already available and can be seen here<\/a>. <\/p>\nBelow, we continue our climb with the players from 51-75 and how they landed where they did on our ranking. <\/p>\n
Nos. 51-75 on Lakers Nation\u2019s Top 100<\/p>\n
51. Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves<\/p>\n
McDaniels continued his ascension to becoming one of the best two-way players in the NBA with a strong 2025-26 campaign. He averaged career highs in points, assists, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage, while elevating his game in the playoffs. He\u2019s now the likely starting power forward for the Timberwolves. <\/p>\n
52. Norman Powell, Chicago Bulls<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old got his first All-Star selection last season, and signed a lucrative two-year deal with the Bulls. He\u2019s averaging 21.8 points per game over his last two seasons on 47.7\/40.0\/81.6 shooting splits. <\/p>\n
53. Julius Randle, Brooklyn Nets<\/p>\n
Randle was dealt from the Timberwolves to the Nets in a cost-cutting move. However, don\u2019t let that detract from his regular season impact. Randle has been one of the most consistent 82-game performers in the league, and if the Nets make a big leap in wins, Randle will be one of the main reasons why. <\/p>\n
54. Trae Young, Washington Wizards<\/p>\n
Young\u2019s career 9.8 assists per game is by far the best in basketball since he entered the league in 2018. Next to a healthy Anthony Davis, No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and ascending big man Alex Sarr, Young could continue to be an elite distributor of the ball. <\/p>\n
55. Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n
The Nuggets have been one of the best teams in the world when Gordon is healthy, as he has established himself as one of the sport\u2019s best role players. However, injuries have limited him to 87 total games over his last two seasons, including two postseason injuries. <\/p>\n
56. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets <\/p>\n
The Hornets second-year sharpshooter finished as the runner-up in the best Rookie of the Year race in several seasons. He\u2019s already one of the best shooters in the sport, and should continue his ascension with a more traditional backcourt running mate in Coby White. <\/p>\n
57. Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans <\/p>\n
Murphy\u2019s 2025-26 campaign made him one of the most coveted trade targets in the entire league. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on 47.0\/37.9\/88.6 shooting splits. The Pelicans have so far opted to hang on to him. <\/p>\n
58. Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n
Allen is highly athletic and skilled, bringing elite defensive instincts and touch around the rim to a Cavaliers team looking to finally break through in the Eastern Conference. <\/p>\n
59. Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder <\/p>\n
Hartenstein, like Allen, is skilled and impactful on both ends of the floor while playing similar roles for their respective teams. Hartenstein was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year, $75 million deal to remain in Oklahoma City. <\/p>\n
60. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n
The 2025-26 Most Improved Player is one of the best two-way guards in the league right now. He averaged 20.8 points for a Hawks team that looks to be nearing an ascension while shooting 39.9% from three. <\/p>\n
61. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n
Injuries have been a story for the No. 2 overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft. But his on-court impact is undeniable. He can score the basketball with consistency and efficiency while making dramatic leaps as a defender from year to year. <\/p>\n
62. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz<\/p>\n
George has gotten significantly better each year of his career, and if he makes another equivalent leap in 2026-27, an All-Star selection is firmly in his reach. <\/p>\n
63. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons <\/p>\n
Thompson finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned his first All-NBA Defense nod on the First Team. He still has a long way to go offensively, but his impact is already palpable for a Pistons team looking to take another step forward. <\/p>\n
64. Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks <\/p>\n
The NBA\u2019s lone true iron man has been a model of consistency for the NBA champion Knicks. He enters his ninth season having never missed a game. <\/p>\n
65. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n
Much has been said about Williamson\u2019s health, availability and size over the six years of career, but the Pelicans forward has been hugely effective any time he plays. Last season, he amassed averages of 21.0 points and 5.7 rebounds on 60.0% shooting over 62 games. <\/p>\n
66. Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets <\/p>\n
Porter broke out as the Nets\u2019 No. 1 offensive option last season, setting career-bests in points and assists per game. With the Nets assembling a slightly more cohesive roster in 2026-27, Porter and Randle should be able to get Brooklyn a bump in their regular season success. <\/p>\n
67. Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder <\/p>\n
Caruso is no longer asked to play a significant 82-game role, but he is one of the league\u2019s greatest playoff weapons. The Thunder have perfectly saved and deployed Caruso\u2019s elite two-way skillset over the last two years. <\/p>\n
68. Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors or L.A. Clippers <\/p>\n
It\u2019s still undecided which team Ingram will suit up for in 2026-27, as the trade sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto remains on hold. Regardless, Ingram brings two All-Star selections and a knack for putting the ball in the hoop from all three levels with him. <\/p>\n
69. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings<\/p>\n
Sabonis is one of the trickiest players to rank in the league landscape. He is highly productive on the stat sheet, averaging a double-double in seven straight seasons with three All-Star and two All-NBA Third Team selections. But his stats have yet to contribute to meaningful winning basketball over that span. <\/p>\n
70. Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n
Vassell has been asked to take a step back in his usage rate with the Spurs due to the ascensions of Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie, but he still started every game in the playoffs for the team that finished three games shy of an NBA title. <\/p>\n
71. Paul George, Boston Celtics <\/p>\n
George was part of the oft-criticized return for Boston in the Jaylen Brown trade. However, when George is healthy, he is still highly productive and efficient, and should be a perfect fit in Joe Mazzulla\u2019s offense. <\/p>\n
72. Josh Hart, New York Knicks <\/p>\n
The NBA champions\u2019 Swiss Army Knife is coming off of the best 3-point shooting season of his career, and will be pivotal to their repeat efforts. <\/p>\n
73. Tyler Herro, Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n
The former All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year winner returns home to Wisconsin, where he\u2019ll be the face of a rebuilding Bucks team. He\u2019s averaged at least 20 points per game on at least 37.5% from 3 in each of his last five seasons, and there\u2019s no reason he shouldn\u2019t continue that trend. <\/p>\n
74. Dillon Brooks, Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n
Brooks was the breakout star of the Suns\u2019 surprising playoff run in 2025-26. He averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game while maintaining his reputation as a pesky defender. <\/p>\n
75. Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n
Mitchell enters his third NBA season on arguably the best value contract in the NBA. He\u2019ll make $2.85 million this year despite averaging 13.6 points, 3,6 assists and 1.2 steals in the sixth man role for the Thunder. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026-27 NBA season is still two months away, allowing fans plenty of time to theorize about the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":852993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-852992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}