Ranking the NBA's top 100 players: Victor Wembanyama enters 2026-27 season at No. 1 — SkimNews
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- CBS Sports released its annual top 100 NBA player rankings for the 2026-27 season, with Victor Wembanyama entering at No. 1 as six analysts (Brad Botkin, John Gonzalez, Robby Kaland, Jack Maloney, Sam Quinn, and Cameron Salerno) submitted ballots based on expected performance.
- Recent NBA champions have featured deep top-100 representation: the 2025-26 Knicks had all five starters plus backup center Mitchell Robinson ranked a year ago, the 2024-25 Thunder had six members selected two seasons ago, the 2023-24 Celtics had all five starters within the top 62, and the 2022-23 Nuggets placed four players in the top 75.
- Injury status shaped the rankings, with Kyrie Irving and Tyrese Haliburton returning from lengthy absences while Jimmy Butler will miss time to open the season.
- LeBron James remains in the top 20 but now sits behind two of his new teammates, highlighting the Lakers' reshaped hierarchy.
- Notable risers include Cooper Flagg, Deni Avdija, and OG Anunoby in the 30-21 band, while Trae Young, Zion Williamson, and De'Aaron Fox tumble into the 60-51 range.
- The article frames championship construction in the 2020s as requiring role players like Josh Hart, Alex Caruso, and Al Horford scattered throughout the list, not just two or three top-20 stars.
Why it matters: The ranking underscores how recent titles have been won by teams stacked across the entire top 100 rather than carried by two or three superstars — six members of the 2024-25 Thunder, all five 2023-24 Celtics starters in the top 62, and a 2025-26 Knicks roster that placed six players in the list. With Wembanyama now No. 1 and the 2026-27 season tipping off in one week, the Spurs' championship window opens by way of the same depth formula rather than a lone star.
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