By Tim Bontemps | ESPN, 2025-09-26 19:20:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
本周四，ESPN专家团完成了他们第15届的年度NBA最佳球员排名。
为此，我们联系了联盟各队的球探、教练和高管，就我们这份全新的2025-26赛季百大球员榜单征求了他们的反馈，包括他们对排名中认同和不认同之处的看法。
以下是我们最新一期NBA球员实力榜引发的一些最重要问题与争议焦点的摘要，其中包括丹佛掘金队的明星中锋、三届MVP得主尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic) 还能在榜首位置上停留多久，是否有美国球员最终能够取代他的头把交椅，以及现役传奇勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James)、凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 和斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry) 还能在联盟顶尖球星行列中坚守多长时间。
榜首还能维持多久？
从业内交流中得出的共识是，过去几年中一直被公认为联盟第一人或至少在此讨论范围内的约基奇，至少还能在榜首位置上保持两年，之后才可能开始排名下滑。“这个数字可能看起来偏低，”一位东部球队高管告诉ESPN，“但我们总是低估了联盟格局变化的速度。”
但根据联盟内部人士的看法，约基奇能在榜首停留多久，不仅取决于追赶者们的脚步，同样也取决于随着年龄增长，他的打法能保持多高的水准。而对于一个不依赖速度或弹跳能力打出MVP级别影响力的球员来说，优雅地步入巅峰期末段应该不成问题。
“他的比赛水平没有理由会下滑，”一位东部球探说。
“关键在于他是否有动力保持体型，”另一位说道。
下赛季哪些球员有望跻身前十？
一些答案很自然地指向了一位只要保持健康就锁定前十的球员：波士顿凯尔特人队的明星杰森·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum)，他刚刚连续第四次入选NBA最佳阵容一阵，但由于五月份右脚跟腱撕裂，他将至少缺席本赛季的大部分比赛。
塔图姆并非唯一的选择。多人将俄克拉荷马雷霆队的前锋杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams)（排名第11）、底特律活塞队的后卫凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham)（排名第12）、克利夫兰骑士队的后卫多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell)（排名第15）以及奥兰多魔术队的前锋保罗·班凯罗 (Paolo Banchero)（排名第17）列为候选人。
支持威廉姆斯的理由，源于他在去年春天帮助俄克拉荷马雷霆队夺得NBA总冠军，包括在总决赛第五场砍下40分。与此同时，坎宁安则因其上赛季的成长而备受赞誉，他带领底特律活塞队打出了十年来最好的赛季，并且其个人技术仍在不断精进。
“他有身材、有组织能力、有投射，还能防守，”一位东部高管说道，“他几乎满足了所有要求。”
对于米切尔和班凯罗而言，看好他们的逻辑相似：他们各自领导的球队，都有机会在一个真正开放的分区中实现突破。如果其中任何一人能带队在季后赛中走得更远，甚至闯入NBA总决赛，那么前十的位置就可能属于他们。
“如果[班凯罗]能以正确的方式打球，而魔术队也能打出应有的表现，”一位东部助理教练说，“我完全能预见他明年会进入前十。”
你心目中本赛季的前五名是谁？
连续第二年，每位受访者都毫不犹豫地报出了四个名字：约基奇、谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)、扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 和卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic)。
