This will be the second installment of a 10-part series ranking the top 100 players in the NBA for the 2025-26 season.
A few things to note before I start.
- This is a projective list of what I think will happen this season. While I rely heavily on the past two to three seasons to evaluate them, if a younger player has shown a lot of progression, I will assume they will play even better this season. The opposite is also true. If an older player has shown signs of consistent regression, I will assume they will play worse.
- My criteria, in short, is answering the following question: “If I am building a team to win a championship, who would I rather have on my team?” In other words, I am prioritizing ceiling raisers over floor raisers on my team. For example, if Player A is better at leading bad teams to relevance, but Player B is much better at playing his role on an elite team, I will likely rank Player B higher.
- Since this is a projective list, I unfortunately have to apply an “injury tax” for players who have a history of serious injuries or already have concerns for this year.
- This is only about predicting what will happen this season. Therefore, while Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard would all be on this list when healthy, they are dealing with long-term injuries and therefore do not qualify. Hopefully, they will all be back on this list next year.
Without further ado, here are the top 90-81 players for the 2025-26 NBA season.
#90 Keegan Murray
In the last part, we had two Sacramento Kings, and I guess I feel we needed one more here. A team that employs DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis needs a young guy they can pass the reins to. The Kings are hoping that it’s going to be Murray. He has shown flashes of being that guy, but as a whole, he has been somewhat disappointing.
2024-25 Ranking: #72
#89 Kristaps Porzingis
If we’re talking from a pure talent aspect, this would seem too low. A guy who is 7-foot-2, a great post scorer, can shoot the three ball at an elite level, and is one of the league’s best rim defenders is something that most teams would kill to have. However, remember the question: if I am building my team to win a championship, who do I want on my team?
With all due respect to Porzingis, he cannot stay healthy. People will point to the fact that he was a key piece to the Celtics winning the finals in 2024. However, the fact of the matter is that he only played seven playoff games, started in four of them, and averaged 23 minutes per game. If we could project that he would be healthy for a full season, then Porzingis would be much higher on this list. But unfortunately, we are unable to do that.
2024-25 Ranking: #52
Jalen Johnson x Trae Young x Kristaps Porzingis
What’s the ceiling for this new Hawks trio?
(📸: @WilliamsLaurenL) pic.twitter.com/giFoUMrGCM
— Hawks Nation (@HawksNationCP) September 29, 2025
#88 Andrew Wiggins
Wiggins will be in an interesting position this year. Heading into last season, he was on a team that honestly had too high expectations for him. While he was essential to the Warriors’ success in 2022, he simply is not the player he used to be. With this being said, he is playing with very little pressure this year. With Tyler Herro being out for the first few weeks, he will probably be the second-best player on the team and the best scorer on some nights. Wiggins is well past his prime, but don’t be surprised if he turns in a super-solid season.
2024-25 Ranking: #100
#87 Alex Sarr
The guy who finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting comes in at No. 87. The Wizards are likely going to be the worst team in the league this year. The front office and coaching staff will likely try to tank. With this being said, they will also be working on Sarr’s development and seeing if he is going to be a key piece to the franchise long-term. Lots of people will look at his low efficiency and rebounding and scoff at it, but he is still young and already a great defender. His production will not result in wins this year, but it should be a lot of fun seeing him develop.
2024-25 Ranking: Not Ranked
#86 De’Andre Hunter
Up next, we have the Cavs’ key trade deadline acquisition from last year. He will be a key piece for them this year. As awesome as Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are on defense, it is still important to have a guy out on the perimeter who can defend 1-3. I’m not sure how far the Cavs will go this year, but if they want to make it to the NBA Finals, guys like Hunter will have to play their best.
2024-25 Ranking: Not Ranked
#85 Josh Hart
The “heartbeat” on the Knicks comes in at 85. After the Knicks traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVicenzo away, a lot of fans were concerned about the Knicks’ lack of depth. However, Hart was debatably the best “fifth starter” in the league last year. He has his limitations on both ends for sure. However, any team would take a guy who can defend, rebound, and play make at an above-average rate for their fifth option. Just like last season, he will be a main reason if they make the NBA Finals.
2024-25 Ranking: Not Ranked
Some NOVA Knicks superlatives with Josh Hart! 👀 pic.twitter.com/92emAtPwPm
— NBA (@NBA) October 2, 2025
#84 Walker Kessler
Next, we have one of the toughest players to project. Kessler has a ton of potential to be one of the best rim defenders in the league. With this being said, you can be an elite defender and have a high field-goal percentage all you want, but if a player can’t score at a high level or play-make at all, their ceiling is pretty limited. As I said, I believe in Kessler and think there are tons of opportunities for him, but I do not think he will flourish until he gets out of Utah.
2024-25 Ranking: #91
#83 Dereck Lively II
Heading into last season, Lively was regarded as one of the league’s most promising big men. While it may have been a tad premature to rank him so high on people’s lists, I think he will eventually get there. However, similar to Kessler, his lack of scoring and playmaking could hold him back in the future. The Mavs are in an interesting spot this year. Having Davis mentor Lively will do wonders for him, and it should be fun to see.
2024-25 Ranking: Not Ranked
#82 Santi Aldama
The Loyola Legend is up next. Ja Morant only played 50 games last season, and he looked like a shell of himself in a good amount of them, but the Grizzlies were still able to be relevant. Aldama is certainly a big reason for that. A lot of people tend to count out guys who were not too young coming out of the draft, but Aldama has improved in every statistic in every season since his rookie year. I’m not sure what the Grizzlies will look like this year without Desmond Bane, but seeing Aldama in a bigger role will be fascinating, to say the least.
2024-25 Ranking: Not Ranked
The Aldama’s effect 😮💨
Santi went off in @BaloncestoESP’s first #EuroBasket win 🇪🇸
📊 19 PTS | 5 REB | 20 EFF pic.twitter.com/WSRgHYqVOy
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 30, 2025
#81 Jaylen Wells
Aldama’s teammate slips one spot above him. Everything I mentioned about Aldama’s success with the Grizzlies can easily also be said about Wells, which is why he finished third in rookie of the year voting. Aldama was probably the better and more important player for the Grizzlies in 2025. However, I think Wells will surpass him simply because the gap was close, and Wells is also four years younger. Regardless, seeing both of them play together will be great for the league.
2024-25 Ranking: Not Ranked
Main Image Credit:
