Top 99
NBA Players

RJ Barrett has left a lot to be desired on the efficiency front for most of his career, but he was above-average in both effective field-goal percentage and true shooting percentage in 2025‑26. That’s a big deal from a 19-20-point-per-game scorer on a defense-first team. If he can somehow expand that improvement to his three-point shooting (and all the attention Kawhi Leonard will command should help on that front), Barrett could find himself higher on these lists by the All-Star break.

The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton-less gap year was hard on the fans (especially after the lottery sent their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers) and the roster, but it did open up some opportunities for Andrew Nembhard. His own injuries limited him to 57 appearances, but Nembhard added career highs in points (16.9) and assists (7.7) per game to his stout defense. And with Haliburton returning to action, he could add better scoring efficiency to that mix too.

Matas Buzelis nearly doubled his rookie scoring average from 8.6 points to 16.3 in his second campaign. And while the same kind of leap may not be in store for 2026‑27, Buzelis dropping 41 in a game after the All-Star break suggests the trajectory is still pointed up. After last season’s moneyball-approved breakout, Buzelis looks like he could be a slightly shorter version of Lauri Markkanen with a shot diet made mostly of dunks and threes.

Fresh off a big postseason in which his 43-point outburst was instrumental in sending the Denver Nuggets packing, Ayo Dosunmu signed a hefty, five-year, $112 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. And in his first full season there, the sharpshooting (he’s hit 39.8 percent of his three-point attempts over the last three years) combo guard could be a dark-horse Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

There’s a huge opportunity in front of Coby White this season, and some numbers (from an admittedly small sample size) suggest he’s ready for it. After he was traded to the Hornets, and when LaMelo Ball was off the floor, White averaged 33.2 points and 7.2 assists per 75 possessions with a 61.1 true shooting percentage.

Peyton Watson’s calling card has long been defense. And though he didn’t get a ton of minutes to showcase his abilities, whenever he was on the floor for the Denver Nuggets, he was a dynamic weakside shot-blocker and capable on-ball defender. Then, thanks to a handful of injuries in 2025‑26, he finally got a chance to show off some one-on-one offense too. The stretch was short, but Watson showed off an ability to create for himself off the dribble and hit pull-up jumpers.

What Fred VanVleet lacks in size, he’s often made up for with steady-handed floor generalship and long-range shooting. For a team that was hoping Amen Thompson or Reed Sheppard would grow into being a bona fide, starting-level point guard, VanVleet’s experience and slightly more traditional approach to the position will be welcome (at least alongside the starters).

Dejounte Murray could be in line for a “Forgot about me?” season after appearing in just 45 games across 2024‑25 and 2025‑26. The last time he had a mostly healthy campaign, he put up 22.5 points and 6.4 assists. And while Murray isn’t a spring chicken or the defender he was early in his career, he’s also not over the hill as he enters his age-30 season.

One of the biggest breakouts of the 2025‑26 campaign, Donovan Clingan averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds (including a league-leading 4.5 offensive rebounds), 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocks in 27.2 minutes. At 22 years old, the 7’2” “Cling Kong” is already one of the NBA’s best rebounders and a burgeoning rim protector.

Josh Hart probably checks some portion of the box on just about every basketball cliche you can think of. He’s the emotional leader of the New York Knicks. So much of what he does isn’t in the stat sheet. He provides the energy. He can guard multiple positions. And in his case, the versatility behind all those little descriptions really pays off. In the 2026 playoffs, New York was plus-17.6 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.

With Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins in Atlanta and Isaiah Joe in Detroit, Cason Wallace is in line for a huge step up in responsibility. And assuming he’s the fifth starter, the increase in playmaking from Dort to Wallace could make the Oklahoma City Thunder offense significantly more dynamic. If he creates a handful of open looks for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, reliably hits threes and maintains the defense he typically brings, Wallace could be the key to a second Thunder title.

His three-point percentage has dipped a bit in recent years, but 2.1 threes in 25.9 minutes, while shooting 38.4 percent from deep, over the last three seasons still makes Naz Reid a uniquely dangerous stretch big. And though he’ll never be known as a lockdown defender, Reid’s activity on that end has led to respectable steal and block rates.

