 (69th overall)
The way teams rebuild is by trading their best players for a multitude of first-round picks, and Trey Murphy is the type of talent who could fetch New Orleans a bevy of high-level assets on the open market. That’s because shooting is so coveted in the modern NBA, and Murphy provides just that, not just with his feet set but off the dribble from the midrange, too.
Murphy’s at his best as a spot-up shooter, however. The former Virginia standout ranked in the NBA’s 93rd percentile as a spot-up shooter in 2025-26, producing 1.27 points per possession from those looks, the 30th-best mark in the NBA for the campaign. And Murphy isn’t just a scorer, either, as the long swingman is also an underrated rebounder, playmaker and defender, making an impact in multiple facets, not just with his jumper.
Murphy ranked as roughly a Top 45 player in the NBA analytically last season, looking at VORP and BPM, proving how impactful he was in 2025-26 despite suiting up for one of the worst teams in the league.
For the latest Trey Murphy news and rumors, click here.
69. Mikal Bridges (New York)
2025-26 stats: 14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 49.0 FG%, 37.1 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $22,826,087 (83rd overall)
For a long time, the New York Knicks caught flak for trading four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick and a first-round pick swap to the Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, far more of a role player than a star, which is what that type of haul should usually land you.
However, Bridges and Co. emphatically shut the naysayers up, as the team won a championship with the long swingman playing a vital role for the club, making the trade haul it took to land him very much worth it. Although Bridges averaged just 14.4 points last season, his lowest mark since 2021-22, he still made the Knicks 4.3 points per 100 possessions better while on the floor in the postseason, and considering how vital every single bucket is come playoff time, that number is even bigger than it might look.
Despite the mundane scoring average, Bridges ranked Top 35 in the NBA in VORP and Top 25 in BPM last season, in large part thanks to his shooting and defending. Bridges has a 7-foot-1-plus wingspan, has good lateral quickness and is a very heady player on the less glamorous end of the floor, making him a real two-way threat. He’s also more than a spot-up shooter, as he’s another player capable of putting the ball on the floor and hitting midrange jays.
Overall, although the cost to get him was hefty, it proved worth it for New York, and we think we’ll see another impactful year out of the former Villanova star in 2026-27, who hasn’t missed a single game to this point in his pro career. If they say availability is the most important ability, then Bridges is a star in that regard, at least.
For the latest Mikal Bridges news and rumors, click here.
68. Ivica Zubac (Indiana)
2025-26 stats: 14.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.8 bpg, 59.8 FG%, 71.1 FT%
2026-27 salary: $19,550,160 (96th overall)
Ivica Zubac, about to be setting screens and catching lobs from the best playmaker he’s ever shared the floor with [Tyrese Haliburton], is a throwback big man, possessing great size and strength and lumbering strength but lacking foot quickness.
Even so, Zubac can finish around the basket with soft touch over either shoulder, as well as gobble up rebounds and protect the paint at a solid level. His best skill might be his screen-setting, as not only is he a true 7-footer, but also has a strong and broad frame.
In his last full season with the Los Angeles Clippers, 2024-25, Zubac ranked in the NBA’s 79th percentile in finishing out of the pick-and-roll as the screener, producing 1.25 points per such possession, a higher mark that year than Anthony Davis (1.23 PPP) and Domantas Sabonis (1.22 PPP).
Playing alongside Haliburton, being the elite table-setter and offensive engine that he is, makes us think Zubac should eclipse that mark in 2026-27. It’ll also be fun to see Zubac play alongside one of the better power forwards in the game, Pascal Siakam, although the fact that Siakam isn’t the best three-point-shooting 4 could lead to some clunkiness, at least early on in the season.
Still, Zubac was a great pickup for the Pacers, and we think he could quietly have a big 2026-27.
For the latest Ivica Zubac news and rumors, click here.
67. Norman Powell (Chicago)
2025-26 stats: 21.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 47.0 FG%, 38.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $21,500,000 (86th overall)
Powell earned All-Star honors for the first time in his career last season, doing so at 32 years old, an impressive feat. And that honor was very much well-earned by Powell, who was averaging 23.0 points and 3.7 rebounds on 39.2 percent shooting from three at the time All-Star reserves were announced for 2025-26.
However, Powell then proceeded to be affected by injuries and although he didn’t miss too much time, his stints wearing street clothes did negatively affect the great flow he had going, eventually even forcing Miami to start bringing him off the bench in favor of Herro.
What we think helps Powell’s potential output for 2026-27 is the fact that he’ll be playing for a Chicago Bulls team that’s very much in the early stages of a rebuild, meaning he will be able to get his shots up and put up numbers without having to feel the pressure of a playoff push.
Blessed with a beautiful outside jumper (Powell is a near-40 percent three-point shooter for his career) and the athleticism to drive to the basket and finish around the rim, we think we’ll see another 20-plus-point-per-game scoring season out of the now-33-year-old this upcoming campaign.
For the latest Norman Powell news and rumors, click here.
66. Ja Morant (Portland)
2025-26 stats: 19.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 8.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 41.0 FG%, 23.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $42,166,510 (30th overall)
Portland took a huge risk in trading for Ja Morant this offseason. It’s not that the cost was high (the Blazers merely traded Jerami Grant and Kris Murray for the bouncy floor general), but Morant has been injury-plagued lately in his career, to go with being plagued by poor decision-making off the floor.
Morant has played in just 79 games over the past three seasons, not only due to suspension, but also because of a major shoulder injury, to go with calf soreness and an elbow sprain. And considering Morant’s game is so dependent on elite athleticism while being on the slighter-of-frame-end of the spectrum, there’s legitimate concern as to how he’ll look once he’s back to playing full-time. Will Morant still be that high-flying, super-explosive finisher with the Blazers? Will injuries continue to slow him down?
Morant’s lack of three-point shooting (he’s a career 31.1 percent from three) also raises concerns, especially if he loses a step athletically.
For those reasons, Morant will be one of most interesting point guards to watch in 2026-27.
For the latest Ja Morant news and rumors, click here.
65. Josh Hart (New York)
2025-26 stats: 12.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 50.8 FG%, 41.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $20,923,760 (89th overall)
A role player but one of the best in the league, Knicks 2-guard Josh Hart ranked as roughly a Top 35 player in VORP and BPM despite barely averaging 12 points per game, proving the immense impact the former Villanova standout makes in other facets of the game besides scoring.
Hart is a fantastic connector on the floor, keeping the ball moving when looks aren’t there for him and refusing to play outside of his role, choosing team glory over the individual kind. The 31-year-old is willing to do anything on the court, be it defend big men, box out, set screens, spot up and shoot, run the floor in transition, put his body on the line to draw charges or earn his team extra possessions - the works.
The fact that Hart shot a career-high 41.3 percent from three last season was just a cherry on top, as even when Hart was less accurate from three in previous seasons, he still made a positive impact on the floor. That’s what gives us confidence to rank Hart this high as far as his 2026-27 projection: the fact that even when he’s not hitting threes, he still finds a way to make an impact. So a regression to the mean with Hart’s shooting doesn’t overly concern us as far as his outlook for next season.
For the latest Josh Hart news and rumors, click here.
64. Desmond Bane (Orlando)
2025-26 stats: 20.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 48.4 FG%, 39.1 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $39,446,090 (45th overall)
Orlando Magic 2-guard Desmond Bane is at his best as an outside spot-up shooter, but he provides plenty of offense outside of spot-up shooting, including pull-up scoring and some drives to the basket when attacking strong closeouts.
Bane is a career 40.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and just this last season, he ranked in the NBA’s 81st percentile in spot-up shooting, producing 1.18 points per possession on such looks.
Even so, and through no fault of his own, Bane’s first season in Orlando was disappointing, not from an individual perspective but as a team, as many expected Bane’s addition via trade to help the Magic turn into true Eastern Conference contenders. Instead, the Magic went 45-37, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and then fired now-former head coach Jamahl Mosley.
Regardless, it’s impossible to fault Bane for that, as he was the exact player Orlando acquired from Memphis, both with his raw numbers and his impact. Bane made the Magic 4.8 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor in 2025-26, and ranked as almost a Top 40 player in the league, according to VORP.
Is that kind of production enough to warrant his price tag in the trade with Memphis and for the Magic to pretty much lock themselves into their current roster? That remains to be seen. Perhaps under first-year head coach Sean Sweeney, Bane and the Magic will go up a tier in the East in 2026-27.
For the latest Desmond Bane news and rumors, click here.
63. Tyler Herro (Milwaukee)
2025-26 stats: 20.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 0.7 spg, 48.0 FG%, 37.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $33,000,000 (55th overall)
On top of being Milwaukee’s top option on offense, Tyler Herro has the added motivation of being traded by Miami after seven years with the team, and after multiple seasons of seeing his name in the thick of trade rumors. Herro is also originally from Milwaukee, so he won’t be lacking in any sort of motivation to show out for his hometown team.
Herro is primarily a three-point and midrange sniper, one who hits shots with aplomb off the dribble from both levels. His jumper is smooth and pure, and his game is confident on offense, so we could see him putting up numbers in Year 1 in Milwaukee. He's also an underrated rebounder and playmaker for his position, knowing when to hit dump-down passes to rolling bigs or swing the ball to another open shooter when defenses collapse on him.
Of course, Herro does have some warts to his game, primarily with his inability to stay healthy and, at times, with his accuracy as a shooter. Herro is shooting merely 37.6 percent from three over the last two seasons, and he appeared in just 33 regular-season games in 2025-26 and 42 in 2023-24. He’s also historically been a playoff dropper, averaging just 14.6 points and 3.3 assists on 32.8 percent shooting from three in his career, though that might not be an issue over the next couple of campaigns in Milwaukee as the team rebuilds post-Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even so, we should see a very motivated Herro in 2026-27, so keep an eye out on the former Kentucky Wildcat this upcoming season.
For the latest Tyler Herro news and rumors, click here.
62. Josh Giddey (Chicago)
2025-26 stats: 17.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 9.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 44.8 FG%, 36.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $25,000,000 (72nd overall)
Only 12 players in NBA history have put up a 17/7/8 stat line for a season, and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey is one of them.
That stat line is indicative of the type of player Giddey is, as the Australian lead guard is an elite rebounder for his position, as well as a top playmaker, one with an exciting and creative flair to his passing. Giddey has also done well to improve his outside shooting, his biggest weakness entering the NBA, with the 23-year-old shooting 37-plus percent from three since getting to Chicago two seasons ago.
Giddey’s defense remains lacking, and he’s not the most athletic finisher around the basket, nor does he have the quickest first step. But he can create out of the pick-and-roll, as well as hit some jumpers off the dribble in the midrange, making him an effective player with the ball in his hands.
For the latest Josh Giddey news and rumors, click here.
61. Jarrett Allen (Cleveland)
2025-26 stats: 15.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 63.8 FG%, 70.9 FT%
2026-27 salary: $28,000,000 (66th overall)
A long, athletic big man with great quick-leaping ability, Jarrett Allen is one of the most efficient finishers in the league, possessing reliable hands and explosive finishing around the basket. Allen is a career 64.1 percent shooter from the floor, even leading the league in that metric in 2024-25 at 70.6 percent.
Allen’s 7-foot-6 wingspan is one of the longest in the NBA today, and he uses it well to be a major lob threat, as well as to secure rebounds and block shots. The biggest issue with Allen, outside of his inability to score outside of the paint, is that he’s not the strongest big man, often getting pushed out of his spots near the rim. What’s more, despite his monstrous length and impressive athleticism, Allen barely averages over one block per game for his career.
Regardless, Allen makes a big impact when he’s on the floor. In his five full seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he has made the team 4.6 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor, and prior to last season, he had helped anchor back-to-back defenses that ranked inside the league’s Top 8 in defensive efficiency (Cleveland was No. 7 in least points given up per 100 possessions in 2023-24 and No. 8 in 2024-25). That’s even more impressive when you consider how flimsy the team’s backcourt was defensively those years.
What's more, Allen uses his quickness and length to be a monster on the offensive glass, giving Cleveland plenty of extra buckets on put-back chances. Allen ranked in the NBA's 95th percentile on put-backs last season, producing 1.45 points per possession on the play type, the No. 10 mark league-wide among players with at least 50 games played on the campaign.
Boasting paint deterrence, elite finishing and good decision-making (Allen won’t ever try to do too much), Allen is one of the better starting centers in the East these days.
For the latest Jarrett Allen news and rumors, click here.
60. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Utah)
2025-26 stats: 19.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.4 bpg, 47.6 FG%, 35.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $49,000,000 (21st overall)
The Utah Jazz took a massive swing when they decided to trade for Jaren Jackson Jr., shipping the Memphis Grizzlies three first-round picks and more for the former Michigan State standout. Jackson Jr.’s resume warrants such a trade return, too, as the mobile big man has two All-Star selections under his belt, as well as two 1st Team All-Defenses, one 2nd Team All-Defense and one Defensive Player of the Year award.
Jackson is another in a long line of, well, long modern centers, as the 27-year-old carries a 7-foot-5 wingspan. What differentiates him is that he’s also extremely mobile laterally, allowing him not only to block shots at a high level (Jackson Jr. has led the league in nightly rejections twice in his career) but also to defend switches quite well, especially for a center.
Jackson Jr. ranks fifth in total blocks since getting to the NBA in 2018-19 with 846, and every player ahead of him on the list has played at least 18 more games than him in that stretch. In fact, the three players who top the list have played 231-plus games more than Jackson Jr. in that timeframe.
His quickness and switchability come at a cost, however, as Jackson Jr. is a very poor rebounder, securing just 5.6 nightly rebounds for his career. What’s more, although Jackson is a somewhat respectable outside shooter (over the past four seasons, the big man is shooting 35.1 percent from three on over five attempts per game), while having some skill as a ball-handler, allowing him to put the pressure on the rim on drives, he gets tunnel vision with the ball in his hands. Too often, Jackson Jr. will look for his own shot rather than feed teammates with easy opportunities. Jackson Jr. has 869 career turnovers to just 696 assists.
Although many are excited about Jackson Jr. and his fit with frontcourt mate Lauri Markkanen, we actually have some concern, as neither is much of a rebounder or playmaker, while both like spacing the floor. Markkanen has a more versatile offensive bag, as he’s a comfortable midrange pull-up and post-up scorer, but even then, the two bigs are mighty similar skillset-wise.
Maybe that concern is for naught, and Jackson Jr. will play power forward in 2026-27, Markkanen small forward and Jusuf Nurkic center, but if each player is starting in their best position next season, that won’t be the case. Jackson Jr. is an elite defender and a plus-offensive player, but he does have his flaws, so we’re just curious how head coach Will Hardy will mask them when Markkanen’s flaws are so similar to Jackson Jr.’s.
For the latest Jaren Jackson Jr. news and rumors, click here.
59. AJ Dybantsa (Washington)
2026-27 salary: $14,748,000 (128th overall)
Reigning No. 1 overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa enters Year 1 of his career with loads of promise as a supersized wing with elite scoring potential thanks to his shiftiness, crafty ball-handling and ability to hit tough shots from all over the floor, as well as his athletic explosiveness as a driver and finisher around the basket.
In his lone season at BYU, Dybantsa not only led the Big 12 in scoring at 25.5 points per game, but he also led the entire country with that scoring average last season. He did so while chipping in 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting a tidy 51.0 percent from the floor. His three-point shooting remains a bit of a work in progress, as he hit 33.1 percent of his threes at BYU, but that mark was forgivable considering the average degree of difficulty on his shot attempts.
In Summer League, Dybantsa continued to struggle from three, hitting just one of his 11 three-point attempts over two games, but he was extremely impressive otherwise, putting up 25.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
Dybantsa has work to do around the edges with regard to his efficiency, but few players have the level of athleticism and skill in a massive and stout 6-foot-9 package as he does, so we expect big things as a rookie out of the Boston native.
For the latest AJ Dybantsa news and rumors, click here.
58. Darius Garland (LA Clippers)
2025-26 stats: 18.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.0 spg, 46.0 FG%, 39.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $42,166,510 (30th overall)
Injury troubles and a mid-season trade hurt Darius Garland’s 2025-26 output, just a year removed from the second All-Star campaign of his career, leading to us being a bit lower on his 2026-27 potential perhaps than we should be. We have Garland as one of the best 20 point guards in the NBA, though we admit he has proven to have Top 10ish ability when healthy, which is entirely possible to happen in 2026-27.
Garland is a crafty scorer, boasting a quick crossover and funky-but-effective scoring ability from the short midrange. Garland is also an excellent outside shooter who can nail threes as a spot-up shooter or off the dribble, a hugely important skill for modern lead guards. If we don’t count his rookie season, the former Vanderbilt star is a career 39.3 percent three-point shooter, and over the past two seasons, that number is closer to 40.0 percent (39.9 percent, to be exact), an excellent mark for someone who takes as many difficult shots as Garland does nightly.
Also a creative playmaker, Garland has a strong all-around game with the ball in his hands; he just needs to stay healthy. Now free from having to share the rock with the ball-dominant Donovan Mitchell, we could see Garland putting up strong numbers in 2026-27, health provided, and making his pre-season ranking on our list look bad.
For the latest Darius Garland news and rumors, click here.
57. OG Anunoby (New York)
2025-26 stats: 16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 48.4 FG%, 38.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $42,500,000 (29th overall)
The author of arguably the most historic tip-in in NBA history…
…OG Anunoby had a strong chance of winning Finals MVP in 2026 before New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson took over late in the Spurs series.
Anunoby is far from a star, but he’s a downright superstar role player, a slashing small-ball power forward with a ridiculous wingspan at nearly 7-foot-2, who can defend guards, wings or bigs at a high level, while creating steals by poking away loose ball-handles or jumping passing lanes, as well as protecting the rim. Anunoby finished Top 10 in the Defensive Player of the Year vote last season and earned 2nd Team All-Defense honors.
Anunoby is happy to do anything the team asks him on either end, and is never scared to put his body on the line to make a play for his team. The former Indiana standout is the prototypical 3-and-D type, except he’s got scoring juice off the dribble, too, making him a huge weapon on both ends.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Anunoby has made New York 7.2 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor since joining the Knicks two-and-a-half seasons ago.
For the latest OG Anunoby news and rumors, click here.
56. Damian Lillard (Portland)
2026-27 salary: $22,516,603 (83rd overall)
We’re putting a lot of faith in Damian Lillard’s rehab process here, as the future Hall-of-Famer hasn’t played since April 27, 2025, when he tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers. By all accounts, Lillard’s rehab has gone well, however, so after shaking off some rust, we expect to see Lillard playing at a high level again sooner rather than later.
Will Lillard ever reach that All-NBA level again? Or even All-Star level? That remains to be seen, and history tells us it won’t be easy, as Lillard is now 36 years old.
Either way, as fans of the game, we’re excited to see his return, as Lillard will be playing on a strong Portland team, alongside another thrilling floor general in Morant, making the 2026-27 Blazers potential League Pass darlings.
For the latest Damian Lillard news and rumors, click here.
55. Brandon Miller (Charlotte)
2025-26 stats: 20.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 43.5 FG%, 38.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $15,104,121 (120th overall)
Although Brandon Miller’s raw numbers didn’t appear to change much from 2024-25 (21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game) to last season, the fact his efficiency improved in the manner that it did (Miller’s true shooting percentage went from 54.0 in ‘25 to 57.4 last season) meant that the now-fourth-year forward did improve but in a way that helped the Charlotte Hornets as a team, rather than just his individual numbers.
That’s backed statistically, too, as Miller made Charlotte 7.1 points per 100 possessions better last season, a full four-point improvement from the campaign prior. Miller’s nightly performances on the wing played a large part in the Hornets having just their second winning season since 2015-16 and coming within one win of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since that campaign.
All in all, Miller can hit shots off the dribble over good defense from the midrange, as well as from three, and use his impressive athleticism to finish around the basket with aplomb. He’ll need to continue working on his playmaking, as Miller tends to get tunnel vision with the ball in his hands, but overall, he’s improved every season he’s been in the NBA, and we expect that trend to continue in 2026-27.
For the latest Brandon Miller news and rumors, click here.
54. Kyrie Irving (Dallas)
2026-27 salary: $39,491,282 (44th overall)
Irving will have his work cut out for him to reach that All-NBA level again at age 34. Still, Irving has looked great in recent workout footage, so we expect big things out of him in the 2026-27 campaign.
Irving’s game has never been fully dependent on hyper-elite athleticism anyway, so we think he’ll get back to being a perennial All-Star candidate once he’s back on the hardwood.
Playing alongside alley-oop threats the likes of Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, and even Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington, Irving’s fantastic playmaking should be on full display next season. And that’s to go with Irving’s otherworldly difficult-shot-making ability and finishing creativity around the basket.
All in all, we remain high on Irving, even despite the fact he just missed an entire season due to major injury.
For the latest Kyrie Irving news and rumors, click here.
53. Brandon Ingram (LA Clippers)
2025-26 stats: 21.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 47.7 FG%, 38.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $40,000,000 (43rd overall)
After just one season in Toronto, former Duke standout Brandon Ingram is on the move again this offseason after a tumultuous deal saw him end up with the Los Angeles Clippers. In L.A., Ingram will have a bigger role than he did in Toronto, which will allow him to perhaps up his averages from 2025-26.
That’s not to say he had a disappointing season, because that wasn’t fully the case, at least not in the regular season. Ingram posted an All-Star campaign, earning the honor for just the second time in his career last year, but his playoff run with Toronto was brutal to put things kindly. In the postseason, Ingram put up 14.8 points on 33.9 percent shooting from the floor between Games 1 and 4, before heel inflammation ended his playoff run early.
However, Ingram would eventually undergo heel surgery this offseason and will reportedly be ready to go by training camp, so the Clippers will be expecting the All-Star version of Ingram to arrive off the bat. Ingram’s a solid three-level scorer, boasts a tidy crossover and uses his fantastic length to knock down jumpers over strong contests. His lack of burst, speed and elite athleticism have prevented him from reaching that All-NBA tier in his career, but he makes up for it with craftiness and the ability to hit star-level shots, as well as his decent rebounding and playmaking.
For the latest Brandon Ingram news and rumors, click here.
52. Derrick White (Boston)
2025-26 stats: 16.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.3 bpg, 39.4 FG%, 32.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $30,348,000 (60th overall)
One of the best defensive guards in the NBA, Derrick White plays a bit on or off the ball depending on the possession, though he’s at his best as a secondary playmaker.
White has earned Defensive Player of the Year votes each of the past three seasons, peaking last year when he finished sixth in the vote, while earning 1st Team All-Defense honors for the first time in his career. White has two other 2nd Team All-Defenses in his career and is averaging a full block per game for his career, a hard-to-fathom number considering White is merely 6-foot-4.
Although Dwyane Wade is rightfully known as the shot-blocking king among guards in league history, White is on his tail. Wade ranks first all-time in career blocks by a player standing 6-foot-4 or shorter with 885. White ranks third in the defensive stat with 544, with plenty of career left to go. White has blocked 265 total shots over the past three seasons, so if he can keep up that pace, it’ll take him another three seasons and change to pass Wade in career blocks.
White is such an impactful defender that even despite the fact his offense fell off a cliff efficiency-wise last season (White shot just 39.4 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from three in 2025-26), he still ranked Top 25 in both VORP and BPM last season.
A player who can score off of slashes, spot-up shooting, drives using floaters and pull-up midrange jumpers, as well as rebound and create at respectable rates, White is a two-way menace for the Boston Celtics.
For the latest Derrick White news and rumors, click here.
51. Rudy Gobert (Minnesota)
2025-26 stats: 10.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.6 bpg, 68.2 FG%, 52.6 FT%
2026-27 salary: $36,500,000 (47th overall)
Despite being in his mid-30s, French center Rudy Gobert remains one of the most impactful defenders in the NBA, using his massive size, strength and length to be a major deterrent close to the basket. Gobert earned 1st Team All-Defense honors last season and finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year vote as he anchored a Timberwolves defense that ranked eighth league-wide in defensive efficiency.
Gobert is who he is at this point, an elite finisher near the basket, but someone who won’t score outside of the paint or be all that effective defending switches. Still, Gobert is so massive and adept in his role as a paint protector and finisher that he more than makes up for those faults.
Gobert is also an underrated pick-and-roll finisher. In 2025-26, the Saint-Quentin native ranked in the NBA’s 80th percentile in pick-and-roll finishing as the screener, producing 1.27 points per possession out of the play type, a better mark than Nikola Jokic, who created 1.25 points per possession last season on the same play type.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Minnesota is a better team with Gobert on the floor; last season, Gobert made the team 3.9 points per 100 possessions better when he was in the game.
