Nikola Jokic Leads Composite Ranking of Top 50 NBA Players for 2025-26 Season
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NEW YORK, Oct. — An aggregate of preseason lists from ESPN, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated and HoopsHype places Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic at No. 1 among the NBA’s top 50 players heading into the 2025-26 campaign. The combined ranking was compiled by HoopsHype, which averaged each player’s placement across the four outlets and noted where every player finished the 2024-25 season.
How the composite list was created
The four media outlets each published their own preseason rankings. HoopsHype averaged those placements, then ordered the players 1-50. Each listing below shows the individual ranks from ESPN, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated and HoopsHype, followed by the player’s final position for 2024-25.
Composite Top 50 for 2025-26
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets — ESPN 1, The Ringer 1, SI 1, HoopsHype 2; 2024-25 finish: 1
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder — HoopsHype 1, ESPN 2, The Ringer 2, SI 2; finish: 4
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks — The Ringer 3, SI 3, HoopsHype 3, ESPN 4; finish: 3
4. Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers — ESPN 3, The Ringer 4, SI 4, HoopsHype 4; finish: 2
5. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves — HoopsHype 5, ESPN 6, The Ringer 6, SI 6; finish: 10
6. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs — ESPN 5, SI 5, HoopsHype 9, The Ringer 11; finish: 13
7. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors — The Ringer 5, ESPN 7, SI 11, HoopsHype 11; finish: 7
8. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks — HoopsHype 6, The Ringer 9, ESPN 10, SI 12; finish: 12
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers — HoopsHype 7, The Ringer 8, SI 10, ESPN 15; finish: 16
10. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons — HoopsHype 8, SI 9, ESPN 12, The Ringer 16; finish: 51
11. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers — ESPN 8, SI 8, The Ringer 12, HoopsHype 19; finish: 8
12. Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks — The Ringer 13, SI 13, ESPN 14, HoopsHype 16; finish: 11
13. Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets — ESPN 9, The Ringer 14, SI 15, HoopsHype 22; finish: 9
14. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder — HoopsHype 10, ESPN 11, The Ringer 20, SI 20; finish: 39
15. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers — ESPN 13, HoopsHype 13, The Ringer 17, SI 19; finish: 47
16. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic — HoopsHype 15, ESPN 17, SI 21, The Ringer 22; finish: 30
17. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics — HoopsHype 17, SI 18, ESPN 19, The Ringer 21; finish: 17
18. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns — ESPN 16, HoopsHype 18, The Ringer 19, SI 22; finish: 15
19. Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers — HoopsHype 12, ESPN 22, The Ringer 23, SI 24; finish: 33
20. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks — HoopsHype 14, The Ringer 18, SI 26, ESPN 27; finish: 35
21. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers — SI 14, The Ringer 15, ESPN 20, HoopsHype 39; finish: 19
22. James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers — ESPN 23, HoopsHype 25, SI 27, The Ringer 30; finish: 38
23. Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors — ESPN 18, SI 23, The Ringer 24, HoopsHype 42; finish: 23
24. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat — ESPN 21, SI 28, The Ringer 32, HoopsHype 35; finish: 24
25. De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs — The Ringer 26, HoopsHype 27, SI 30, ESPN 35; finish: 25
26. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks — HoopsHype 20, ESPN 29, The Ringer 33, SI 37; finish: 31
27. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets — HoopsHype 21, ESPN 25, The Ringer 36, SI 38; finish: 43
28. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies — The Ringer 25, ESPN 31, HoopsHype 32, SI 35; finish: 45
29. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder — ESPN 24, SI 25, The Ringer 27, HoopsHype 49; finish: 34
30. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings — HoopsHype 24, The Ringer 31, ESPN 34, SI 39; finish: 27
31. Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers — HoopsHype 29, SI 32, The Ringer 35, ESPN 36; finish: 119
32. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers — ESPN 28, HoopsHype 31, SI 34, The Ringer 39; finish: 21
33. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers — The Ringer 28, HoopsHype 33, SI 36, ESPN 38; finish: 56
34. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies — HoopsHype 26, ESPN 33, The Ringer 34, SI 44; finish: 18
35. Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic — HoopsHype 28, ESPN 32, The Ringer 37, SI 42; finish: 54
36. Derrick White, Boston Celtics — ESPN 26, HoopsHype 30, The Ringer 38, SI 46; finish: 40
37. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets — The Ringer 29, SI 31, HoopsHype 36, ESPN 46; finish: 32
38. Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors — ESPN 30, HoopsHype 38, The Ringer 46, SI 51; finish: 36
39. OG Anunoby, New York Knicks — The Ringer 40, ESPN 41, HoopsHype 41, SI 45; finish: 53
40. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers — SI 17, HoopsHype 23, ESPN 47, The Ringer 84; finish: 5
41. Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets — ESPN 37, The Ringer 41, HoopsHype 45, SI 48; previously unranked
42. Julius Randle, Minnesota Timberwolves — HoopsHype 34, ESPN 42, The Ringer 52, SI 52; finish: 52
43. Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets — ESPN 40, SI 41, The Ringer 42, HoopsHype 67; finish: 57
44. Desmond Bane, Orlando Magic — ESPN 39, The Ringer 47, SI 50, HoopsHype 55; finish: 48
45. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans — SI 40, The Ringer 45, HoopsHype 46, ESPN 61; finish: 26
46. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks — SI 43, ESPN 44, The Ringer 48, HoopsHype 57; finish: 74
47. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves — HoopsHype 47, ESPN 49, SI 49, The Ringer 55; finish: 37
48. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat — HoopsHype 37, SI 47, The Ringer 51, ESPN 68; finish: 82
49. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz — ESPN 43, The Ringer 53, SI 54, HoopsHype 58; finish: 29
50. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets — HoopsHype 48, The Ringer 49, SI 53, ESPN 63; finish: 49
The composite ranking features 11 players who changed teams during the 2024-25 off-season and four newcomers who were not on last year’s top-50 list. HoopsHype noted that 150 players were considered during the averaging process.
Source: Hoops Wire