Even at 36 years old, Jrue Holiday is still, quite clearly, capable of impacting winning at a high level. In his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers, he averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 assists in 29.4 minutes, while shooting 37.8 percent from deep and juicing the team’s net rating by 9.8 points.

With his smooth scoring instincts and picture-perfect jump shot, there was a real argument for the Washington Wizards to take Darryn Peterson with the first overall pick this past summer. And in Summer League, he only added to the hype by looking like his team’s best playmaker. If those elements come together in the regular season and alongside a much more talented roster, Peterson could win Rookie of the Year.

Few (if any) players bring quite as much intensity to both ends of the floor as Dillon Brooks. At times, that’s to his detriment. He probably shoots too much, and may overplay some one-on-one assignments or passing lanes. But those mistakes have been an acceptable trade-off for a player whose effort can’t be questioned. Even with way-below-average scoring efficiency for his career, he’s generally pushed his teams’ point differential in the right direction.

Cameron Boozer wasn’t just the most productive player in college basketball last season. His 18.7 box plus/minus as a freshman at Duke is the second-highest on record (only Zion Williamson’s 2018‑19 is higher). And it was the product of his ability to truly do a little bit of everything. Boozer was an elite scorer and rebounder, a solid defender and one of the best playmaking bigs in the country. Now, he has the opportunity to put all those skills to work in the NBA.

Isaiah Hartenstein has quietly been one of the more productive centers in the league for at least the last two years. In 2024‑25 and 2025‑26, he put up 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.9 steals in just 26.2 minutes. And his ability to sprinkle a little into every category, without demanding a ton of shots or touches, makes him a near-perfect gap-filling big on a team with stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Mikal Bridges has become one of the poster players for the 3-and-D archetype, but he’s developing into more than that with the New York Knicks. As his scoring average has dipped in each of the last three seasons, his assist rate has slowly ticked up. The added versatility has made life easier for Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and was a key ingredient in New York’s title run.

With career highs in points (23.6), assists (6.1) and three-point percentage (37.1), Keyonte George was one of the biggest breakouts of 2025‑26. Now, we’ll see if he can maintain that kind of production on a team trying to pivot out of a rebuild and into competitiveness. With his steadily improving jump shot and beyond-his-years pick-and-roll instincts, he should be able to at least maintain his effectiveness.

This offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers quickly checked off the biggest box on their priority list with one of the biggest free agents on the market. The 7’2" Walker Kessler will clog the lane for L.A.’s defense, dominate the glass and finish tons of lobs from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves over the course of the season.

VJ Edgecombe is a dynamic athlete with superstar upside. And he might’ve gotten there by his second season, if not for a series of moves that suddenly pushed him to the fifth option on one of the older teams in the league. The additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James will certainly take some scoring opportunities from Edgecombe in the short term, but he’ll also pick up some valuable lessons on winning from his new championship-winning teammates.

Over the years, much has been made of what Julius Randle does not do well. And to be sure, the inconsistent jumper and sometimes spacey defense can be problems. But Randle’s “bull in a china shop” playmaking can be more than useful, especially when flanked by shooting (like Michael Porter Jr. can provide), and it’s helped him make two All-NBA teams and average 22.1 points and 5.0 assists over his last six seasons.

James Harden and Ivica Zubac are 11th and 12th in Los Angeles Clippers team history in wins over replacement player. And when they shared the floor there, Zubac averaged 18.1 points and 4.4 offensive rebounds per 75 possessions, with a 65.2 true shooting percentage. Now, Zubac is about to start his first season with Tyrese Haliburton, a similarly talented and probably more careful playmaker. A career high in scoring is very much within reach for the 29-year-old big man.

Jarrett Allen is one of the league’s most reliable rim-running and -protecting centers. In each of his last seven seasons, he’s averaged at least 11 points and eight rebounds while shooting at least 60 percent from the field. He doesn’t add a ton of dynamism with passing or shooting (for his career, an Allen field-goal attempt is, on average, under four feet from the rim), but his steady contributions make him a consistent help in the plus-minus column.

