On Thursday, ESPN\u2019s expert panel completed its 15th annual ranking of the NBA\u2019s best players.<\/p>\n
In response, we reached out to scouts, coaches and executives across the league to get their feedback on our new top 100 for 2025-26, including comments on where they agreed and disagreed with our rankings.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a rundown of some of the biggest questions and points of contention from our latest edition of NBA Rank, including how long Denver Nuggets<\/a> star center and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic<\/a> will remain atop the heap, whether any American players could eventually supplant him in that top spot, and just how much longer active legends LeBron James<\/a>, Kevin Durant<\/a> and Stephen Curry<\/a> can keep themselves among the league\u2019s elite stars.<\/p>\n How long will No. 1 stay No. 1?<\/p>\n The consensus from conversations is that Jokic, who has been the definitive top player or at least in the conversation for the past several years, has at least two more runs at No. 1 before he\u2019s likely to start sliding down this list. \u201cThat might seem low,\u201d an East executive told ESPN, \u201cbut we never account for how fast things change in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n But Jokic\u2019s stay atop this list, at least according to league insiders, will be as much about how his game should age as the pack trying to catch up. And for a player who doesn\u2019t rely on speed or leaping ability to make an MVP impact, aging gracefully into the end of his prime shouldn\u2019t be a problem.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no reason his game will slow down,\u201d an East scout said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about his motivation to stay in shape,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n Which players could jump into the top 10 next season?<\/p>\n Some answers naturally pointed to a player who is a top-10 lock — if he was healthy: Boston Celtics<\/a> star Jayson Tatum<\/a>, who is coming off a fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team selection but will miss at least the majority of the season after tearing his right Achilles in May.<\/p>\n Tatum had plenty of company. Multiple people tabbed Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> forward Jalen Williams<\/a> (No. 11), Detroit Pistons<\/a> guard Cade Cunningham<\/a> (No. 12), Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> guard Donovan Mitchell<\/a> (No. 15) and Orlando Magic<\/a> forward Paolo Banchero<\/a> (No. 17) as candidates.<\/p>\n The case for Williams builds off him helping Oklahoma City win the NBA title this past spring, including scoring 40 points in Game 5. Cunningham, meanwhile, earned praise for his growth last season in leading Detroit to its best season in a decade, and for his ability to keep expanding his game.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got size, playmaking, shooting, he can guard,\u201d one East executive said. \u201cHe checks a lot of boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n For Mitchell and Banchero, the case was rooted in a similar logic: Both lead teams that have a chance to break through in a truly wide-open conference. A top-10 spot could be theirs if either can spark a deep playoff run or reach the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n \u201cIf [Banchero] comes in and plays the right way, and they do what they are supposed to do,\u201d an East assistant coach said, \u201cI could absolutely see him in there next year.\u201d<\/p>\n What is your top five for this season?<\/p>\n For the second straight year, every person asked rattled off four names right away: Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>, Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and Luka Doncic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several players, however, earned at least one vote for fifth, including Victor Wembanyama<\/a>, Curry, Anthony Edwards<\/a>, Durant and Mitchell.<\/p>\n \u201c[Wembanyama] was already good,\u201d one West scout said, \u201cand now he\u2019s got guys around him and they\u2019re trying to win.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Edwards] just continues to grow,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n \u201c[Mitchell] doesn\u2019t get enough credit for how he\u2019s lifted that franchise,\u201d an East scout said, \u201cand for how he\u2019s changed his game to mesh with the guys they had.\u201d<\/p>\n Do LeBron, Steph and KD still belong in the top 10?<\/p>\n It\u2019s remarkable that three players who will be 37 or older by the time the 2025-26 season starts — James will be the oldest player in the league for a consecutive season — remain inside the top 10 in these rankings. And, in large part, league insiders agreed with the assessment. Some argued that one or two of them is a borderline selection, but no one said this trio\u2019s rankings were out of bounds.<\/p>\n \u201cThey should be there,\u201d a West assistant coach said. \u201cThey\u2019re just not top-five guys anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are for sure [top 10] as long as they are healthy,\u201d an East scout said, \u201cbut that\u2019s no sure thing at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re moving down for sure,\u201d an East executive said, \u201cbut they should still be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Flagg or bust? Will an American player become No. 1 any time soon?<\/p>\n With there now being seven straight international picks as the league\u2019s MVP, the top five guys on this list all being international players and the biggest young star in the sport being France\u2019s Wembanyama, the most popular answer to this question, for a second straight year, was no.<\/p>\n But now that he has successfully made it to the NBA, there was a healthy amount of respect for No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg<\/a>, and his ability to eventually make a run at the spot last held by Durant in 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t go to Team USA [last summer] and do what he did,\u201d one East assistant coach said, \u201cand not have a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Other players who received mentions: Edwards, Banchero and Tatum.<\/p>\n Where will Flagg rank ahead of 2026-27?<\/p>\n The consensus on Flagg is that he will make a solid leap up this list next season.<\/p>\n \u201cTop 25,\u201d one West assistant coach said. \u201cHe\u2019ll be a borderline All-Star and the conversation will be about whether he should make it as a second-year guy or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Several others had Flagg inside the top 30 in next year\u2019s rankings, which was the consensus answer. The only questions posed about Flagg\u2019s potential didn\u2019t center around his game, but rather the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>\u2019 veteran-heavy roster, which league insiders feared could provide an awkward fit, at least initially.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t like the role for him on that team,\u201d said a West assistant, who had Flagg inside the top 50 next season, rather than higher.<\/p>\n Where would you rank Joel Embiid?<\/p>\n