NBA Rank continues as we count down the top 100 players in the league entering the 2025-26 season. Today, we break down Nos. 50-11, seeing which players made the biggest leaps from last season’s rank and who was left out of the top 10.
A few young stars are entering the conversation, slowly creeping up the ranks as they enter Year 3. Meanwhile, some veterans, due to injuries last season or lowered expectations, have fallen quite a few spots.
To get the final NBA Rank, we asked our expert panel to vote on player vs. player matchups from more than 20,000 possible pairings. Voters were asked, “Which player will be better in 2025-26?” and had to predict how each player would perform this season.
Our countdown kicked off with our ranking of players Nos. 100-51 on Tuesday and continues today with Nos. 50-11. We’ll top off our rank on Thursday with ESPN’s top 10 players of 2025-26.
Note: ESPN’s NBA Rank panel, made up of more than 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts, was asked to rank players based on their predicted contributions — quality and quantity — for the 2025-26 season only. Due to their long-term injuries, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Dejounte Murray and Fred VanVleet are not part of this season’s rankings.
Signature stat: Porzingis ranked fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed among defenders contesting 700-plus shots in 2024-25.
Signature stat: Opponents shot 57% on layups/dunks with Gobert on the court (3rd) vs. 62% when he was not on the floor (21st).
It was a volatile season for Bridges in New York after being acquired from the crosstown rival Nets for a boatload of draft picks last summer. Bridges at times was a sore spot for his inconsistent production, but he made huge plays to help the Knicks win two of their four games against the Celtics in the conference semifinals, helping them reach the East finals for the first time in a quarter century. New York will be hoping for more consistency from Bridges this season. — Tim Bontemps
Signature stat: Bridges played in 556 consecutive games, the fourth most to start a career, and could reach second with 54 more games.
It is almost impossible to rank Embiid after the former MVP played just 19 games last season. If he is back and healthy, he’s obviously a top-10-caliber player, as he was for several seasons prior to 2024-25. But that’s a very big if, particularly after how the past 18 months or so have gone in Philly. — Bontemps
Signature stat: Embiid in 2023-24 became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain (1961-62) with more points than minutes played in a season.
Signature stat: Murray’s 1,375 points scored/assisted via handoffs over past three seasons are the most in the NBA, per GeniusIQ.
Signature stat: Allen’s five games with 20 points and 90% field goal shooting is tied for second most in the shot clock era; only Wilt Chamberlain had more (11).
Signature stat: Johnson ranked seventh in touches per game as of Jan. 23, part of the only duo with Young in the top 10 in the category.
Markkanen had an incredible performance leading Finland to the bronze medal game at EuroBasket — including an upset of Serbia. But Markkanen didn’t quite reach expectations last season in Utah after signing a monster extension in the offseason, playing in just 47 games and averaging 19 points and just 5.9 rebounds for the tanking Jazz. That’s as much on the Jazz as it is Markkanen, who reminded everyone this summer just how versatile and dangerous he can be. — Ramona Shelburne
Signature stat: Markkanen’s 1,142 career 3-pointers made are the second most by a 7-footer, and he’s the only 7-footer with 200 3s in a season (2022-23).
Signature stat: Randle averaged 21.7 PPG and 50% FG in the 2025 playoffs vs. 17.1 PPG and 34% FG in previous postseason appearances.
Last season was the finest of Anunoby’s career, and he played a huge role in New York’s impressive run to the conference finals. He has solidified himself as one of the league’s best and most versatile defenders and set a career high in points per game (18.0) and tied his career high in games played (74). New York will be hoping both marks carry over to this season, as he will remain a critical part of what the Knicks hope will be a conference-winning squad under Mike Brown. — Bontemps
Signature stat: Anunoby is the first Knicks player with at least 150 3-points made, 100 steals and 50 blocks in a season.
Signature stat: Gordon had the first game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk in NBA history in Game 4 of the first-round series against the LA Clippers.
Signature stat: Bane is one of three players with 800 made 3s and 40% 3-point percentage since 2020-21 (with Zach LaVine and Stephen Curry).
Signature stat: Garland is one of two players to average at least 20 points, 5 assists and 40% from 3 (with Nikola Jokic).
Signature stat: Thompson was the first Rockets player with at least 80 steals and 80 blocks since Hakeem Olajuwon (1998-99).