Paul George was on the other side of what was almost certainly the most controversial deal of the summer, but the reaction to the Jaylen Brown trade seriously underestimates George. No, he’s not a better individual player than Brown right now, but his contract ends earlier, Boston picked up draft assets in the deal and George’s game could fit Jayson Tatum’s better. At this point in his career, George looks very comfortable focusing on defense and floor spacing.

As long as Victor Wembanyama’s around, we may be in a “competing for second place” situation when it comes to Defensive Player of the Year, but Ausar Thompson would seem like a near-lock to take home the honor at least once in any other era. Thompson was second in defensive estimated plus-minus (behind only Wemby), has improved Detroit’s defensive rating when he’s on the floor in every season he’s played and can make life more difficult for any kind of guard or wing (and probably most forwards).

Like Paul George, Tyler Herro had the unfortunate experience of being the headliner on the less glamorous side of a superstar trade. And he too is capable of exceeding the expectations that arose from the deal. Herro obviously won’t replace all of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s production, but he’s averaged at least 20 points in each of his last five seasons, is a career 38.2 percent three-point shooter and is a solid playmaker for his position. If he can stay healthy, the Milwaukee Bucks could be a sneaky play-in contender.

Even with the injuries that have plagued him throughout his career, Zion Williamson remains one of the most dangerous and consistent scorers in the league (assuming he’s actually on the floor). Last season, he shot 60 percent from the field and scored a career-low 33.8 points per 100 possessions, but it was his sixth campaign with 33-plus points per 100 possessions and a 56-plus field-goal percentage. He’s only played in six seasons, and Shaquille O’Neal (11) is the only player in league history with more such seasons.

Trey Murphy has developed into a moneyball wing who’s scored around 44 percent of his points from three and another 14 percent on dunks over the last two seasons. That kind of shot diet coming from a player who’s also averaging 21.4 points can supercharge an offense. If he adds a little more playmaking and free-throw volume, Murphy could be a fringe All-Star.

Damian Lillard is returning from a ruptured Achilles for his age-36 campaign. That age and that injury have spelled doom for plenty of players on their own. Lillard combining the two makes it pretty unlikely we’ll see his pre-injury version again. But his jump shot won’t betray him. And on a team with as much creation as Portland has from Deni Avdija, Ja Morant and Jrue Holiday, Lillard could be one of the most dynamic catch-and-shoot threats in the NBA.

Most of the offseason analysis on De’Aaron Fox focused on a rough NBA Finals and encompassed how Dylan Harper looks ready to be a starter, but Fox was hurt for that series. And in the regular season, he was a calming presence (sort of funny, given his reliance on speed earlier in his career) who averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 assists, made the All-Star team and boosted San Antonio’s net rating by 3.2 points.

Injuries limited Domantas Sabonis to 19 “not quite his usual self” appearances for the Sacramento Kings last season, but he made three All-Star teams and averaged 19.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists over the previous six. And though he certainly isn’t the kind of anchor you’d want to build a defense around, that kind of production can be extremely valuable with the right supporting players around it.

The impact may not be quite as obvious as it was when Rudy Gobert was in his prime, but he’s still one of the absolute best and most reliable defensive anchors in the NBA. And though he’s obviously never going to be breaking down opponents off the dribble or consistently hitting dream shakes or sky hooks out of the post, his rim-running, dunking, screening and offensive rebounding are all valuable components of Minnesota’s offense.

Brandon Miller had the best season of his young career in 2025‑26, when he averaged 20.2 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 threes, while shooting 38.3 percent from deep. With his smooth offensive arsenal, the Paul George comparisons are really starting to have some merit. And now that LaMelo is gone, he can add to that with a little more playmaking volume.

One of the most exciting young players in the league, 20-year-old Dylan Harper looked like a 30-year-old veteran point guard during most of the Spurs’ Finals run. He couldn’t be sped up. His defense was solid. And his finishing around the rim was eye-popping. If he plays the way he did later in the season and on into the playoffs, it’ll be very hard to keep him out of the starting five.

