Ranking The Top 50 NBA Players Before The 2027 Season

The time has come for us to put out our ultimate ranking of all rankings. This summer, we've done plenty of rankings videos which started with us going position by position ranking the players at all five spots, so today we're here to put all of that together. That's right, today we will be ranking the top 50 players in the NBA, going into the new season. There's a lot to unpack, so we'll dive right in, but before we do that, it would be greatly appreciated if you could all utilize YouTube's new hype feature and hype up this We'll be going in reverse order, working our way up to the number one spot, so coming in at number 50, we have Darius Garland of the Los Angeles Clippers. Garland was shipped to the Clippers last season in a trade for James Harden, and now he's unfortunately stuck in the middle of the organizational catastrophe around him. He's a multiple-time all-star during his time in Cleveland, and he is such an incredible playmaker with feel for running an offense, but he's also a pretty poor defender and has been one of the league's biggest playoff droppers pretty consistently, so for the time being, he slots in lower than what he very well may be capable of. Next, at number 49, we have Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic. Wagner's season was marred by injury last year, but at his best, he is a very strong two-way wing player. He's an incredible flasher who gets to the rim consistently with great touch around the basket, he's an underrated playmaker with the ball in his hands, and he's a very versatile defender at 6'10". His jumper just desperately needs to improve to get his game to the next level as a score. Next at number 48, we have Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Clippers. Speaking of the Clippers' catastrophe, Ingram was just brought in this summer in exchange for the man that was at the heart of all of those issues, and now Ingram is stuck in their no-man's land for the time being. Brandon Ingram has been a strong 20-point scorer for many years now, and was the focal point in helping get Toronto back in terms of their scoring output to the playoffs, but in that playoff series, he shot the ball pretty dreadfully before suffering a season-ending injury, and when his shot's not falling, he doesn't always find other ways to be effective. Next at number 47, we have Michael Porter Jr. of the Brooklyn Nets. MPJ stepped out of the reduced role that Denver had him in, and he flourished in his first season in Brooklyn. Of course, his production was pretty empty all things considered, but he did prove he could be an electrifying scoring talent when given a true green light, and he maintained solid efficiency even, with some pretty wild shot selection on a regular basis. He should be viewed as a potential missing piece for a playoff contender to trade for this season, because his shooting ability could be a major boost to his lineup. Next at number 46, we have Eamon Thompson of the Houston Rockets. Thompson just signed a nice $200 million contract extension because the Rockets believe for good reason. He's just getting started playing at a high level. He has a pretty strange game where he already is one of the best defensive talents in the league, he's also one of the best rebounding guards, he has good court vision as a passer, and his explosive athleticism makes him a nightmare in transition, but he can't shoot really at all, and his touch around the rim also still needs a good bit of work too. Next at number 45, we have Austin Reeves of the Los Angeles Lakers. Reeves is entering a season setting him up for another career year, now that LeBron James is gone because he is going to be way more heavily featured. I'm very confident that Reeves has the talent to be a high level number two option next to Luka Doncic, and last season when LeBron James started the season out injured, Reeves was amongst the highest scorers in the whole league for the first month of the season, so he could propel himself even further up this list a year from now. Next at number 44, we have Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers. Lillard will be returning to the court this season after missing all of last year because of injury, so he's a bit of a mystery at the moment. We don't know for sure how he's going to look post injury, but at the very least, he should still be a high level shooter as he returns to the team where he made a name for himself for many years. Next at number 43, we have Trey Young of the Washington Wizards. Trey is in need of a bounce back year after his stock league wide hit an all time low last season. He missed most of the year injured, and when he was on the court, it was clear the injury was impacting his play because his production was down across the board. Now that he's in Washington, he'll be in command of this new look group where he'll look to remind everybody he can be one of the most productive point guards in the whole league as a scorer and a passer when healthy, but his horrible defense does still limit his upside regardless. Next at number 42, we have LaMelo Ball of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ball's coming off of a strange year where his individual production was down, but he actually settled into a legitimately impactful role on a team that caught fire in the second half of the season, and he started playing real winning basketball. Now that he's in Minnesota, playing for a legit playoff contender for the first time in his career, he's going to have to keep that momentum going and cut down on the wild shot selection and erratic turnovers. It's just up to him to prove that he can do it. Next at number 41, we have Laurie Markkinen of the Utah Jazz. Markkinen is fresh off of a season where he put up a career high 27 points per game, and he too is entering a year where the Jazz have actual hopes at making a run to the playoffs for the first time in a while. This will be a defining season for Laurie Markkinen, determining whether his scoring numbers can prove to be legit