For the latest Rudy Gobert news and rumors, click here.
50. De'Aaron Fox (San Antonio)
2025-26 stats: 18.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 48.6 FG%, 33.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $49,488,300 (18th overall)
After an All-Star regular season, Spurs lead guard De’Aaron Fox struggled mightily in the playoffs, and even if playing through injury was the cause of that, his drop-off was still stark.
In the 2026 postseason, Fox averaged just 15.6 points and 6.0 assists on 41.4 percent shooting from the floor, and 29.4 percent shooting from three. He also had various memorable blunders late in games in the NBA Finals, which was particularly troubling because Fox, at 28 years old, was supposed to be the calming veteran for this young Spurs team in the playoffs, not the one making the mistakes that cost his team games.
In the Finals, with the margin for error so slim, mistakes like the ones Fox was making in clutch time are the difference between a seven-game series and a five-game bow-out like the one the Spurs suffered.
Regardless of his Finals blunders, though, Fox remains an above-average starting point guard, even in spite of his mediocre-at-best outside shooting. For now, the Kentucky product still has the speed and explosiveness to finish around the basket or hightail it in transition, as well as the pull-up midrange scoring to keep defenses honest.
It’ll just be interesting to see how the playing time split shakes out between Fox and another player coming up later in this ranking.
For the latest De'Aaron Fox news and rumors, click here.
49. Darryn Peterson (Utah)
2026-27 salary: $13,195,320 (143rd overall)
It’s difficult to predict how Darryn Peterson will perform as a first-year player.
On the one hand, he’s an immense talent, often compared in the draft process to a 6-foot-6 Kyrie Irving type, a crafty ball-handler with a quick first step and the ability to hit difficult shots from all over the floor. On the other hand, his lone season at Kansas was up and down; he showed moments of absolute brilliance and potential future superstardom, but he also missed time or would ask to come out of games due to obscure health issues, which Peterson says are now past him.
Early returns so far are more promising than not, however, as Peterson lit it up in 2026 Summer League, putting up 23.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks on 34.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
There’s a chance this exciting young talent outperforms his place in this ranking with his play this season. However, we’re erring a bit on the side of caution with his place here and hedging our bets, as it’s usually quite difficult for young point guards to come in and be stars in the NBA right away, especially those who are still teenagers like Peterson.
For the latest Darryn Peterson news and rumors, click here.
48. Julius Randle (Brooklyn)
2025-26 stats: 21.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 48.1 FG%, 31.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $33,333,334 (54th overall)
New Brooklyn Nets 4-man Julius Randle has fantastic strength for his position, often bullying smaller foes closer to the rim by burying his shoulder into their chests and powering through them.
Randle also has underrated skill, with a tight enough ball handle to drive to the rim like a battering ram. Randle can also create plays for others at a level better than he’s given credit for, possessing a strong drive-and-kick game. What’s more, Randle can at least somewhat space the floor from three, although not all that efficiently.
Last season, Randle was one of just nine players to put up a 21/6/5 stat line on a list riddled with superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, among others.
He may not be the best playoff performer historically, but he’s an impactful regular-season player of the All-Star tier thanks to his powerful scoring ability and underrated playmaking.
For the latest Julius Randle news and rumors, click here.
47. Franz Wagner (Orlando)
2025-26 stats: 20.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.9 spg, 48.1 FG%, 34.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $41,754,636 (33rd overall)
After making a run at first-time All-Star honors in 2024-25, Franz Wagner somewhat disappointed in 2025-26, though that had a lot to do with injuries - primarily a high-ankle sprain - that forced him to miss 48 games on the campaign. As if the ankle sprain wasn’t bad enough, Wagner would then miss three of the Orlando Magic’s four playoff games last year due to a calf strain, so all in all, it was pretty much a lost season for the German wing.
Even so, those injuries aren’t usually of the long-term variety, so we expect Wagner to look more like his 2024-25 version this season than his 2025-26 self.
Although he still struggles mightily from the three-point line - Wagner is shooting 29.8 percent over the last three seasons combined - he's an elite slasher, a slippery swingman who can get to the basket and finish with craft and unique touch. He’s also an underrated playmaker on his slashes, one who does a great job at hitting cutters while he’s mid-drive and distracting the defense himself. Wagner’s a very fluid athlete for his size (6-foot-10, 220-plus pounds) and an expert finisher near the cup and the short midrange, making him very tough to defend once he has a head full of steam.
If Wagner is able to develop more midrange and three-point off-the-dribble shooting (might be a tall task considering his slow release and catapult-style jumper), he’ll easily be in perennial All-Star conversations, if not in borderline All-NBA talks. Even at his present level, however, he’s one of the best wings in the Eastern Conference.
For the latest Franz Wagner news and rumors, click here.
46. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia)
2025-26 stats: 26.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 bpg, 48.9 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $57,736,350 (6th overall)
We know Philadelphia 76ers fans are likely not thrilled with this ranking, but it must be noted that our decision has a lot to do with his health, which has always been the biggest problem surrounding Joel Embiid. And it’s not just his health, either, as Embiid’s output even when he has played lately isn’t what it was in his prime.
From 2020-21 to 2023-24, a four-season stretch when Embiid was at his peak, the big man averaged 31.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks on 52.2 percent shooting, winning MVP once and finishing second in the vote two other times during that stretch.
However, over the past two seasons, in the 57 regular-season games that Embiid has appeared in, he has averaged just 25.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks on 47.5 percent shooting, looking like the injuries are starting to catch up to him.
Even so, Embiid remained hugely impactful for the Sixers, as the 32-year-old made Philadelphia 7.6 points per 100 possessions better when he was on the floor last season. Had Embiid played enough games to qualify, the star center would have ranked 10th in BPM (plus-4.9) and Top 25 in WS/48 (0.163) in 2025-26, so he remains an elite player when healthy.
The question is: How healthy will he be?
For the latest Joel Embiid news and rumors, click here.
45. Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento)
2025-26 stats: 15.8 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 4.1 apg, 0.9 spg, 54.3 FG%, 72.7 FT% (19 games)
2026-27 salary: $45,472,000 (27th overall)
It may sound hypocritical to say we’re worried about Joel Embiid’s health heading into next season and have Domantas Sabonis, who appeared in just 19 games in 2025-26, ranked ahead of him, but the margin between the two players in our vote was razor-thin, and Embiid could have easily finished ahead of Sabonis here. But the Lithuanian big man has a much cleaner injury history than Embiid, so we had to take that into account.
While Embiid's biggest question mark is his health, Sabonis' is: Can he be a winning player?
Sabonis’ individual production is impressive, as prior to last season, he had a three-season stretch in which he put up 19.2 points, 13.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game on 60.0 percent shooting from the floor, even earning MVP votes in two of those campaigns. Sabonis is one of the best rebounders in the league. He also has a strong midrange face-up game thanks to his ability to hit jumpers or use his quick first step and strong shoulder to drive and finish around the basket. He’s also a very solid playmaker; Sabonis just isn’t as flashy with his passing.
Even so, it’s difficult to win in the NBA with a center anchoring the paint who provides next to no defense, and that’s the case with Sabonis. He doesn’t block shots due to his poor wingspan (Sabonis’ length measures in at just over 6-foot-10), and he’s slow-footed laterally, so he gets exposed when asked to switch.
As such, Sabonis has only made the Sacramento Kings 0.7 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor over the past three seasons. Even in the aforementioned three-year stretch in which Sabonis was getting MVP love, the Kings made the playoffs just once and never made it out of the first round.
Production-wise, Sabonis is elite. But when it comes to his ability to be the best or second-best player on a championship-caliber team? That remains highly questionable.
For the latest Domantas Sabonis news and rumors, click here.
44. LaMelo Ball (Minnesota)
2025-26 stats: 20.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 7.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 40.7 FG%, 36.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $40,770,520 (41st overall)
The 25-year-old Ball finally seemed to put it all together last season, suiting up in 72 games, the second-highest total of his career, while helping lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 44-38 record, the franchise’s best regular-season showing since 2015-16. The Hornets took down the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament, too, before falling to the Magic and just missing the playoffs.
So, naturally, Charlotte rewarded Ball with an offseason trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Ball will now help form one of the most exciting backcourts in all of basketball along with superstar 2-guard Anthony Edwards.
Ball and Edwards should be exciting to watch, if nothing else, as the duo has bombastic scoring ability from all over the floor and elite transition prowess. Ball’s playmaking, coupled with Edwards’ explosive finishing, should make for thrilling nightly highlights; we’re just not all that sure whether the super-tandem will be able to make up for the roster’s frontcourt deficiencies enough to make them a legit title contender.
Still, we’re quite excited to watch Ball in his first season with his new team, and we’re quite high on what he’ll be able to do in the Western Conference, health permitting.
For the latest LaMelo Ball news and rumors, click here.
43. VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia)
2025-26 stats: 16.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 43.8 FG%, 35.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $11,663,880 (159th overall)
Second-year 2-guard VJ Edgecombe’s outlook for 2026-27 could rely, to an extent, on how the team plans to utilize LeBron James. James could very well play point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, which gets tricky because both Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey will need a lot of the ball, too. That’s without even mentioning the newly acquired Jaylen Brown and star big man Joel Embiid.
Edgecombe himself said he’s not entirely sure how his role will change in 2026-27 with the James-Brown additions (via the Philly Inquirer):
One of the concerns with the addition of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in this momentous offseason is how those moves may affect the trajectory of Edgecombe, who at 21, will be entering his second season but could see a significant shift in his role. To hear Edgecombe talk at the camp, that’s not really a worry for him. Any chatter that his development may stall or he might grow unhappy with a reduced role is just talk. “I mean, it don’t matter what happens, there’s always going to be someone that has something to say,” Edgecombe said. “But I just want to win. I’m going to still be aggressive, still be myself. If that comes with less shots or more shots, who knows. I don’t know how the course of the game is going to go. I’m just excited to play alongside my teammates. I think we have a chance to do something really special.”
Edgecombe surely has spent and will continue to spend a lot of the offseason working on his outside jumper, as he’s going to get a ton of wide-open spot-up looks with the new-look Sixers, an area where he was respectable, especially for a rookie, in 2025-26. Edgecombe was in the NBA’s 67th percentile as a spot-up shooter last season, producing 1.10 points per possession on the play type.
Besides that, Edgecombe’s 2026-27 will be fun to watch; his explosiveness as a slasher and finisher around the basket as a first-year player was astounding, and we only expect it to get better next season. Edgecombe is also a good rebounder and playmaker for his position, and a disruptive defender, averaging nearly a steal-and-a-half per contest as a rookie.
We expect big things in the future for the Bahamian shooting guard, as Edgecombe flashed an All-Star, if not future All-NBA, type of ceiling in his first NBA campaign. We just hope the Sixers aren’t so loaded that Edgecombe’s opportunities are the ones to get sacrificed.
For the latest VJ Edgecombe news and rumors, click here.
42. Dylan Harper (San Antonio)
2025-26 stats: 11.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.8 spg, 50.5 FG%, 34.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $12,989,040 (147th overall)
Dylan Harper followed a solid debut regular season last year with an even more impressive postseason, one that saw him average 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor, doing so as a 20-year-old. The former Rutgers standout set some age-related records in the 2026 playoffs, becoming the youngest guard in NBA history to have a postseason double-double, which he accomplished in Game 3 of San Antonio’s first-round matchup against Portland. Harper finished that game with 27 points and 10 rebounds on nine-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Harper also joined Larry Bird and Julius Erving as the only players in Conference Finals history to have a 20-point, 10-rebound, five-assist, five-steal game, when he had 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals in a Game 1 victory for San Antonio over the reigning champion Thunder.
Harper is a confident and crafty bucket-getter who can hit shots from all over the floor, and we’re very high on his ceiling, as evidenced by his place in this ranking. We expect a big step forward for Harper in 2026-27.
For the latest Dylan Harper news and rumors, click here.
41. Jalen Duren
2025-26 stats: 19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.8 bpg, 65.0 FG%, 74.7 FT%
At the time of this writing, Jalen Duren remains without a team for 2026-27, as negotiations between the big man and the Detroit Pistons have hit a stalemate. Regardless, we’re here to project players’ performances for 2026-27, not analyze their free-agent negotiations, and clearly, we’re quite high on the Sharon Hill native for next season.
