playNBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsSep 24, 2026, 07:00 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsWelcome to the grand finale of NBA Rank 2026.After unveiling Nos. 100-51 on Tuesday and Nos. 50-11 on Wednesday, the big reveal is here.Who will be the top 10 players for the 2026-27 season? How high did reigning Finals MVP Jalen Brunson climb? Did Victor Wembanyama just begin a LeBron James-esque run atop of the list?While ESPN’s latest top 10 — er, full top 100 — will surely spark debate, what can’t be questioned is the remarkably tight race for this season’s No. 1 spot. Just three voting points separated Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama, with each superstar placing atop at least one of the seven panelists’ individual rankings.That panel has been overhauled for the 2026 edition.
In previous seasons, more than 100 ESPN NBA insiders, reporters, editors and producers voted on thousands of possible player vs. player matchups to arrive at the final top-100 list.That “wisdom of the crowd” approach has given way to the wisdom of seven NBA experts: ESPN’s Ben Golliver, Vincent Goodwill, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, Dave McMenamin, André Snellings and Matt “Stats” Williams. (The panelists’ individual top-100 lists were combined to create our final rankings.)Voting guidelines, however, remained unchanged. The panel was asked to rank players based on predicted contributions — quality and quantity — for the 2026-27 regular season only.Let’s get to the list — the best of the best heading into the new NBA season.Note: Signature stats provided by ESPN Research.G | Cleveland Cavaliers Age: 30 2025 NBA Rank: 15Mitchell rises into the top 10 after leading the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference finals last season, his first such appearance in his nine-year career. He has finished in the top seven in MVP voting in three of the past four seasons, and his ability to create off the dribble while using his shooting range to freeze defenders makes him the offensive force of the Cavs. Mitchell has been an All-Star in seven straight seasons, and he pairs with James Harden to give Cleveland one of the few backcourts where each starter boasts multiple All-NBA selections.Big question: Can Mitchell be the best player on a champion?The Cavaliers start four All-Stars in Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, but in the playoffs they will go only as far as Mitchell can lead them.One of the ironies of Mitchell’s first run to the conference finals was that he didn’t play particularly well compared with past postseasons.
In his six playoffs runs, from 2020 to 2025, Mitchell averaged 30.0 points per game with a player efficiency rating of 24.5. Last season, he averaged 26.0 points with a PER of just 18.6 (15.0 is considered average). The former version is absolutely good enough to carry the Cavs back to the Finals, especially if Mitchell sees a repeat performance from his teammates. — André SnellingsSignature stat: Mitchell is one of eight players to average at least 20 points per game in each of the past nine seasons.Fantasy projection: 26.8 PTS, 5.7 AST, 4.8 REB, 1.6 STLF | Boston Celtics Age: 28 2025 NBA Rank: NR (injury)Tatum wasn’t eligible for NBA Rank last fall because of an Achilles tendon tear he sustained in May 2025, and the two other notable players who tore an Achilles tendon around the same time — Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard — both sat out the entire campaign. But Tatum returned after a concerted and relatively speedy recovery, and in his 16 regular-season and six playoff games, he was remarkably productive for someone who had suffered such a devastating injury less than 12 months earlier.Tatum did miss Game 7 of the Celtics’ playoff loss to Philadelphia because of an undisclosed injury originally described by the team as left knee stiffness, but he’ll end up having had another six months of recovery time by opening night this season.
He might look even more like his former self — and he’ll need to be after the Celtics traded co-star Jaylen Brown to the 76ers in the offseason.Big question: Is Tatum’s ceiling still as high post-injury?Tatum was good in his limited playing time last season. But he was far more than merely good before his Achilles tear. For four consecutive seasons before the injury, Tatum was a first-team All-NBA selection, which is the level most championship teams need from their No. 1 option. If Tatum can’t return to that level, the Celtics likely won’t have enough top-tier star power to return to the Finals.
But if Tatum returns to MVP contender status, Boston will be right back in the title mix. — Zach KramSignature stat: Tatum is one of three players to average at least 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game across the past two seasons, joining Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.Fantasy projection: 26.7 PTS, 8.6 REB, 5.8 AST, 1.1 STLG | Detroit Pistons Age: 24 2025 NBA Rank: 12Cunningham vaulted into the top 10 thanks to a spectacular 2025-26 season in which he earned first-team All-NBA honors and led the Pistons to the franchise’s first 60-win season in 20 years. The No. 1 draft pick in 2021 has successfully weathered early-career injuries and a miserable 14-win campaign in 2023-24 to emerge as an elite playmaker. Cunningham excels at controlling game flow, manipulating matchups and changing speeds, and he has lived up to hopeful predraft assessments that viewed him in the same mold as James Harden and Luka Doncic. With Cunningham turning 25 on Friday, the Pistons must focus solely on maximizing the talent around him over the next three to five seasons.
His and Detroit’s window of opportunity is now.Big question: Will Cunningham solve his turnover problems?High-usage playmakers are bound to turn the ball over, especially when they’re asked to log huge minutes in the playoffs. But Cunningham set an unfortunate record during the 2026 postseason: Detroit’s franchise guard averaged 5.6 turnovers per game, the most by any player in NBA history during a playoff run of at least 10 games.Cunningham can be sloppy with the ball, but Detroit’s cramped spacing and lack of secondary ball handlers make his job much more difficult. Even though the Pistons have gradually improved their cast of outside shooters by adding Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Joe since the 2025 offseason, they’re destined for more playoff heartbreak unless they find another star-level creator to properly balance their offense. For proof of concept, the Pistons should look back at the 2018 Rockets’ pairing of James Harden and Chris Paul and the 2024 Mavericks’ duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Thanks to the multipronged attacks during those seasons, Houston won 65 games and Dallas made a stunning trip to the Finals. — Ben GolliverSignature stat: Last season, Cunningham became the first Piston to score 1,500 points in consecutive campaigns since Jerry Stackhouse’s three straight from 1999-2000 to 2001-02.Fantasy projection: 24.6 PTS, 9.8 AST, 5.6 REB, 1.4 STLG | Minnesota Timberwolves Age: 25 2025 NBA Rank: 6Still only 25, Edwards grabbed the mantle of best two-way wing in the NBA during Jayson Tatum’s injury absence last season. Edwards averaged a career-high 28.8 points per game and again made 40% of his 3s on high volume (as he did in 2024-25) while enjoying his most efficient season overall. And while Edwards missed out on an All-NBA nod because he appeared in only 61 games, he is generally one of the sturdiest stars around, having appeared in at least 72 games in each of his previous five campaigns.Big question: Can Edwards continue to improve as a facilitator? With only one exception — a certain French center — the players ranked ahead of Edwards on this list and the league’s leading MVP candidates are so effective because they create prime scoring opportunities for both themselves and their teammates.
But Edwards doesn’t quite yet fit that expansive playmaking role, even as he improves every year with his reads out of pick-and-rolls.The Timb
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