NBA Rank's hottest hot-button topics -- and what league execs think about the three-player battle for No. 1 — SkimNews
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- Nikola Jokic claimed the No. 1 spot in ESPN's NBA Rank 2026 with 694 points, edging Victor Wembanyama (693) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (691) in a split seven-person panel vote, and a survey of a dozen league executives returned passionate arguments backing all three candidates.
- League executives split sharply on the top spot: one GM said Jokic "makes his whole team better than anyone," while another argued Wembanyama "could be No. 1 for the next five years" despite "young mistakes in the playoffs," and a Gilgeous-Alexander backer called him "the most complete player in the world."
- Multiple team executives predicted the NBA's new anti-tanking lottery reform will force reevaluations across the rankings, naming the Jazz, Pacers and Wizards as teams whose players' perceived value could rise sharply as teams stop losing in volume.
- OG Anunoby drew fire at No. 34 after helping the Knicks win the championship with a clutch shot and shooting 48.9% from three in the playoffs, while Walker Kessler jumped 25 spots to No. 73 despite playing just five games due to shoulder surgery — a move ESPN tied to his trade to a Doncic-led Lakers team.
- Jayson Tatum fell to No. 9 from his previous No. 5 ranking as he recovers from an Achilles tear suffered in May 2025, and Donovan Mitchell at No. 10 drew more online pushback than any other top-tier star despite an All-NBA second-team selection and 27-point average.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo landed at No. 5 after his offseason trade from Milwaukee to Miami, with one executive calling it a "revenge mission," while newly minted champion Josh Hart sarcastically posted about his No. 89 ranking: "They always wrong. I should be at least No. 88."
Why it matters: NBA Rank is the league's most-debated annual exercise because it shapes how players, agents and front offices value talent heading into the season — and this year's edition carries extra weight, with a one-point No. 1 margin, anti-tanking rules poised to boost the reputations of losing teams' players, and multiple championship- or trade-altered stars landing in controversial spots.
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