The biggest reason for Duren’s explosion last year was his improved confidence offensively; Duren went from mostly sticking to the paint to becoming a much more self-assured ball-handler, allowing him to drive the ball more often and even go to pull-up midrange jumpers from time to time. Duren went from attempting just 33.2 percent of his shots from three-to-10 feet from the basket in 2024-25 to 42.6 percent of his shots coming from that range last year. He also shot a respectable 57.0 percent from that tricky part of the floor, so he was a true threat from the short midrange.
Add that to Duren’s freakish athleticism and length (the 22-year-old boasts a 7-foot-5-plus wingspan), and you can see why he broke out as explosively as he did, going from good starter to All-NBA player from one year to the next.
The question is: Has Duren hit his ceiling?
There’s at least somewhat of a possibility that that’s the case, as Duren has shown absolutely zero interest in extending his range to the three-point line. There also might be some concern projecting him hitting an even higher level after the playoff run he just had, in which he regressed back to his earlier-career self. In the 2026 postseason, Duren averaged just 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 51.4 percent shooting from the floor, a far cry from his regular-season marks.
Regardless, we remain high on Duren, as we can excuse his 2026 postseason as part of his growing pains. We think we’ll see more of regular-season Duren in 2026-27, and perhaps even a level-up as he continues to gain confidence in at least his midrange shooting.
For the latest Jalen Duren news and rumors, click here.
40. Lauri Markkanen (Utah)
2025-26 stats: 26.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 47.7 FG%, 35.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $46,113,154 (26th overall)
After a down 2024-25 campaign, Finnish big man Lauri Markkanen bounced back last season to the tune of putting up a career-high 26.7 points per game while chipping in 6.9 rebounds and shooting 47.7 percent from the floor.
Markkanen is the prototypical floor-spacing modern big man, possessing a pretty jumper and spot-up-shooting ability from the outside in a 7-foot body. The Utah Jazz, knowing they wouldn’t be competing for anything over the past few seasons, have done well to push Markkanen out of his comfort zone, asking him to do more than he’s ever been tasked with doing in the NBA.
That’s to say, Utah has given Markkanen an ultra green light to get buckets and not just depend on the spot-up outside shooting he was so comfortable with. That has led to Markkanen greatly improving as a one-on-one scorer over recent campaigns, with face-up iso bucket-getting chops, who can hit all sorts of tough shots from the midrange, including using fadeaways, turnarounds and more.
How will that translate when Utah is actually trying to win games as soon as this season? The jury remains out on that, but either way, the team should be commended for Markkanen’s much-improved game. Since getting to Utah, the 29-year-old has averaged 23.7 points and 7.6 rebounds on 47.4 percent shooting. Compared that to the first five seasons of his career when Markkanen averaged 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds on 44.1 percent shooting, and you can see the major improvement the Vantaa native has made since joining the Jazz.
For the latest Lauri Markkanen news and rumors, click here.
39. Anthony Davis (Washington)
2025-26 stats: 20.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.7 bpg, 50.6 FG%, 27.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $58,456,566 (3rd overall)
It’s tough to predict how Anthony Davis’ 2026-27 season will look, as we’re not entirely sure he’ll be spending the entire season in Washington or what his motivation will be for playing on such a young team. What’s more, 2025-26 was one of the worst seasons of Davis’ career, as not only did he suit up in only 20 games, but his 20.4 points per game was his second-lowest mark in the NBA.
On the other hand, Davis is just one season removed from his last All-Star campaign, and the campaign prior to that, 2023-24, he was 1st Team All-Defender and a 2nd Team All-NBAer for the Los Angeles Lakers. Now 33, however, and after two injury-plagued seasons, it’s perfectly fair to question whether Davis still has that elite level in him.
When healthy, Davis was a two-way freak, capable of protecting the rim at an elite level, as well as rebounding with the best of them thanks to his otherworldly near 7-foot-6 wingspan, all while being a face-up big with fantastic one-on-one scoring behind his midrange jumper, ability to hit tough shots and drive to the basket against slower-footed foes thanks to his quick first step. We’ll just have to wait and see whether Davis is still that player in 2026-27.
For the latest Anthony Davis news and rumors, click here.
38. Deni Avdija (Portland)
2025-26 stats: 24.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 46.2 FG%, 31.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $13,125,000 (145th overall)
After showing signs of ascension over the previous two seasons, Deni Avdija absolutely exploded in 2025-26, turning in first-time All-Star honors and putting up a quite impressive 24/6/6 stat line for the campaign. Avdija was one of just three players to put up such averages last season along with Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, placing the Portland Trail Blazers forward in rare air.
Avdija has great burst and can put his shoulder into foes to get to his spots near the rim, making him very difficult to slow down. What’s more, his three-point shooting might progress back to the mean this upcoming season, which gives us hope he’ll have a strong 2026-27 and prove his more recent campaign wasn’t a fluke. Over 2023-24 and 2024-25, Avdija shot 36.9 percent from three; if the Israeli small forward is able to get back to that mark, he’ll make the Blazers a potent squad in the West, especially with a returning Damian Lillard and after the offseason pickup of Ja Morant.
Set to make just over $13 million this season, Avdija will be one of the best value contracts in the league in 2026-27 even if he just repeats his 2025-26 output. And if he improves upon it? The Blazers will have a steal of a contract on their hands.
For the latest Deni Avdija news and rumors, click here.
37. Kon Knueppel (Charlotte)
2026-27 salary: $10,516,560 (171st overall)
A player who made a strong run at Rookie of the Year last season, finishing second in the race to his former college teammate and a historically great young talent in Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel was spectacular as a first-year player, boasting a smooth overall game as a scorer, not just a shooter.
Still, Knueppel’s shooting is his best trait, as the Milwaukee native hit 42.5 percent of his threes on a staggering near-eight nightly attempts. In fact, Knueppel just had the best high-volume shooting season for a rookie in league history. Among players with at least six nightly three-point attempts in their inaugural NBA campaigns, Knueppel’s 42.5 percent shooting is the tidiest mark in NBA history, with the next-closest player (Keegan Murray) being 1.4 percent behind (41.1 percent). Third place? Second-year Brooklyn Net Egor Demin at 38.5 percent, showing just how far above the rest of the field Knueppel was as a rookie.
Knueppel ranked in the NBA’s 87th percentile as a spot-up shooter last season, creating 1.22 points per possession on those looks, a higher mark than the likes of Payton Pritchard (1.21 PPP), Jalen Brunson (1.20 PPP) and Bane (1.18 PPP). Knueppel was also an effective pull-up shooter, boasting a 56.6 effective field-goal percentage on those looks, a healthier rate than the reigning league MVP Gilgeous-Alexander (56.2 percent).
Not only is Knueppel an elite spot-up shooter, but he can also attack strong closeouts well and finish at the basket or hit pull-up midrange jumpers, as well as create looks for teammates on his forays inside the three-point line. All in all, the 21-year-old has huge upside offensively thanks to his shooting range and accuracy, and his emergence undoubtedly led to Charlotte being more comfortable with trading former franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball.
For the latest Kon Knueppel news and rumors, click here.
36. Trae Young (Washington)
2025-26 stats: 17.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 0.9 spg, 45.8 FG%, 33.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $49,488,300 (18th overall)
Trae Young's spot on this list is heavily boosted by his reputation, as last season was a dud for him. Young got injured early on in 2025-26 before returning briefly, getting traded to the Washington Wizards and then getting shut down after five appearances for his new team.
Still, Young is just one season removed from his most recent All-Star appearance, a campaign in which he averaged 24.2 points and a league-leading 11.6 assists on 34.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc back in 2024-25. Young finished fourth in the Clutch Player of the Year vote in 2024-25 as well.
That’s all to say, we expect Young to regain, at worst, All-Star form this upcoming campaign, which will be his age-28 season. Still firmly in his prime, Young’s playmaking should shine brilliantly on a Wizards team with exciting young talent, including most recent No. 1 draft pick AJ Dybantsa, and Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr, as well as established All-Star big man Anthony Davis. We could see Young make a run at another assists title in 2026-27, sharing the ball with athletic players of that caliber.
We’ll have to wait and see how Young’s shooting looks, though, as despite his reputation as an outside scorer, he only has two seasons in his career in which he has shot over 37 percent from three, with the most recent being in 2023-24 (37.3 percent). If Young can knock it down with that accuracy this upcoming season, we believe he’ll be firmly in that All-Star tier of point guards.
For the latest Trae Young news and rumors, click here.
35. James Harden (Cleveland)
2025-26 stats: 23.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 8.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 43.4 FG%, 37.5 3PT%
Despite it being a season of change for him, too, and despite it being his age-36 campaign, James Harden remained among the NBA’s elite in 2025-26, ranking 14th league-wide in VORP and 19th in BPM. That lends us confidence that 2026-27 will be another strong season for the bearded superstar, as Harden (likely) returns for Year 2 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It must be noted, however, that Harden’s playoff struggles continued last year. After posting impressive averages in the regular season, Harden’s postseason marks took their usual dip, this time to 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on just 41.0 percent shooting from the floor and 29.9 percent from three.
At this point, anyone expecting Harden to be a key piece on a championship team is likely lying to themselves. Even so, he remains an elite regular-season player, something we don’t believe will change in 2026-27, as he remains an excellent playmaker, as well as a tough shot-maker from three and a strong driver and finisher around the basket.
For the latest James Harden news and rumors, click here.
34. Pascal Siakam (Indiana)
2025-26 stats: 24.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 48.4 FG%, 35.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $48,924,624 (23rd overall)
One of the best driving power forwards in the NBA, Pascal Siakam uses his great quickness, length and ball-handling to get to the rim against slower opponents and finish around the basket. Siakam plays with endless energy, almost like the big-man version of Russell Westbrook, at least with his relentless attacking style.
Siakam can also shoot it well enough from three and the midrange to demand respect, opening up driving lanes to either attack the rim or create for teammates, as the Cameroon native is a very underrated playmaker. Siakam has earned All-Star honors in each of the last two seasons, and with an absolute engine like Tyrese Haliburton returning in 2026-27, we think this will be another great year for Siakam, even if he’ll be in his age-32 campaign and perhaps starting to lose a step athletically.
For the latest Pascal Siakam news and rumors, click here.
33. Bam Adebayo (Miami)
2025-26 stats: 20.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 44.2 FG%, 31.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $49,488,300 (18th overall)
The odds of Bam Adebayo, who arrived in the NBA as purely an energy big man, pick-and-roll, paint-bound finisher, being the one who would go on to break Kobe Bryant’s modern scoring record had to be extremely slim and yet, that’s what happened on March 10, 2026, when Adebayo scored 83 points against the Wizards.
Adebayo has done a great job of refining his game, becoming a skilled midrange pull-up shooter, one who can finish in a variety of ways, including turnarounds and fadeaways. Adebayo is even starting to gain confidence as a three-point shooter, as he shattered his previous career-high mark last season when he launched 5.5 threes per contest. Granted, he still needs work on his shooting accuracy, as Adebayo shot just 31.8 percent from beyond the arc in 2025-26.
And now that the team picked up superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason, Adebayo improving that outside shooting is going to be pivotal in deciding if Miami is going to be a good team or a true contender. If Adebayo somehow becomes a 37 or 38 percent spot-up three-point shooter, the Heat could surprise some teams come playoff time.
Either way, Adebayo remains an explosive finisher near the basket thanks to his strength and athleticism, though he is prone to missing some short looks around the basket here and there when he isn’t able to dunk the ball; his floater touch is lacking.
Even so, Adebayo is quite skilled, possessing the ability to grab a rebound and bring the ball down himself, as well as create for teammates at an underrated clip. He’s also a good rebounder on both ends, and has really developed his ability to get to the free-throw stripe, an important skill for All-Star-caliber players.
Adebayo’s best skill is still his defending; not only is he strong enough to bang with fellow bigs down low, but he also has excellent mobility for a player of his size, allowing him to not just be an able switch defender, but a quite effective one. Adebayo has earned All-Defensive Team honors in six of the past seven seasons.
Adebayo is one of the best two-way players in the league who is just missing a reliable three-point shot to be a true perennial All-Star. If nothing else, we’re excited to see how he meshes with Antetokounmpo this year, as the pairing has huge upside but could go through some growing pains, with neither player being the most confident outside shooter.
For the latest Bam Adebayo news and rumors, click here.
32. Zion Williamson (New Orleans)
2025-26 stats: 21.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 60.0 FG%, 25.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $42,166,510 (30th overall)
Although former No. 1 pick Zion Williamson hasn’t come close to matching expectations after all the hype he had surrounding him when he got to the NBA back in 2019, he has had spells where he looks like an All-NBA player, making it quite difficult to define him as a player.