with actual pressure on him, or if they were empty on a bottom feeding team. Next at number 40, we have Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks. Irving is another player returning to the floor after missing all of last season injured, so while he's obviously talented enough to deserve a better ranking on this list, we have to see what he looks like post-injury first. At his best, Irving has been one of the most efficient volume scoring talents in the entire NBA, with the best handles the league has arguably ever seen, but at 34 years old now, he could be approaching the point where he starts declining. Next at number 39, we have Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans. Zion was supposed to be a superstar in the league, but instead he is maxed out as a fringe all-star who struggles to stay healthy, and hasn't developed much of his game outside of the paint scoring. He's one of the most dominant paint scorers in the whole league, but he's a subpar defender. He doesn't threaten defenses as a scorer outside of the paint, and even his rebounding numbers haven't been as impressive as one would have hoped from him. Next at number 38, we have Dylan Brooks of the Phoenix Suns. Brooks has been playing the best basketball of his life lately, and in Phoenix, he has become a culture-setter that helped completely turn things around for a once-lost franchise. He's an intense defender whose energy on that end is infectious to those around him, he just averaged over 20 points per game for the first time in his career, and he was a big reason why the Suns made the playoffs last season, when the whole basketball world counted that group out. Next at number 37, we have OG Ananobi of the New York Knicks. Ananobi is the ultimate can-do-whatever-you-ask-of-him type of player, and his elite versatility on both ends of the floor was instrumental to the Knicks winning the finals this season. He's a dominant defender, he's a knockdown spot-up shooter, and in the playoffs he caught fire, shooting a red-hot 56% from the field and 49% from three, thriving in the biggest moments and making some of the biggest plays of the entire postseason en route to New York, taking home the Larry O'Brien. Next at number 36, we have Paolo Bancaro of the Orlando Magic. Bancaro is at a crossroads in his career, where he has the talent to earn a ranking way higher on a list like this, but if he has another season like he had last year, he could also plummet way further down. Paolo Bancaro is a big-bodied bully of a scoring threat leading the Magic, but he also has some really bad habits with his shot selection. He settles for way too many pull-up mid-range jumpers while being one of the least efficient shooters in the league, he forces a lot of looks that just aren't there, and he's way too erratic with his decision-making game to game. Next at number 35, we have Jaron Jackson Jr. of the Utah Jazz. Jaron was traded to Utah to help shore this team's defense up, and they hope they can put together a competitive year vying for the playoffs with his help. Jaron is a former Defensive Player of the Year winner, who has also become a comfortable 20-point-per-game scorer as a stretch big man with underrated driving skills off the dribble too. His downsides are just that he's a pretty poor rebounder for a big man, and he commits way too many fouls on defense. Next at number 34, we have Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jalen Williams reached very strong heights two seasons ago when he played a big part in the Thunder winning the finals as an elite two-way wing, but last year he was dealing with injuries throughout the season and never truly looked right when he was on the floor. We've seen what he's capable of. We know he's able to be better than this ranking suggests, but based on his health status and his output from last season, we need to see him get back to that point before we can shoot him back up. Next at number 33, we have Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Every year, Gobert is the ultimate impact-over-stats player at the center position. Not that his stats are bad by any means, he's always one of the league's best rebounders. He's just not much of a scoring threat outside of dunks and layups around the rim. What makes him so good is that he has been one of the NBA's best rim protectors on defense for a very long time with the instincts, the ability to alter shots, and the timing to anchor the group to being one of the best defenses in the league year after year. Next at number 32, we have Alperin Shingun of the Houston Rockets. Shingun is one of the most skilled big men in the entire league, but it feels like his development has stalled for the last 3 years as he's put up incredibly similar production in those stretches. He's a crafty post-scorer with great touch in the paint, he's one of the best passing big men in the league, and he's been an all-star in back-to-back seasons, but defensively, he's just not a very good rim protector at all. And in the playoffs, he really didn't have a good series against the Lakers at all as they lost in embarrassing fashion, so I just don't trust him in meaningful moments like I do other all-star caliber guys ahead of him. Next at number 31, we have Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mobley, funnily enough, feels like the inverse of Shingun as a player. Mobley is an elite defensive talent who not only anchors the team's defense in the paint at a high level, but also provides versatility as a switchable defender that very few others can replicate. His issue is that, on offense, he's pretty stiff and doesn't have the creation ability to pose as much of a threat with the ball in his hands when it matters. He still averages about 18 points per game, operating as a strong role man, a paint finisher, and occasional spot-up shooter, but doesn't have the offensive upside that many other big men around the league do. Next at number 30, we have Denny Avdia of the Portland Trail Blazers. Avdia exploded last season, helping lead the Blazers to a surprise appearance