Underrated no more, Zubac had a breakout year in his ninth season. And still just 28 years old, he could be settling in for a spectacular prime. In a conference where there are so many talented big men, Zubac has matured into an elite defensive center. He’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the league too, and hunts only high-percentage shots, hitting more than 60% in six straight seasons. He has proved he can handle a bigger role, and the Clippers are going to give it to him. — Windhorst
Signature stat: Zubac’s 59 double-doubles is the most by a Clippers player since Blake Griffin (2010-11).
Signature stat: Fox is one of two players to average 20 points, 5 assists and 1 steal in each of the past six seasons (with Luka Doncic).
Signature stat: Fox led the NBA in double-doubles for the third straight season, the first player to do so since Kevin Garnett (2002-07).
Signature stat: Morant is one of six players to average 25 points and seven assists over the past four seasons (he played in just 54% of Grizzlies games).
Signature stat: Wagner had career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals last season; he ranks last in eFG% on jumpers with 700-plus attempts over the past two seasons.
Signature stat: Barnes’ 1,000 points, 50 blocks and 50 steals in each of his four seasons is tied with Chris Bosh for the most in Raptors history.
Even Maxey’s incandescent smile lost some shine amid the misery of Philadelphia’s lost season, but the guard is unquestionably the player the 76ers will lean on most with both Joel Embiid and Paul George coming off injury-riddled campaigns. One thing to watch: Maxey’s 3-point shooting. It dropped from 43% three years ago to 33% last season. — Bontemps
Signature stat: Maxey’s five games with 30 points and 10 assists is the most by a Sixers player since Allen Iverson (2006-07).
Signature stat: Towns is one of two players to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and 40% from 3 (with Nikola Jokic).
Signature stat: Brown is one of two players to average three made 3s and one block per game (with Victor Wembanyama).
All the work Sengun put in over the summer in Istanbul paid off on the international stage, with the 23-year-old leading Turkey to the FIBA EuroBasket final on the way to earning all-tournament recognition. Houston’s brass wanted Sengun to ramp up his stamina over the summer while focusing on the strongest elements of his post game. He accomplished those goals, placing him in a position to be a dominant force in Houston’s devastating double-big lineups. — Wright
Signature stat: Sengun is the second Rockets player to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in a season (joining Charles Barkley).
Signature stat: Holmgren led the NBA in FG% allowed on layups/dunks among players contesting 100-plus shots.
Signature stat: Harden was the only player with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks last season.
Signature stat: The Eastern Conference finals MVP scored 472 points in the postseason — third most in Pacers history.
Signature stat: Adebayo took 221 3s last season, up from 104 in his first seven seasons combined, and shot 44% from 3 over the final 36 games.
Signature stat: Leonard scored 20-plus points in the final 22 games of the season (regular season and playoffs), tying his career-best streak.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined for the season with an Achilles tear, Brown will have a chance to see what life is like as the leading scorer in Boston — with all of the responsibility that comes along with it. Presuming he has no lingering issues from offseason knee surgery, Brown could easily surpass his career high in scoring (26.6 PPG in 2022-23). Still, it remains to be seen how competitive this season’s Celtics squad will be, even in the lesser Eastern Conference. — Bontemps
Signature stat: Brown finished with a career high in assists; the Celtics had a 66% effective field goal percentage off his passes, fourth best among those with 500-plus assist opportunities.
Signature stat: The Warriors went 23-7 with Butler vs. 25-27 without him; they had the third-best NBA record after his debut Feb 8.
Signature stat: Banchero is the third Magic player to average 25-plus PPG, joining Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady.
Signature stat: Booker is one of two players to average 25-plus points in each of the past seven seasons (with Giannis Antetokounmpo).
Signature stat: Mitchell is the first guard since Allen Iverson to average 20-plus points per game in his first eight seasons.
The entire spectrum of the AD experience was on display during Davis’ Mavs debut. He was brilliant on both ends of the floor for 2½ quarters and then went down in a heap in the middle of the paint, suffering an injury initially believed to be minor that ended up sidelining the 10-time All-Star for the next six weeks. When Davis is healthy, there are few players who have the blend of offensive production and defensive impact. — MacMahon
Signature stat: Davis averaged at least 20 points, 1 steal and 2 blocks in a season for the 11th time in his career in 2024-25, second most by any player since blocks and steals became official in 1973-74. Only Hakeem Olajuwon has more such seasons.