What was most important is that Williamson was at least relatively healthy last season, suiting up in 62 regular-season games, the second-highest total of his career. At the same time, he averaged a career-lows in points per game and rebounds per game, further adding to the enigma that is Zion.
The good news, besides his solid health, is that Williamson has proven to be impactful of late; over the past two seasons, the former Duke superstar has made the New Orleans Pelicans 5.1 points per 100 possessions better than when he’s been on the bench. The supersized southpaw remains a high-level athlete in a ridiculous 6-foot-8, near-300-pound frame, making him look like an NFL left tackle who happens to have a 45-inch vert on the hardwood.
Once Williamson gets a head full of steam, he’s downright impossible to slow down, resembling the Juggernaut character in Marvel movies.
He also has surprisingly soft touch around the basket and decent vision as a playmaker, somewhat making up for his deficiencies as a shooter.
All in all, Williamson is an extremely fun player, and the NBA product would improve if he manages to live up to his potential as a modern Charles Barkley with more skill as a ball-handler and driver. He just has to continue to remain focused on his fitness level, and the rest should follow for the supremely talented power forward.
For the latest Zion Williamson news and rumors, click here.
31. Stephon Castle (San Antonio)
2025-26 stats: 16.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 7.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 47.1 FG%, 33.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $10,015,920 (176th overall)
We project that after Dylan Harper’s impressive first season in San Antonio and De’Aaron Fox’s presence on the team, Stephon Castle will start to play more and more off-ball guard for the Spurs starting in 2026-27.
Castle is an elite slasher for a guard, thanks to his strength, power and athleticism, boasting fantastic finishing ability near the basket. The former UConn standout shot an impressive 68 percentfrom within three feet of the basket in 2025-26. From within five feet of the basket, Castle shot 62.1 percent, a higher mark than Miles Bridges (61.7 percent), Cade Cunningham (60.9 percent) and Franz Wagner (60.5 percent), showing just how effective he is at finishing near the rim.
Castle’s athleticism is particularly evident in the open court, where he can high-tail it down the floor to create easy transition opportunities for himself and his teammates.
Castle has also done well to continue improving his shooting stroke, as the 21-year-old went from shooting 28.5 percent from three as a rookie to 33.2 percent in his sophomore campaign. That number went up to 35.0 percent in the most recent playoffs, too, showing that Castle is getting more and more confident with his outside stroke, which is going to be key as he tries to reach the next tier as a player: All-Star.
He is also an effective playmaker, ranking 10th in the NBA last season in nightly assists (7.4), as well as an effective rebounder for a backcourt player. Castle was one of just eight players last season to average at least five rebounds and seven assists per contest, on a list featuring the likes of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. He is a nasty defender too, playing with loads of toughness and lateral quickness on that end of the floor, making him a nightmare for opposing ball-handlers to face on a nightly basis.
All in all, Castle is a two-way force with a lot of upside. It’ll be interesting to see if he can reach that All-Star status in 2026-27 that many believe he can reach. We think he can do it; even in the vaunted Western Conference, he’s developing that quickly and impressively.
For the latest Stephon Castle news and rumors, click here.
30. Austin Reaves (LA Lakers)
2025-26 stats: 23.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 49.0 FG%, 36.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $41,240,250 (35th overall)
Lakers guard Austin Reaves is coming off the best season of his career, giving the former Oklahoma standout momentum heading into 2026-27. Something that could help Reaves’ output this upcoming season is the fact that LeBron James left this offseason to join the Sixers, meaning Reaves and Luka Doncic will be tasked with even more scoring and playmaking responsibilities.
That should suit Reaves well, as the crafty guard is so effective with the ball in his hands, both as a pull-up scorer and at drawing fouls, arguably his most impressive skill. Among players with at least 30 minutes played per game last season, Reaves ranked seventh in free-throw rate at 48.7 percent. Even more importantly, not only does Reaves get to the line often, but he is also very efficient from the stripe, hitting 86.5 percent of his free throws since getting to the NBA.
On top of his scoring, Reaves is also a solid rebounder and playmaker for his position, making him the complete package offensively and a high-level option with the ball in his hands. Although his defense leaves something to be desired, Reaves does fight on that end of the floor, so effort isn’t the issue; lack of strength and lateral quickness is.
Regardless, we could see Reaves’ numbers taking a leap in 2026-27 with the departure of James, so keep an eye on the Laker 2-guard this upcoming campaign.
For the latest Austin Reaves news and rumors, click here.
29. Paolo Banchero (Orlando)
2025-26 stats: 22.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 45.9 FG%, 30.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $41,240,250 (35th overall)
Another former No. 1 overall pick out of Duke, Paolo Banchero, has done a better job of living up to expectations than Zion Williamson, but even he has been disappointing to an extent, mostly due to poor shot selection and overall play style.
Rather than attack the rim and abuse smaller defenders as someone 6-foot-10, 250 pounds with his level of skill as a ball-handler should, Banchero instead too often settles for attempting difficult shots from the midrange, be it fadeaways or turnarounds, trying to play more like Kobe Bryant than a true power forward.
It doesn’t help that Banchero is a porous shooter, hitting 31.7 percent of his career three-point attempts and shooting 44.9 percent from the floor in the NBA, paltry marks considering his level of size and talent. If Banchero were to cut back on the superstar-level tough shot attempts and instead stick to attacking the rim and just shooting spot-up threes here and there, there’s no question his game would reach a higher tier.
For now, Banchero remains outside of the league’s Top 40 players, at least according to what BPM and VORP thought of him in 2025-26, and his impact in Orlando has reflected that. Banchero has yet to post a positive swing rating in his career; in fact, the Magic have been 3.8 points per 100 possessions worse during his time on the floor in the NBA.
Perhaps first-year Orlando head coach Sean Sweeney will be able to implement a team playing style that will have Banchero more in attack mode and less in settle-for-tough-shots mode. Banchero is supremely talented physically and has an impressive skill level; he just has to lock in his game to better fit what he can do at a high level, which is not playing like he’s Kevin Durant 2.0.
For the latest Paolo Banchero news and rumors, click here.
28. LeBron James (Philadelphia)
2025-26 stats: 20.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 7.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 51.5 FG%, 31.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $3,876,529 (302nd overall)
LeBron James, the greatest player of all time (according to us), is set to play 2026-27 and potentially 2027-28 on a veteran minimum salary afterhe took the biggest pay cut of all time this offseason when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers.
Signing James to such a deal could look downright unfair for Philadelphia’s foes in the Eastern Conference, especially considering just last season, he was still putting up a 20/6/7 stat line and earning All-Star honors as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even so, we have James a bit lower in this ranking than we’re all used to seeing. It’s not because we think he’s set to finally lose the battle to Father Time, though that certainly plays a part. It’s also that he’ll be joining an absolutely loaded Sixers squad with so many mouths to feed, including Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, at least on the nights he’s healthy enough to play.
That gives us some second thoughts as to how James’ numbers are going to look. Could 2026-27 be the first season of James’ career in which he averages fewer than 20 points per game? It’s not out of the question, depending on how much of a back seat James takes to the young and loaded roster around him.
Still, James being James, we’re confident he’ll find a way to carve out a major role for the Sixers, perhaps as a play-making forward who won’t have to worry as much about scoring as he has in years past. Just like we could see James averaging under 20 points for the first time, we could also easily see James putting up 10 assists nightly, as he’ll be dishing the ball to so many talented scorers.
It’ll be interesting to see how James’ three-point shot is falling this season. After hitting 39.3 percent of his threes over 2023-24 and 2024-25, he shot just 31.7 percent of his triples in 2025-26, his poorest mark since 2015-16.
Overall, despite it looking like he’s finally slowing down a bit, James still ranked as aTop 30 player league-wide in VORP andTop 20 in BPM last year, so he’s still hugely impactful despite his advanced age. We’re just not sure how he’ll put up his usual numbers having to share the ball so much in Philadelphia. But that was probably why James made the decision to join the Sixers: so he could take a backseat in the regular season and be fresh come playoff time in the hunt for championship No. 5.
For the latest LeBron James news and rumors, click here.
27. Evan Mobley (Cleveland)
2025-26 stats: 18.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.7 bpg, 54.6 FG%, 29.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $50,105,628 (14th overall)
Even though Evan Mobley has an All-NBA ceiling thanks to his skill, size and length, and although he did reach that height in 2024-25 when he was named a 2nd Team All-NBAer, his game is still inconsistent, as evidenced by him going from earning MVP votes two seasons ago to missing out on any sort of individual accolade last season.
Mobley is still just 25, so he absolutely has the ability to become a perennial All-NBAer, but it’s starting to be time for him to prove it. The former USC standout stands at nearly seven feet tall, has a ridiculous 7-foot-4 wingspan and can hit pull-up midrange jumpers on drives to the basket, as well as finish well around the rim thanks to that fantastic length. But his poor outside shooting (Mobley is a career 30.9 percent shooter from three) limits him, as does the fact that he plays a little soft, often getting bodied out of the paint by smaller players, something that can’t happen to a supposed star-level player.
Mobley has often been compared to Kevin Garnett, at least earlier in his career, but you can’t be Kevin Garnett if you don’t play with Kevin Garnett-level intensity, another area in which Mobley struggles. He too often floats in and out of games and doesn’t make the play-by-play impact on both ends that his ceiling might allow.
Even so, Mobley is so talented that even in a disappointing season like 2025-26, he still ranked among the Top 30 players in the league according to BPM and VORP, hence why we have him ranked where he is here. We’d just like to see Mobley improve on that outside shooting and his overall intensity, because he has the upside to be the best power forward in the league if he were to improve on those two traits.
For the latest Evan Mobley news and rumors, click here.
26. Amen Thompson (Houston)
2025-26 stats: 18.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 53.4 FG%, 21.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $12,258,119 (155th overall)
While his twin brother lacks as an offensive option, Amen Thompson is far more confident with the ball in his hands. A 6-foot-7 freak athlete with ridiculous burst and body control, Thompson is an elite slasher as well as an effective pull-up scorer from the midrange. He’s also a monster in transition thanks to his speed and bounce. However, his three-point stroke could continue holding him back from hitting the next level as a player until he improves upon it.
Still, Thompson is a fantastic weapon on both ends of the floor, as he’s able to run pick-and-rolls both as a ball-handler and as the screen-and-roller, producing as an effective finisher in both roles. If he were just able to shoot it from the outside, there’s little doubt he would have an All-Star appearance under his belt by now, if not an All-NBA nod; he’s that impactful everywhere else on the floor.
Thompson is also a first-rate rebounder for his position, as well as a defender, though it would be tough not to be with his absurd physical attributes. Thompson boasts a 7-foot wingspan with otherworldly lateral quickness, as well as fantastic instincts on that end of the floor.
He has one 1st Team All-Defense under his belt already and has earned Defensive Player of the Year votes twice in his career. Thompson’s 294 steals since getting to the NBA is the ninth-highest mark in the league in that time span (and just two spots behind his twin brother Ausar, who has 312 in that stretch).
We think Thompson has All-Star potential for 2026-27, but if he surprises us all and comes back launching threes at even a mediocre rate, he could be in line for even bigger accolades than that.
For the latest Amen Thompson news and rumors, click here.
25. Jamal Murray (Denver)
2025-26 stats: 25.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 7.1 apg, 0.9 spg, 48.3 FG%, 43.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $50,105,628 (14th overall)
After spending years with the strong claim of being one of the best players in league history without an All-Star appearance, Canadian floor general Jamal Murray finally earned that honor in 2025-26, to go with the first All-NBA appearance of his career (3rd Team).
Murray was simply fantastic last season, putting up a career-high 25.4 points per game and 7.1 assists nightly, as well as hitting a career-best 43.5 percent of his threes. Murray was one of just three players last season to average at least 25 points and seven assists per game, joining teammate Nikola Jokic on the list. The advanced numbers reflected the strength of Murray’s 2025-26 campaign, with the 29-year-old finishing 11th league-wide in VORP, 18th in BPM and 18th in WS/48, so if anything, we might be lowballing him with his ranking.
We expect Murray, an elite tough-shot-maker from three and the midrange, to play with even more confidence next season after being buoyed by how great he was in 2025-26, and to make another run at All-NBA status. Of note, Murray has never had a season with a red swing rating; that’s to say, Murray’s always made the Denver Nuggets better during his time on the floor in his career. Most recently in ‘26, Murray made Denver 4.8 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor.
For the latest Jamal Murray news and rumors, click here.
24. Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City)
2025-26 stats: 17.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.9 bpg, 55.7 FG%, 36.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $41,240,250 (35th overall)
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren improving in 2026-27 is far from out of the question, as analytically, he’s coming off the best season of his career. The former Gonzaga standout ranked 14th in the NBA in BPM last season and 24th in VORP, elite marks which were rewarded with an All-Star nod for the big man, as well as a 3rd Team All-NBA appearance, a 2nd Team All-Defense selection and a second-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year vote.
Holmgren makes up for his complete lack of strength by using his freakish length (the center boasts a 7-foot-6 wingspan) and fantastic quickness for a big man to protect the rim at a high level. Over the past three seasons, the Minneapolis native ranks fourth in the league in total blocks (392), establishing himself as one of the best paint protectors in the NBA over that stretch.
Holmgren can also handle the basketball on the other end, as well as hit threes or midrange jumpers, either with his feet set or off the dribble, boasting a solid face-up game. Holmgren’s length and decent athleticism also allow him to be an effective lob threat near the basket.
Of course, Holmgren’s biggest flaw is a bit of an issue, one that was exposed in the Western Conference Finals by the player who finished at the top of this ranking. As mentioned before, he really lacks strength and doesn’t play with enough toughness at times. It’s just hard to say that his flaws are bad enough that the Thunder can’t win a championship with him as a major piece, because the team was able to do just that in 2024-25.
For the latest Chet Holmgren news and rumors, click here.
23. Kawhi Leonard (Toronto)
2025-26 stats: 27.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 50.5 FG%, 38.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $50,300,000 (13th overall)
We expect a huge year from Kawhi Leonard in his return to Toronto. The two-time NBA champion was one of the best players in the league last season, appearing in 65 games and ranking Top 5 in both VORP and BPM, earning MVP votes, 2nd Team All-NBA honors and finishing his All-Star season with a Top 10 finish in Clutch Player of the Year voting, too.
What excites us about Leonard’s move to Toronto is the fact that he’ll be playing on a strong Raptors team, featuring players that he should mesh well with. Scottie Barnes is one of the most versatile players Leonard will have played with in quite some time; the duo could form one of the most impactful defensive forward rotations in the NBA thanks to their length, instincts and lateral quickness on that end of the floor. The wing tandem averaged 3.3 steals combined last season, so Toronto’s defense should improve with the Leonard addition.
That’s without mentioning the other end of the floor, as Leonard is a better offensive player than the guy he’s replacing, Ingram, too. Leonard is an elite one-on-one scorer thanks to his ability to hit ridiculous jumpers over even the best defenders in the league.
The Los Angeles native has a throwback midrange bucket-getting prowess, as Leonard is extremely efficient from that area. Despite 40.9 percent of Leonard’s shot attempts coming from within three feet and 16 feet of the basket last season, he still shot 50.5 percent from the floor on the campaign, while 62.9 true shooting percentage last season ranked 25th in the NBA.
All in all, Leonard showed that he’s still at peak form last season, so his 2026-27 outlook will depend on his health, as is often the case with him.
For the latest Kawhi Leonard news and rumors, click here.
22. Alperen Sengun (Houston)
2025-26 stats: 20.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.1 bpg, 51.9 FG%, 30.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $35,642,202 (49th overall)
Often called Baby Jokic early on in his career, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is the second-best passing center in the league, possessing a great nose for hitting either teammates cutting to the basket or those spotting up for open looks from the outside.
Sengun’s face-up game is fantastic, as he can either hit short midrange jumpers over smaller defenders or finish with craft closer to the rim. Sengun boasts an abundance of moves to finish near the rim on post-ups, and has the ability to finish with either hand, making him a conundrum for defenders to figure out. Couple that with his passing ability and it’s easy to see why he was able to make back-to-back All-Star appearances.
However, considering his lack of athleticism, Sengun is going to need to improve that three-point stroke if he’s going to become a perennial All-NBAer, which he has the potential to be. Sengun is a career 28.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc, a paltry mark for a stretch-5.
On the other hand, defensively, Sengun is more effective than one might expect based on his athletic limitations. He has quick hands that help pick up steals when opposing bigs try and put the ball on the floor against him, and he also has great timing defending the rim, allowing him to block shots here and there.
Overall, Sengun is already one of the better centers in the NBA; he’s really just missing a three-point shot from being the total package offensively. We’re going to bank on the team’s hiring of legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland this offseason as a potential sign that Sengun will finally improve his three-point stroke in 2026-27, which is why we ranked him as high as we did.
For the latest Alperen Sengun news and rumors, click here.
21. Scottie Barnes (Toronto)
2025-26 stats: 18.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.5 bpg, 50.7 FG%, 30.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $41,754,636 (33rd overall)
A Swiss Army Knife on both ends of the floor, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes is a reliable jumper away from being a perennial All-NBAer. To this point, Barnes has yet to be named to an All-NBA team in his career, but we think he’s right on the cusp of achieving that honor, as he is one of the most unique and impactful players in the league at the moment.
Last season, Barnes became just the sixth player in NBA history to post an 18/7/5 stat line to go with 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, joining Garnett, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, DeMarcus Cousins, Alvan Adams and the player who finished at the top of this ranking. That shows just how rare Barnes’ blend of playmaking and defending is, and how close he is to being a historical talent if he can just continue improving on his jumper.
Even without the reliable jumper, Barnes can get some buckets as a slasher and off-ball cutter thanks to his size (6-foot-8) and wingspan (7-foot-3), and he has solid touch closer to the basket from the short midrange. Barnes is also a very reliable playmaker who can be a secondary creator on a great team, creating looks for teammates on his attacks to the rim. Barnes’ versatility offensively allows him to be either the ball-handler out of the pick-and-roll or the screen-and-roller, opening up tons of fun possibilities for the Raptors’ offense.
That versatility extends to the defensive end, as Barnes is legitimately able to defend any position, 1 through 5, thanks to his size, length, lateral quickness, instincts and effort on that end of the floor. Barnes was rewarded with 2nd Team All-Defense honors for his efforts defensively last season.
Barnes still has another level he can reach, but at the very least, he plays with high effort on a nightly basis and produces, which is why we are as high on him as we are. The analytics agree, as Barnes ranked Top 10 in the NBA overall in VORP last season and Top 20 in BPM.
For the latest Scottie Barnes news and rumors, click here.
20. Kevin Durant (Houston)
2025-26 stats: 26.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.9 bpg, 52.0 FG%, 41.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $43,902,439 (28th overall)
Kevin Durant is another guy winning the battle against Father Time. In his age-37 campaign last season, Durant ranked seventh in VORP and 11th in BPM. Durant was also a 2nd Team All-NBAer last year, as well as an All-Star, leading the Houston Rockets to a 52-win campaign. However, the season would end in disappointment, as Durant suffered injuries that would cause him to miss most of the team’s first-round playoff defeat at the hands of the Lakers.
Even so, we expect a fully healthy Durant to return to form off the bat in 2026-27 and get back to his high-scoring ways. Durant remains one of the best one-on-one bucket-getters in the league thanks to his shiftiness and ability to hit difficult jumpers from legitimately just about anywhere on the floor. The term ‘three-level scorer’ gets thrown around a lot but it applies to Durant just about as well as it does for anyone in league history.
A freakish talent standing 7-feet tall with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Durant has legitimate high-level guard skills as a shooter and ball-handler the likes of which we have never seen out of a player with his size and frame. The Slim Reaper is set to pass Kobe Bryant on the all-time scoring list this season, barring unforeseen health problems, which just goes to show the type of player he has been throughout his career. That’s with him missing his entire age-31 campaign after tearing his Achilles, too, making the accomplishment all the more impressive.
Durant remains the cream of the crop for NBA scorers today, and we expect that not to change one iota in 2026-27. It’ll just be interesting to see, as the young Rockets develop around him, will Durant be able to lead them to a championship push? After all, all Durant's legacy is still missing is a championship won not alongside Stephen Curry, so we wonder if he's feeling the pressure to fill that slight gap in his resume.
For the latest Kevin Durant news and rumors, click here.
19. Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City)
2025-26 stats: 17.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 48.4 FG%, 29.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $41,240,250 (35th overall)
Jalen Williams’ place in this ranking may seem high, especially after the disappointing 2025-26 campaign he just posted, but his relatively poor season had most to do with him playing through injuries, including to his wrist and both hamstrings, rather than any sort of actual regression.
As such, we’re banking on Williams to look more like his 2024-25 self when he averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals on 48.4 percent shooting this upcoming campaign. If anything, we could see him improving on that in 2026-27 the way many thought he would last season.
In 2024-25, Williams was named an All-Star, earned 2nd Team All-Defense honors and was a 3rd Team All-NBAer, playing a major part in the Thunder’s march to a championship that campaign. His importance was shown last season, too, as the fact that he missed most of the Thunder’s Western Conference Finals defeat to the Spurs after Game 1 was too much for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. to overcome.
For the latest Jalen Williams news and rumors, click here.
18. Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana)
2026-27 salary: $48,924,624 (23rd overall)
It’s safe to say many are excited for Tyrese Haliburton’s return to the hardwood in 2025-26 after he missed all of last season following an Achilles tear in Game y of the 2025 Finals.
He has already proved to be one of the top floor generals in the game, one who can hit tough shots from beyond the arc or set up teammates for simple looks at a high level. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Haliburton ranks fourth in total assists with 2,947 behind only Trae Young, James Harden and Nikola Jokic.
Haliburton is particularly effective as a pick-and-roll scorer. In his last full season, 2024-25, Haliburton ranked in the league’s 96th percentile as a bucket-getter out of the pick-and-roll, producing 1.11 points per such possession, ahead of SGA (1.10), as well as in front of Lillard (1.07) and Fox (1.07).
Along with the flashy playmaking and ability to hit tightly contested shots, Haliburton has also proven to be quite clutch late in games, sinking multiple huge shots during the Indiana Pacers’ run to the 2025 Finals, such as the game-winner in Game 1 of the championship series against OKC:
All in all, Haliburton has everything you’d want out of a modern star point guard: quickness, shiftiness, ball-handling, top-level playmaking, the ability to hit tough shots and a legit clutch gene.
For the latest Tyrese Haliburton news and rumors, click here.
17. Stephen Curry (Golden State)
2025-26 stats: 26.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 46.8 FG%, 39.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $62,587,158 (1st overall)
Future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Stephen Curry just misses out on the Top 15. Prior to last season, when Curry was named an All-Star but missed out on further honors in part because he suited up in just 43 games, the former Davidson star had just gone through a five-year stretch in which he made five straight All-NBA teams (one 1st Team, three 2nd Teams, one 3rd Team), won Clutch Player of the Year and finished as high as third in the MVP vote. Oh, and the second year of that stretch also saw Curry lead Golden State to its fourth championship during his time there, and saw Curry win Finals MVP for the first time. That’s without even discussing Curry helping lead Team USA to Olympic gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Can Curry, now 38, still be the best player on a championship team? We’re not so sure, though he’ll have a chance to prove it once Jimmy Butler returns to full health, which is expected to be around Christmas Day. It’s not out of the question, though, as Curry had a plus-5.4 BPM last season, which would have ranked seventh league-wide if Curry had played enough games to qualify for Basketball-Reference’s ranking. That tells us the Akron native remains an elite and highly impactful player when he’s out there.
For the latest Stephen Curry news and rumors, click here.
16. Devin Booker (Phoenix)
2025-26 stats: 26.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 6.0 apg, 0.8 spg, 45.6 FG%, 33.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $57,078,728 (8th overall)
Phoenix star Devin Booker has quietly trudged along as one of the best scorers in the NBA of late, which almost goes unnoticed at times as the Suns haven’t boasted a contender in a few years. Still, that hasn’t stopped Booker from maintaining his status as one of the top bucket-getters in the league today.
Booker specializes in scoring off the dribble from three and the midrange, and is a high-level tough-shot-maker, a priceless skill set for elite 2-guards. Since Booker entered the NBA in 2015-16, the Kentucky Wildcat ranks fifth league-wide in total points scored, trailing only James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan and LeBron James, showing just how elite a scorer he is.
Booker is also an underrated playmaker, averaging 6.0 assists over the past eight seasons, as well as a solid rebounder, making him a bit of a do-everything 2-guard. Booker is one of just 13 players in league history to boast career averages of at least 24 points, four rebounds and five assists, and the rest of the list is either in the Hall of Fame or will be one day.