in the playoffs while being one of the most productive wings in the whole league. He averaged about 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, doing a little bit of everything. He's mastered the art of drawing fouls, which pisses a lot of people off, but ultimately getting to the free throw line is a skill. He just didn't shoot threes very efficiently last season as one of his more glaring weaknesses that he needs to improve upon. Next at number 29, we have Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Holmgren's another elite defensive big man who consistently ranks as one of the best shot blockers in the league and is a pivotal part of the Thunder's dominance on that end over the last few years. Offensively, he provides a nice source of secondary creation and shooting for the position, except when Victor Wampinyama is the one in front of him. Unfortunately, Holmgren was completely neutralized in their series against San Antonio this year, which hurts his reputation a little bit, but overall, he is still incredibly valuable. Next at number 28, we have Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks. Flagg was last year's Rookie of the Year, as he had one of the strongest rookie seasons in recent memory, where he became the youngest player to ever score 40 points and 50 points in an NBA game. He's just getting started as a true superstar in the making, and I fully expect him to shoot up this ranking a year from now. We just can't get too far ahead of ourselves. He still has some flaws that he needs to improve upon, such as his efficiency as a jump shooter and some overall decision making stuff, but that comes with time. Next at number 27, we have Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers. Siakam has been an elite number two in the NBA for a while now, playing a big part in Toronto winning a championship in 2019 and almost helping Indiana pull off the run of a lifetime in 2025. He's a power forward with incredible speed for his size, he's great at immediately pushing the pace in transition after getting a stop on defense, and he's also a fierce competitor on defense, able to hold his own against multiple different positions. He's just not suited to be a team's number one, as we saw with Indiana falling off a cliff without Tyrese Halliburton this past season. Next at number 26, we have Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets. Murray is so funny because historically he has been someone who was never all-star caliber in the regular season, but in the playoffs he would play his best basketball. This past season though, he finally broke through, had his best regular season ever, was named an all-star for the first time, but then stunk up the joint in the playoffs, shooting 35% from the field and 26% from three in their series against the Timberwolves, so it seems like it can only be one or the other with him. Regardless though, he's still been an incredibly strong number two next to Nikola Jokic for many years now, and this ranking demonstrates that. Next at number 25, we have Tyrese Halliburton of the Indiana Pacers. Hallie was out all of last season injured, but the last time we saw him, he was leading his team to being one win away from winning the finals. At full strength, he is better than this ranking indicates, but when you miss that much time with a serious injury, I need to see whether or not he's capable of returning to prior form before putting him right back at the top of a list like this, while simultaneously acknowledging that even a slightly worse version of him is still one of the best playmakers in the game today. Next at number 24, we have James Harden of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers traded for James Harden last year, and it resulted in the team's furthest playoff run of the Donovan Mitchell era, reaching the conference finals. Harden may not be close to what he was once at his peak, but he is still an incredible playmaking force who generates offense with ease, can explode for the occasional big scoring night, and is exactly what they needed to help take pressure off of Donovan Mitchell as a creator when it matters. He's just lost a step compared to what he once was. Next at number 23, we have Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards. Davis is another player who at full strength, at his best, is absolutely way better than this ranking suggests, but he's coming off of what was his worst season in a very long time, so this is another case where he needs to prove he can bounce back first, especially with all the injuries he dealt with last year too. He is still one of the best defenders in the league, he's the ideal role man in the pick and roll, and he's a walking double-double averaging about 20 points and 11 rebounds last year. Next at number 22, we have Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson's another player that just had a major breakout season, and stuffs the stat sheet like very few others are capable of. He averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, and was damn near a walking triple-double, but there are still things he needs to work on before he can crack the top tier of talent in the league. In the playoffs, his production took a big hit across the board. He's not a reliable enough shooter to truly be a go-to scoring option in the biggest moments, and at this point in the rankings, you need more of a playoff resume to truly be better than the rest of the names we'll discuss. Next at number 21, we have LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers. Even at 41 years old, LeBron James is still one of the best players in the league. Now that he's in Philadelphia, surrounded by other star talent, he's not going to be with nearly as much of the workload as he's become used to throughout his career, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him in the mix for the assist title this season, because he'll be utilized as their primary playmaker and initiator of things for that group, and LeBron has already led the league in assists once, proving he can do it. Next at number 20, we have Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat. Adebayo has been one of the league's most consistently great defenders throughout his career, and now he has Giannis Anadokoumpou next to him in the frontcourt to terrorize opponents with. He also infamously dropped 83 points in a game last year, where the way he went about getting it was heavily scrutinized for mostly good reason, but ultimately, it does demonstrate how much his scoring ability has improved over time too, even though on a game-to-game basis, he's not necessarily the most efficient or consistent. Next at number 19, we have Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. Booker's played a ton of different roles throughout his career, being capable of thriving as an off-ball shooter, a go-to scorer, and now he's being utilized a lot more as a point guard on this team. He put up 26 points and 6 assists per game last season, and was the number one on a team that shocked the world and made the playoffs in the West when everyone else was counting them out, which is just a testament to how reliable Booker truly is, despite not always getting the credit for it. Next at number 18, we have Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks. Towns proved once and for all, he can step up when the lights are brightest and impact winning at the highest level, helping the Knicks win the finals this season. His regular season saw a lot of growing pains as he adjusted to a new role under a new coach, but things really clicked in the playoffs, where he played the best defense of his life, hit countless big shots, and became a champion. Next at number 17, we have Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets. There is no denying that Durant is still one of the most lethal, pure bucket-getters in the NBA, but a lot of the other parts of the Kevin Durant experience are becoming less and less worth it. He brings a lot of drama everywhere he goes, his defense gets worse every season, and the team really didn't improve all that much after they traded for him, which makes you question how impactful he is at this point. His production is undeniable, but at his age, it's tough to value his numbers over others who are doing more for more winning and successful teams. Next at number 16, we have Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers. Maxey is someone who's just gotten better and better every single year of his career, and he just put up a career-high 28 points per game. He grows more and more shifty as a creator on the ball to the point where now he has a nasty step-back 3-point shot to keep defenses honest with, which then opens up driving lanes for him to utilize his blistering speed. He sometimes has trouble playing too out of control, and he needs to learn when to go full speed ahead and when to slow down more, but that's not going to be nearly as much of an issue on a Sixers team that now has so much talent around him. Next at number 15, we have Scotty Barnes of the Toronto Raptors. Barnes took his game to another level this year, leading the Raptors back to the playoffs and then dominating their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, they lost that series in 7 games, but Barnes still proved he has another gear he can reach as an explosive slasher to the rim, a harassing defensive presence, and a hub of offensive creation serving both as a score and primary playmaker for them in that run. Now with Kawhi Leonard on the team next to him, he'll be able to play to his strengths even further, while Kawhi Leonard leads the way as the team's go-to scorer. Next at number 14, we have Jalen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers. Jalen Brown deserves a ton of credit for stepping in and keeping the Boston Celtics afloat last season during Jason Tatum's absence. They were predicted to fall off a cliff, but instead, they finished as the two-seed behind Brown emerging as a top-five scorer in the league. Now in Philadelphia, he will be back in more of a secondary role where he has thrived throughout his career, but we just saw he's capable of handling much more usage if necessary. Next at number 13, we have Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mitchell is another electrifying scoring talent coming off of a year where he averaged 28 points per game. He led his Cavaliers to the conference finals for the first time last season, he's had some big-time scoring performances on the big stage over the years, and has cemented himself as one of the best guards in the whole league. He's just someone that has always found himself on the fringe between stardom and superstardom. Next at number 12, we have Jason Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Tatum's been one of the best wing players in the NBA throughout his career, but post-Achilles tear, he still has to make his way back to where he used to be beforehand. Overall, his game has grown a lot as a defender, rebounder, and even as a passer, but he didn't perform like a superstar last season after returning from injury, so I need to see more before I put him back in the top 10. Next at number 11, we have Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry is undeniably one of the greatest players to touch a basketball, but at the current moment, he's coming off of a year where he failed to even lead his Warriors team to the playoffs. He looks noticeably a step slow on the ball, and while he's still obviously one of the best shooters in the league, his numbers in that regard aren't even at the level that we're used to seeing from him as he failed to even clear the 40% mark from 3 last year. So, while he is still great, he just misses the cut for the top 10 at the moment. Now to start off the top 10, we have Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. I already know the comment section is not going to like this, and quite simply, I don't care. Being concerned about his health is valid, but even with him not at 100% health, he's able to swing a basketball game like very few others in this league have ever been capable. He suffered appendicitis, but still rushed back to the court for the playoffs in the latter half of their series against the Celtics, and then single-handedly flipped that series on its head, leading the charge for them to come back from down 3-1. He's still one of the most effortlessly gifted scorers in the game, and he's going to be a big part of this new-look Sixers team's success this year. Next, at number 9, we have Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors. I never thought I would see the day where Kawhi Leonard earns a spot this high on the list again. At least, on paper though, he just had his best regular season yet in terms purely of the numbers. He put up a career-high 28 points per game. He shot the ball incredibly efficiently, making 50% of his shots and 39% of his threes. He actually remained relatively healthy, and now that he's back in Toronto where he led them to a championship during his last stint there, he very well may be looking to repeat history. Next, at number 8, we have Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons. Cunningham is cementing himself in the upper echelon of NBA talent, having just led his Detroit team to being the one seed in the East. He's at the heart of all they do, especially on offense, and he just averaged an impressive 24 points and 10 assists per game, generating offensive output at a rate that very few others are able to match. His biggest drawback is that he can be pretty turnover-prone, which is costly in playoff series where every possession becomes that much more vital, but he is still easily one of the best point guards in the NBA right now. Next, at number 7, we have Jalen Bronson of the New York Knicks. We're entering the tier of the list where the undisputed best of the best will find themselves, and the reigning finals MVP kicks things off here. Jalen Bronson silenced all of the doubters that constantly raised questions about whether he could be the leader of a team that wins the finals. Every game, it seemed like he came alive in crunch time sinking daggers that broke the confidence of his opponents, and even though he had some cold stretches during that run Next, at number 6, we have Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is the best shooting guard in the NBA right now, and as a scorer, he has become almost fully complete. He's one of the most efficient volume 3-point shooters in the league, knocking down 40% from deep on a bevy of attempts, while also being a nearly unstoppable driver to the basket where he uses his explosive athleticism to power his way to the rim. With LaMelo Ball next to him now, he has a real point guard to make life easier, and I can't wait to see how much fun those two will have playing with each other this season. Next, at number 5, we have Giannis Anadokoumpou of the Miami Heat. Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks finally broke up, and in Miami now, he will look to remind the world who he is. It's been a while since he's led his team to being truly in the mix at the top, but even in his quote-unquote down seasons, they feature him putting up pretty insane numbers night after night, so the fact that he's ranked 5th best in the league coming off of one of those down years says a lot about how good he really is. Next, at number 4, we have Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are officially a group being built around Luka Doncic, with LeBron James no longer on the team, and with full control, Doncic legitimately may approach the territory of averaging a triple-double. He won the scoring title last season averaging 33.5 points per game. He also added 8 rebounds and 8 assists a night. Unfortunately, he was injured during their playoff run, so he couldn't help them reach their full potential there, but this season, I fully expect him to be in the mix for the MVP award, as long as things go right for him. Next, at number 3, we have Victor Wembyama of the San Antonio Spurs. Wemby solidified his spot at the top amongst the elites, having just led his Spurs team to the finals and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. He has been the best defender in the NBA pretty much from the second he was drafted, he just previously wasn't able to stay healthy enough to qualify for the awards. There is still room for him to grow as a scorer, with some shot selection problems he will need to clean up long term, but that's a nitpick because when he's on the floor, he's usually making life very difficult for his opponents, and the Spurs typically dominate those minutes. Next, at number 2, we have Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Jokic is still putting up all time great numbers, the likes of which we haven't seen before, and can single handedly carry an offense as a scorer and facilitator in a way no center ever has. Nobody doubts him on that side of the ball, but at the very top of a list like this, it's down to nitpicks that separate the best of the best, and Jokic has proven to be someone you can take advantage of on defense. The guy he finishes runner up to on this list has achieved more individual and team success over the last few years, so that is the difference here. And finally, the number one best player in the NBA right now is Shea Gildas-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. SGA is the back-to-back winner of the MVP award, which makes it pretty hard to disagree with him earning the top spot on today's list. He's an absolutely lethal scoring threat who is an assassin in the midrange, he's mastered the ability to get to the free throw line for easy points, and he's been the leader of the team that has finished as the one seed in the Western Conference three years in a row now, with a ring and a finals MVP on his resume in that stretch. So for now, he holds the crown. And with that being said, that's all I have for you today. Make sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and comment down below where you think players rank around the league. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you all next time.