The top 10 is still under wraps, but the debate around the 2026-27 NBA Rank has already landed on Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Wembanyama’s run through the Finals and his conference-finals win over Oklahoma City have made him the popular pick for No. 1, even without an MVP or title on his résumé.
Gilgeous-Alexander has a sturdy countercase after consecutive MVP awards, another postseason in which he carried the Thunder through injuries and a rough series from Chet Holmgren, and his usual stream of 30-point nights. Jokic, meanwhile, enters with a reason to chase back the ground he and Denver have surrendered.
Quick facts
- Players ranked No. 100 through No. 11 have been revealed; the top 10 remains pending.
- LeBron James is No. 18, behind Philadelphia teammates Tyrese Maxey at No. 11 and Jaylen Brown at No. 14.
- Tyrese Haliburton landed at No. 19, Jalen Williams at No. 25, Jaren Jackson Jr. at No. 53 and Cason Wallace at No. 75.
- Walker Kessler jumped 25 places despite appearing in only five games last season.
- Stephon Castle rose 61 spots after averaging 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists in his second season.
James at No. 18 has split opinion. One view is that the 41-year-old remains too far behind Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard after helping the Lakers win a playoff series over Houston while Luka Doncic was injured and Austin Reaves missed most of the matchup.
Durant has not won a playoff series since 2023. Curry remains Golden State’s offensive motor but played fewer games than James and did not get the Warriors beyond the play-in. Leonard is coming off a major regular season, though availability remains part of every evaluation.
James’ move into a lesser Lakers role required an adjustment beside Doncic and a healthy Reaves. After the All-Star break, he shot 54%, averaged seven rebounds and seven assists, posted the lowest usage rate of his career, and became a dangerous transition finisher and off-ball cutter.
Five more games would have brought him to the 65-game threshold and potentially an All-NBA case. The argument against a higher placing is that he is still an All-Star-level player, but no longer the best player on a title contender; the veterans-minimum contract, however, is viewed as an extraordinary value.
Philadelphia now has to find the right fit around Maxey, Brown and James. Maxey is entering his prime, Brown is coming off a top-six MVP finish, and James’ ability to work without the ball will matter as much as his counting stats.
Ranking debates start below the top 20
Haliburton at No. 19 drew immediate pushback after he performed like a top-10 player in the 2025 playoffs. His regular-season production may not match every player above him, but Indiana has reached the Eastern Conference finals in each of the past two years, and there is confidence he will be fully back from his Achilles injury.
Scottie Barnes, placed 17th, has another case for a future jump. His spot fits last season’s production, but it may undersell a player who has developed into one of the league’s better two-way forces for Toronto. With Leonard now alongside him, Barnes has a path toward the top 10.
Kessler’s 25-place rise is a more skeptical call after his five-game season. The Lakers paid heavily in picks and salary to pair him with Doncic, whose pick-and-roll creation could unlock a major jump, but Kessler must prove Los Angeles made the correct investment.
Jaden McDaniels at No. 56 also looks light to some around the league. In Minnesota’s first-round win over Denver, he scored 32 points in Game 6 without Anthony Edwards and held Jamal Murray to 4-for-17 shooting, punctuating a two-week defensive job that also came with a clear offensive step forward.
McDaniels finished two spots behind Julius Randle, at No. 54, even as Minnesota traded one player to open more room for the other. There is a credible case for McDaniels to sit much closer to the early 30s.
The next climbers
The newest rookie class could produce the next rapid riser. AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson stand out among the first four selections, with Cooper Flagg providing the recent template: he went from No. 52 last year to No. 23 entering this season.
Castle has already surged after a sophomore year that brought broad statistical improvement. If his 3-point shot keeps coming, an All-Star berth and an All-Defensive Team selection are considered realistic targets.
Dylan Harper may be positioned for a bigger second season in San Antonio. He came off the bench, which muted his profile, but he was arguably the Spurs’ second-best player late last season and should face a much larger defensive spotlight with more opportunity.
Williams, now No. 25, is another bounce-back candidate. Persistent injuries cost him 49 games and part of Oklahoma City’s playoff run after he had previously been No. 11, an All-NBA second-team selection, an All-NBA defender and a fringe top-10 player at age 23.
He is now 25 and reportedly spent the summer focused on correcting the physical issues. If he stays available, the route back toward that previous level is there.
Fresh uniforms, bigger stakes
LaMelo Ball has the talent to push into the top 25 in Minnesota. The Timberwolves have not previously given Edwards a point guard with Ball’s upside, and a successful transition could raise both players’ ceilings.
Jackson, 27, is entering his prime in Utah after the Jazz surrendered a large package of first-round picks to acquire him last season. A player who can score more than 20 per game while anchoring a defense should look better than No. 53, especially after being No. 31 a year ago.
Anthony Davis sits at No. 40, but Washington has every reason to hope for a huge season even without an immediate extension. Health remains the deciding variable; when active and healthy, he is viewed as substantially better than that ranking.
Golden State’s swing case is unranked rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Stephen Curry is the only Warrior in the top 90 and missed half of last season, while Jimmy Butler III is not expected until the new year. Steve Kerr has indicated that Lendeborg could find a starting job and heavy minutes if he earns them.
Lendeborg turns 24 later this month and arrives with the size and strength of a wing in his prime. If he helps lift the Warriors beyond expectations, he could enter these ranking conversations quickly.
Predictions on the board
Ausar Thompson is forecast for another jump after arriving at No. 59 one year after missing the rankings altogether. His offensive game remains incomplete, but he is already regarded as perhaps the league’s best perimeter defender, and his pressure on Cleveland in last season’s playoffs forced coach Kenny Atkinson to say the Cavaliers needed to “put the ball anywhere away from Thompson.”
A better jumper and stronger finishing would move Thompson into another tier. Even without those additions, a wing stopper assigned to the NBA’s top scorers has significant value.
Wallace could be set for his own breakout at No. 75. He has largely filled a low-usage defensive role for the Thunder, but the Luguentz Dort trade cleared a possible permanent starting spot just as Wallace approaches extension time.
One prediction calls for at least five ranked players to change teams after the trade deadline, including two from the top 40. Another sees Flagg following a familiar trajectory: his rookie season recalled James’ first year, and James became a top-five player by Year 2.
That is a demanding comparison, but Flagg’s climb is now one of the major subplots beneath a ranking list still waiting to reveal its final 10 names.