Can Booker be the best player on a championship team? It might be easy to say no now, but he did nearly accomplish just that in 2020-21 when the Suns held a 2-0 series lead over the Bucks in the Finals. The high-scoring shooting guard just needs the right roster around him, which it doesn’t look like the Suns have at the moment.
Even so, we expect another All-Star campaign out of Booker in 2026-27, one in which he could fight for All-NBA honors.
For the latest Devin Booker news and rumors, click here.
15. Karl-Anthony Towns (New York)
2025-26 stats: 20.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.9 spg, 50.1 FG%, 36.8 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $57,078,728 (8th overall)
Ranking as a Top 25 player in the league last season, according to VORP and BPM, Karl-Anthony Towns definitely got a bump in his ranking here after helping the Knicks break their 50-year-plus championship drought in 2025-26.
Towns’ averages actually went down in the postseason, as the former Kentucky star put up just 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 19 playoff appearances, but his three-point shooting got red-hot. Towns hit 45.6 percent of his threes in the 2026 postseason, which proved hugely impactful for the Knicks, as the big man made the team an astounding 12.3 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor in the playoffs. Considering how close some of New York’s wins were, particularly in the Finals, it can’t be overstated how important Towns was to the Knicks winning the 2026 title.
Towns is an excellent modern center, possessing a strong face-up game, great post-up scoring, fantastic rebounding and the ability to block shots. He’s got multiple ways to beat you offensively, including even creating for teammates, and cleans up on the defensive glass to finish out possessions for his team.
He’s become somewhat underrated over recent seasons, but we’re here to remind everyone that the big man is one of the league’s best bigs, especially on the offensive end. Few centers can match his skill level and efficiency with the ball in his hands.
For the latest Karl-Anthony Towns news and rumors, click here.
14. Jaylen Brown (Philadelphia)
2025-26 stats: 28.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 47.7 FG%, 34.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $57,736,350 (6th overall)
Not much was expected out of the 2025-26 Boston Celtics, considering the player coming up soon on this ranking was thought to be missing most - if not all - of the season. Instead, the team went 56-26 and finished as the East’s No. 2 seed before seeing its season cut short in the first round of the playoffs.
Disappointing ending aside, a lot of Boston’s surprising season had to do with Jaylen Brown elevating his game, averaging career-highs across the board, including in points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game, while shooting nearly 48 percent from the floor. Brown was one of just two players last season to put up a 28/6/5 stat line, along with Doncic, producing at a level not many were sure he had in him. Brown finished sixth in the MVP vote last season for his efforts and was named an All-Star and 2nd Team All-NBAer.
But the analytics weren’t quite as impressed with Brown’s output in 2025-26 as most fans were, as the former Cal Golden Bear ranked outside the league’s Top 20 in both VORP and BPM. What’s more, Brown surprisingly made the Celtics 4.6 points per 100 possessions worse during his time on the floor last season, and that number was an even more concerning 31.4 points per 100 possessions worse in the playoff loss against the rival 76ers.
As such, Brad Stevens made the difficult decision to trade Brown to a direct rival in Philadelphia this offseason. And while we think Brown could use that as motivation to have another monster season, the Sixers simply have too many mouths to feed, in our opinion, for him to post another 28-point-per-game campaign.
Still, Brown is a two-way beast, capable of hitting shots from all over, slashing to the basket, finishing explosively near the rim and playing tight defense on the perimeter, so we expect him to remain in that All-NBA tier in 2026-27.
For the latest Jaylen Brown news and rumors, click here.
13. Jalen Johnson (Atlanta)
2025-26 stats: 22.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 7.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 48.9 FG%, 35.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $30,000,000 (64th overall)
A freak athlete, Jalen Johnson, after showing strong flashes in the previous two seasons, broke out fully in 2025-26, putting up an unreal 22/10/7.5 stat line and becoming the unquestioned franchise building block for the Atlanta Hawks, who decided to trade Trae Young and continue building around Johnson instead.
Johnson is a load to defend once he gets going towards the basket, boasting a quick first step, a strong shoulder and great slashing and finishing ability near the basket. Johnson just needs to keep working on his midrange game; he has moments of hitting tough shots over good defending, but he’ll need to continue getting more consistent at it to reach an even higher strata as a player.
Even so, Johnson is on a fantastic path, already reaching All-NBA status in 2025-26 as a 3rd Teamer thanks to his scoring, rebounding and playmaking. Last season, the 24-year-old became the fifth player in league history to put up a season in which he averaged at least 22 points, 10 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. The other four players on that list? Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokic, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
Solid company there for the former Duke Blue Devil.
He’ll need to keep honing in that outside jumper, but we’re confident Johnson, a monster rebounder for his position and very solid playmaker, will be able to do just that, at least based on how impressively he’s already improved thus far in his career.
For the latest Jalen Johnson news and rumors, click here.
12. Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia)
2025-26 stats: 28.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 46.2 FG%, 36.7 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $40,770,520 (41st overall)
Electric lead guard Tyrese Maxey is coming off the best season of his career, one in which he earned All-Star honors for the second time and All-NBA Team honors (as a 3rd Teamer) for the first time. According to VORP and BPM, Maxey was roughly a Top 7 player in the NBA last season, and when you look at his raw averages, it’s easy to surmise why.
Maxey ranked fifth in points per game last season, 22nd in assists per game and 10th in steals per game, taking the next step in his development in a major way. The former Kentucky standout is lightning-quick, both in the open floor and in the halfcourt, possessing an elite first step, fantastic burst and a tidy crossover, making him a nightmare for foes to defend. Maxey boasts top-notch three-level scoring ability, thanks to both his speed with the ball, which helps him get to the basket and use his athleticism to finish in traffic, and his prowess for pulling up and hitting jumpers off the dribble when opponents sag down to defend the rim.
Of course, it’ll be interesting to see how Maxey fares playing alongside LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in 2026-27, as James and Brown will surely command a lot of the ball themselves. And if Joel Embiid plays more than 38 games next season, that’ll be another high-usage mouth for the Sixers to feed, which could hurt Maxey’s statistical output, if nothing else.
Even so, we believe Maxey has proved himself an elite player, not just point guard, so we think Philadelphia will wisely give him a lot of the ball and allow him to perform at a very high level once again next season, hence his place in this ranking.
For the latest Tyrese Maxey news and rumors, click here.
11. Cooper Flagg (Dallas)
2025-26 stats: 21.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 46.8 FG%, 29.5 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $14,517,480 (131st overall)
One of the brightest young American stars the NBA has seen in some time, Dallas Mavericks swingman Cooper Flagg lived up to the hype as a rookie, becoming the second teenager in league history to put up a 21/6/4 stat line, joining Doncic on the list. If we broaden the horizon and check the same statistical filters for rookies rather than just teenagers, Flagg is just the fourth first-year player in the three-point era to post a 21/6/4 stat line, with Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird joining him on the list.
Pretty solid company there for Flagg.
Flagg has a massive ceiling: a swingman with prototypical size at 6-foot-9 and plus-length (7-foot wingspan) who can score, rebound, create and defend, and who is unselfish and has a very team-first attitude.
Flagg reaching that massive potential is going to come down to his outside shooting. As a rookie, the 19-year-old shot under 30 percent from three, a number he’s going to have to improve upon if he’s going to reach that MVP-level ceiling he appears to have.
Even then, if Flagg never becomes more than a mediocre outside shooter, he’s going to be hugely impactful on both ends of the floor for a very long time thanks to his size, length, athleticism, quickness and competitiveness. He’s also already showing signs of being a future elite offensive player with his ball-handling at his size, his ability to stop on a dime and hit tough jumpers and his slashing and finishing around the basket.
Set to play with the best teammate he’s had thus far in his brief NBA career, Kyrie Irving, excites us about Flagg’s potential in Year 2; hence, his quite lofty place in this ranking.
We expect a sophomore leap out of the former Duke star.
For the latest Cooper Flagg news and rumors, click here.
10. Jayson Tatum (Boston)
2025-26 stats: 21.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 41.1 FG%, 32.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $58,456,566 (3rd overall)
Celtics star Jayson Tatum deserves tons of credit for returning from his Achilles tear as quickly as he did and performing at an impressive level once he came back in 2025-26, all things considered. Sure, there’s a chance his return messed with the team’s flow and played a part in Boston’s surprising first-round playoff exit, but at the same time, his swing rating in the postseason was plus-10.7 points per 100 possessions, making it obvious in hindsight why the Celtics chose to build around him and ship Brown to a rival.
Tatum will enter 2026-27 with a bit more pressure than usual, because if Boston gets off to a slow start, a lot of the talk is almost certainly going to revolve around: Why did the Celtics trade Brown after he led them to a 56-win regular season just last year? After all, wasn’t it Brown who won the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP awards in 2023-24, and not Tatum?
Even so, Tatum has proven to be one of the league’s top players, earning four straight 1st Team All-NBA selections from 2021-22 through 2024-25, and helping lead the team to a championship in 2024, even if he didn’t earn either of the aforementioned accolades.
Tatum often chooses to take tough jumpers when he has the size and athleticism to attack the basket and finish around the rim more often, and there’s still at least some question about how he’ll continue to look returning from such a major injury. But his style of play has proven to be effective, as evidenced by his four Top 6 MVP finishes and the fact that Boston has never missed the playoffs with him on the team.
On the other hand, this is the first time Tatum won’t have Brown by his side, and even beyond the on-court production that will be missed in his absence, Brown was often the player who would catch a lot of the blame whenever the Celtics would fall short. Without that scapegoat, a lot of the blame could shift to Tatum if Boston were to fall short this season.
That’s why we say that the St. Louis native will face more pressure than usual in 2026-27.
For the latest Jayson Tatum news and rumors, click here.
9. Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland)
2025-26 stats: 27.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 48.3 FG%, 36.4 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $50,105,628 (14th overall)
Earning All-NBA honors in three of the last four seasons (twice as a 2nd Teamer and once as a 1st Teamer), Cleveland Cavalier star Donovan Mitchell remains one of the best shooting guards in the NBA today, even if he hasn’t been able to lead a team to championship glory quite yet.
Despite being known as a playoff riser throughout his career, Mitchell hasn’t even gotten a team to the NBA Finals yet. And his first trip to the Conference Finals, which came just this past season, ended with a sweep at the hands of the eventual champion New York Knicks. Still, Mitchell is averaging 27.8 points per game in the playoffs for his career, the seventh-highest mark in league history, ahead of the likes of Stephen Curry (26.8) and Antetokounmpo (27.0).
The only question Mitchell has left to answer in his NBA career is whether or not he can lead a team to a championship. Early on in his time in the NBA, it appeared like that answer was eventually going to be a resounding yes, but since then, things appear murkier. Mitchell has special tough shot-making ability, fantastic bounce, long arms and a quick first step, but his lack of size and efficiency as an outside shooter have slowed him down in recent playoff runs.
Regardless, Mitchell is an All-NBA-caliber 2-guard, and we don’t expect him to drop down from that tier any time soon.
For the latest Donovan Mitchell news and rumors, click here.
8. Jalen Brunson (New York)
2025-26 stats: 26.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 46.7 FG%, 36.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $37,739,521 (46th overall)
Whatever questions there were about a small player being able to lead a team to a championship were answered with aplomb last season by Jalen Brunson, who did just that, taking the New York Knicks to their first championship in over 50 years.
Brunson led the entire postseason in scoring last year, putting up 28.4 points per game in the playoffs, to go with 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor. And after a somewhat slow start to the Finals for Brunson, he picked up his play when things mattered most; the former Villanova star averaged 40.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 50.0 percent shooting from three over Games 4 and 5 of the 2026 Finals, efforts which earned him well-deserved Finals MVP honors.
Brunson is strong for his size, a master at using picks to get to open spots on the floor and hit pull-up jumpers, and is a pro’s pro at drawing fouls and knocking down free throws at a high rate. He even boasts a crafty scoring bag closer to the basket, using at-times awkward floaters to get buckets over the trees down low even despite his lack of size and elite athleticism. Brunson’s mastery out of the pick-and-roll is backed statistically, too, as the 29-year-old ranked in the league’s 89th percentile in scoring out of such sets last season, producing 1.04 points per possession out of that play type.
All in all, Brunson is one of the best players in basketball today, and one who has proven without a doubt by now that he’s a championship-caliber first option. Considering next season will merely be his age-30 campaign, we don’t see Brunson slowing down anytime soon, either.