His three-point shot abandoned him in 2025‑26, but the reaction to that may have been overblown. Over the previous three campaigns, he made 38.7 percent of his attempts. And even if his shot was off last season, his defense and playmaking made him one of the highest-impact Boston Celtics players. In fact, he and Neemias Queta were neck and neck for the team lead in net rating swing.

He just signed a new extension. There are essentially no financial stakes, but this still feels like a prove-it season for Trae Young. He was once the face of a franchise with the Atlanta Hawks, but they essentially salary-dumped him to the Washington Wizards. By the end of the season, he’d only made 15 total appearances in 2025‑26. Now, alongside Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa, he has a chance to prove his capabilities as a lead playmaker again.

Kon Knueppel walked into the NBA with the potential to be one of its best shooters. By the end of his rookie campaign, he may have secured the crown. He led the league in made threes and shot 42.5 percent from deep. He proved capable of drilling long-range attempts on the move, off the dribble or as a stationary catch-and-shoot threat. But shooting isn’t all he does. Knueppel showed some playmaking ability, something he’ll have to expand on in the absence of LaMelo Ball.

A bad postseason and nasty restricted free agency have painted Jalen Duren in an unfavorable light. But he’s under contract now, and rediscovering his regular-season form will be crucial for the Detroit Pistons recreating their 2025‑26 success. With his rebounding and finishing ability around the rim, Duren is a near-ideal complement to Cade Cunningham. And his plus-6.0 net rating swing is good evidence of that.

Paolo Banchero has become one of the main characters of the debate between “advanced stats nerds” and “’that boy nice’ watchers.” On the one hand, he’s never come close to league-average scoring efficiency, and he’s made Orlando’s point differential worse in every season he’s played. On the other, he’s a 6’10” jump shooter with a career average of 22.3 points and a knack for playing better in the postseason. At 23 years old (24 in November), there’s still time for Banchero to hone his intriguing skill set to the point the numbers match the perception.

Amen Thompson is a ferocious perimeter defender and one of the most explosive athletes in the league. On little more than the latter, he’s become a dynamic slasher and creator who averaged 18.3 points and 5.3 assists in his third season and on a team with three players who had higher usage percentages than him.

Another elite athlete who’s pushing fringe All-Star status without a reliable jumper, Stephon Castle’s intensity on the defensive end and willingness to pass were key ingredients in the Spurs making the 2026 Finals. And at just 21 years old (22 in November), there’s more than enough time for him to refine the less refined aspects of his game.

Joel Embiid has a regular-season MVP, so the comparison certainly isn’t perfect, but he and Zion Williamson are similar in the sense that they struggle (to put it mildly) to stay on the floor but are absolutely dominant scorers when they are. In Embiid’s case, he’s the all-time leader in points per possession, and there are reasons to think he might log more minutes than usual. For one thing, he looks significantly slimmer in early pictures from training camp. And for another, he’s now on a team with three big-time innings eaters in Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, who’ll all take pressure off the big man.

Bam Adebayo had one of the highlights of 2025‑26 when he dropped 83 points in a single game, but one wild night is far from representative of the kind of player he is. And now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is around, Bam may be able to refocus on something that made him a unique offensive center: his passing. Erik Spoelstra will have to get creative in how he deploys actions involving those two, since neither is a jump shooting threat, but you can be sure he’ll figure it out in a way that maximizes Bam.

There has been plenty of talk about Evan Mobley sort of plateauing in recent years, but much of that analysis seems to be a product of his scoring average. And he’s spent most of his career in lineups with multiple high-usage guards. Averaging around 18 points in his situation makes sense, and he’s found ways to impact games in other ways. Mobley was Defensive Player of the Year in 2024‑25 and has decent assist numbers for a big without a ton of on-ball opportunities.

Over the last two seasons, Austin Reaves averaged 26.3 points and 7.5 assists per 75 possessions, with a 63.9 true shooting percentage, when LeBron James was off the floor. That kind of production isn’t guaranteed with LeBron gone, but the point is that Reaves is very clearly capable of generating good offense when he’s the lead or secondary ball-handler, and he’ll be in either one of those roles every time he’s on the floor in 2026‑27.