For the latest Jalen Brunson news and rumors, click here.
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami)
2025-26 stats: 27.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 5.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 62.4 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $58,456,566 (3rd overall)
After 13 fantastic years in Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo finally got his wish this summer and was traded to a team that, in his estimation, is readier to compete for championship hardware than the Bucks were late in his tenure there. That team, obviously, is the Miami Heat, who will now try to build an established winner around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, which will be an interesting project since neither player is much of an outside shooter.
Regardless, Antetokounmpo is coming off an injury-plagued season that limited him to just 36 appearances, despite the Greek power forward reportedly fighting the team to play more. When he was healthy, Antetokounmpo remained one of the best players in the world; the big man would have ranked fourth in the NBA last season in BPM (plus-9.5) if he had played enough games to qualify for Basketball-Reference’s ranking, as well as fourth in WS/48 (0.231).
Antetokounmpo is unstoppable on his post-ups and slashes to the basket, playing like a modern-day Shaquille O’Neal, just with a ball-handle, finishing powerfully and explosively at the rim, no matter who opponents put out there to defend him. Antetokounmpo is also particularly adept at sucking in defenses with his paint attacks and finding open teammates on the perimeter, hence why the Heat went out of their way to add shooting this summer in the form of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson.
The 31-year-old is also an extremely impactful defender as a paint protector while also possessing the versatility to guard multiple positions on the other end, from ball-handlers to bigs, thanks to his strength, length (7-foot-3 wingspan) and lateral movement ability.
How Antetokounmpo and Co. fare down in South Beach during his first campaign with the team will be one of 2026-27’s biggest storylines, but even if the team doesn’t win a title immediately with the Greek superstar in the fold, we’re confident he remains a Top 5 player in the league when healthy.
For the latest Giannis Antetokounmpo news and rumors, click here.
6. Cade Cunningham (Detroit)
2025-26 stats: 23.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 9.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 46.1 FG%, 34.2 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $50,105,628 (14th overall)
How good was Cade Cunningham in 2025-26? The NBA made an exception for him to be eligible for end-of-season awards despite the fact he missed the minimum-game threshold by one game.
Cunningham was one of the best playmakers in the league last season, averaging 9.9 assists per game, the second-best mark in the NBA, trailing only Jokic. Cunningham’s assist rate (45.2 percent) also ranked second in the NBA behind Jokic. And he did that while also acting as leading scorer for a Detroit Pistons team that won 60 games in the regular season and ranked ninth league-wide in offensive rating, scoring 117.3 points per 100 possessions on the campaign.
Cunningham, a 1st Team All-NBAer in 2025-26, also finished Top 5 in the MVP vote, and he might have finished higher if he didn’t miss 18 games in the regular season. Overall, Cunningham has become the superstar he was expected to become when he was drafted first overall by Detroit back in 2021, as his blend of scoring, creating and even rebounding - in a 6-foot-6 package at point guard - have turned him into a special talent. Cunningham can score at a high level off the dribble, from three, the midrange or near the basket, with his pull-up scoring being particularly deadly. Cunningham’s ability to hit difficult shots over tight defending is of a star level.
And considering he's just 25, we could see the former Oklahoma State standout reach an even higher level over the seasons to come.
For the latest Cade Cunningham news and rumors, click here.
5. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
2025-26 stats: 28.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 48.9 FG%, 39.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $48,924,624 (23rd overall)
How high are we on Timberwolves 2-guard Anthony Edwards?
When we did a recent exercise ranking the top players in the NBA five years from now, we had Edwards No. 2, behind only Victor Wembanyama and ahead of reigning two-time MVP winner Gilgeous-Alexander.
Edwards only recently turned 25 but has gotten better and better every single year he’s been in the Association. If Edwards had met the minimum-game threshold last season, he would have undoubtedly earned All-NBA honors, as he ranked Top 15 league-wide in BPM and VORP. He also ranked third league-wide in scoring last season while shooting a career-high 39.9 percent from three and 48.9 percent from the floor. Considering Edwards launched over eight triples nightly in 2025-26, many of the ridiculously difficult variety with a defender in his face, that’s a hugely impressive number.
What’s more, Edwards’ ability to hit absurdly hard shots from three and the midrange - using crossovers, pull-ups, step-backs, fadeaways, the works - coupled with his top-tier explosiveness as a slasher and finisher near the rim, gives him that top-option-on-a-championship-team potential, at least in our estimation, which is what teams want from their franchise player.
It’ll be interesting to see the Edwards/LaMelo Ball dynamic in full effect in 2026-27, but we think the Ball pickup should only help Edwards, as now defenses won’t be able to just focus on getting Edwards off the rock come playoff time. With another high-level guard and a great playmaker like Ball alongside him, Edwards will have the luxury of playing off of someone, picking his spots and not getting gassed having to do it all himself as far as playmaking and scoring, which could help him reach an even higher level.
For the latest Anthony Edwards news and rumors, click here.
4. Luka Doncic (LA Lakers)
2025-26 stats: 33.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 47.6 FG%, 36.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $51,033,600 (12th overall)
Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic took a step forward with his fitness level last season, showing up to start off the campaign looking svelte and maintaining that form all year, and even then, he had poor injury luck, missing the final month-plus of the season due to a hamstring injury, showing how luck-related good health can be for athletes.
Even so, when Doncic did play, he was simply spectacular, leading the league in scoring for the second time in his career, as well as in free-throw attempts (10.1), three-point attempts (10.8), three-point makes (4.0) and overall field-goal makes (10.8) and attempts (22.8).
Doncic had the third Top 4 MVP finish in his career last season, earning 1st Team All-NBA honors for the sixth time as well. It’s unfortunate he got injured when he did, as the Lakers were rolling prior to his injury, and could have made some noise in the postseason with a healthy Doncic.
Regardless, now that James departed from the Lakers, it’ll be interesting to see if Doncic can take his statistical output to an even higher level. As is, Doncic owns two of the highest single-season scoring averages in league history (33.86 points per game in 2023-24 ranks 19th all-time and his 33.48 points per game last season ranks 22nd all-time).
Overall, Doncic has more than lived up to the hype he had coming into the NBA, blossoming into a borderline magical tough-shot-maker; when the 27-year-old gets going offensively, he can literally hit any shot on the floor over any type of defense. He’s also a monster scoring from closer to the basket, boasting a wide array of pull-up jumpers and floaters he can go to in traffic, allowing him to get buckets from inside the three-point line, too.
That’s all without even mentioning Doncic’s extremely high level playmaking and rebounding, too.
All that’s left for Doncic to conquer is an NBA title. Whether that’s possible with how L.A.’s roster remains to be seen, but we’ve seen Doncic drag average supporting casts to the Finals before, so anything is possible with a player of his caliber at the helm.
For the latest Luka Doncic news and rumors, click here.
3. Nikola Jokic (Denver)
2025-26 stats: 27.7 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 10.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 56.9 FG%, 38.0 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $59,033,114 (2nd overall)
Nikola Jokic is still considered the best player in the NBA, according to multiple metrics, including BPM, VORP and PER and looking at his raw numbers, it’s easy to see why. Jokic led the NBA in rebounds and assists per game last season, averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive season, while ranking eighth in points per contest.
Jokic is hyper efficient as a scorer, too, shooting nearly 57 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three. He is a great outside shooter, but where he is unstoppable is in the short midrange area, as he possesses beautiful touch around the basket, as well as the dexterity to finish shots from all sorts of angles.
Jokic’s shooting marks are absurd. Despite not being known for his athleticism, he’s a 75.5 percent shooter from 0-to-3 feet from the basket, and a 58.9 percent shooter from 10-to-16 feet from the basket. For comparison’s sake, Duren, a freak athlete with fantastic length, shot 74.9 percent last season from within three feet of the basket.
Even Jokic’s defensive struggles are somewhat overblown, as the big man has quick hands that help him pick up steals and cause some havoc on the defensive end. In fairness, he doesn’t block shots and he is somewhat plodding, hurting him on switches; Denver has ranked bottom 10 in defensive efficiency over the last two seasons, and Jokic being the defensive anchor down low has played a part in that.
Regardless, Jokic, the best passing center the game has ever seen with outrageous efficiency as a scorer, is still hugely impactful. His on/off splits are almost video game-like; over the past five seasons, in over 12,300 minutes played (i.e., a massive sample size), Jokic has made Denver 18.2 points per 100 possessions better while on the floor.
Whether Denver can win another title in the Jokic era will depend in part on the team’s complementary pieces. If fully healthy, it wouldn’t surprise us to see Jokic lead the Nuggets back to the promised land in 2026-27.
Even if he doesn’t, he remains one of the three best players in basketball.
For the latest Nikola Jokic news and rumors, click here.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
2025-26 stats: 31.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 55.3 FG%, 38.6 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $40,806,150 (39th overall)
Not only is Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the best guard in the sport, he has a case to be considered the best player in the sport, too. As of right now he is, at least, as evidenced by his back-to-back regular-season MVP trophies, but a supersized rival in San Antonio might have something to say about that next season.
That discussion is for another time, though.
For now, Gilgeous-Alexander remains the NBA’s best, coming off not only back-to-back league MVP trophies, but also four straight 1st Team All-NBA appearances, as well as a Clutch Player of the Year award.
The Canadian superstar has been on a Michael Jordan-esque statistical tear of late, averaging 31.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.7 steals over the past four campaigns, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor in that stretch, 36.8 percent from three and 89.0 percent from the foul line on 9.3 nightly attempts. For comparison’s sake, from 1986-87 to 1992-93, Jordan’s stat line was 33.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 blocks on 51.8 percent shooting from the floor, 31.1 percent from three and 84.6 percent from the foul line.
You can’t say with a straight face those numbers aren’t quite similar.
That’s not to say we think SGA will enter the GOAT debate one day, but without a doubt, he’s established himself already as a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and at still just 28 years old, we think he’ll add plenty of high-level accolades to his resume over the years to come.
An absolutely elite talent at getting to his spots and knocking down shots, as well as at drawing fouls and sinking free throws at a high rate, Gilgeous-Alexander is tough to stop due to his tight ball-handling, herky-jerky movement ability and his prowess for hitting tough jumpers over good defense. Gilgeous-Alexander is even an underrated defender, using his length and lateral quickness to harass opposing ball-handlers.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the complete package as a player, and with him at the helm, the Thunder project to remain title contenders for years to come.
For the latest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander news and rumors, click here.
1. Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio)
2025-26 stats: 25.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 3.1 bpg, 51.2 FG%, 34.9 3PT%
2026-27 salary: $16,868,013 (112th overall)
Victor Wembanyama has more than lived up to the hype so far after being the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, as he has exponentially improved since getting to the NBA, peaking (for now) last season, posting career-high marks in BPM, VORP and WS/48. According to all three metrics, Wembanyama was a Top 5 player in the league, and it wouldn’t surprise us if he improved on that this upcoming season.
Wembanyama is a create-a-player type of talent, standing at 7-foot-4, boasting an 8-foot wingspan and possessing guard-like skills, playing like a supersized version of Kevin Durant. Wembanyama can hit opponents with crossovers, knock down step-back jumpers, pull up from the midrange to hit shots and finish explosively around the basket. Wembanyama has been a mediocre shooter from three so far in his career, with a 34.2 percent career three-point mark, but he has an aesthetic jumper, so we think that number could improve, especially when we compare it to his career 81.7 percent mark from the free-throw stripe.
Of course, Wembanyama’s game has its warts outside of his mediocre three-point stroke - he can get pushed around down low, as well as stopped from getting to his spots due to his lack of strength - but he’s such an overwhelming two-way force that he remains hugely impactful anyway.
Wembanyama made the Spurs 16.0 points per 100 possessions better during his minutes last season. Even in the playoffs, that number was an extremely impressive 14.1 points per 100 possessions, so his game translated when things mattered most. The fact that he was able to lead San Antonio to knock off the reigning champion Thunder in the Western Conference Finals last season in just his third career campaign speaks to his ridiculous potential. In that series, a seven-game win for the Spurs, Wembanyama averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks on 40.0 percent shooting from three, giving us a glimpse of the level of player he has the chance to become.
As long as Wembanyama continues to improve on his decision-making with the ball in his hands and settles less often for difficult shots, his otherworldly talent should firmly have him in the MVP conversation.
For the latest Victor Wembanyama news and rumors, click here.
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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: NBA Ranking: The Top 100 players for 2026-27