然而，有几位球员在第五名的票选中至少获得了一票，包括维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)、库里、安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards)、杜兰特和米切尔。
“[文班亚马]已经很出色了，”一位西部球探说，“而且现在他身边有了帮手，球队也开始追求胜利。”
“[爱德华兹]还在持续进步，”另一位说道。
“[米切尔]为提升那支球队所做的贡献没有得到足够认可，”一位东部球探说，“他为了与现有队友融合而改变自己打法这一点，同样被低估了。”
勒布朗、库里和杜兰特还属于前十球员吗？
三位到2025-26赛季开始时年龄将达到或超过37岁的球员——詹姆斯将连续第二个赛季成为联盟中最年长的球员——仍然能排在这份榜单的前十名，这实在令人惊叹。而且，联盟内部人士在很大程度上也认同这一评价。有些人认为他们中的一两位是处在边缘位置，但没有人认为将这三人排在前十是离谱的。
“他们理应在前十，”一位西部助理教练说，“他们只是不再是联盟前五的球员了。”
“只要他们保持健康，他们绝对是[前十]水平，”一位东部球探说，“但在目前这个阶段，健康已经不是板上钉钉的事了。”
“他们的排名肯定在下滑，”一位东部高管说，“但他们仍然应该留在前十。”
弗拉格会一鸣惊人吗？美国球员近期能重夺第一宝座吗？
鉴于联盟MVP已经连续七年由国际球员获得，这份榜单上的前五名也都是国际球员，而这项运动中最耀眼的年轻新星则是来自法国的文班亚马，连续第二年，这个问题的最普遍答案依然是“不”。
但是，既然他已经成功进入了NBA，状元秀库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 还是赢得了相当多的尊重，人们相信他有能力最终冲击那个自2021年由杜兰特占据后便旁落他人的榜首宝座。
“你不可能在[去年夏天]代表美国男篮集训时打出他那样的表现，”一位东部助理教练说，“然后说他没有机会（成为第一人）。”
其他被提及的球员还有：爱德华兹、班凯罗和塔图姆。
在2026-27赛季前，弗拉格的排名会到哪里？
关于弗拉格的共识是，他下赛季在这份榜单上的排名将会有一次坚实的飞跃。
“前25名，”一位西部助理教练说。“他将成为一名全明星边缘球员，届时人们讨论的话题将是，他是否应该以一个二年级生的身份入选全明星。”
其他几位受访者也将弗拉格排在明年榜单的前30名以内，这也是普遍的看法。关于弗拉格潜力的唯一疑问并非围绕他的球技，而是关于达拉斯独行侠队那套以老将为主的阵容，联盟内部人士担心这至少在初期可能会造成一种尴尬的磨合问题。
“我只是不喜欢他在那支球队里的角色定位，”一位西部助理教练说道，他将弗拉格下赛季的排名预测为前50名以内，而不是更高。
你会把乔尔·恩比德排在哪里？
几乎所有人都表示，当保持健康时，费城76人队的MVP级内线乔尔·恩比德 (Joel Embiid) 是一名排名前10或前15的球员。但是，考虑到NBA球员实力榜是综合评判球员在新赛季表现的“质”与“量”，而恩比德上赛季仅出战了19场比赛，他们会把他排在什么位置呢？
少数几位联盟内部人士表示，他们认为恩比德根本不会上榜。“我只是觉得他的出场次数不会足够多，”一位西部高管说。
不过，大多数人表示他们会将恩比德排在前40名之内，有少数人甚至将他提升至前25名。“他的上限实在太高了，不能把他的排名放得比这更低，”一位东部球探说。
本赛季你更倾向于拥有哪套阵容：尼克斯队（百大球员中有七人）还是骑士队（前五十名中有四人）？
鉴于这两支球队是东部的两大夺冠热门，且目前对于谁更胜一筹并无定论，这个问题最终导致了几乎五五开的回答也就不足为奇了。那些看好尼克斯队的人指出了球队更胜一筹的阵容深度，而选择骑士队的人则更青睐于他们更为集中的顶尖天赋。
“他们更久经沙场，”一位西部球探在谈到上赛季闯入分区决赛抢七的尼克斯队时说。
“[骑士队]运动能力更强，防守潜力更好，上限也更高，”一位东部球探说。
点击查看原文：NBA Rank 2025: League insiders on Embiid, Flagg, top-five predictions
NBA Rank 2025: League insiders on Embiid, Flagg, top-five predictions
On Thursday, ESPN’s expert panel completed its 15th annual ranking of the NBA’s best players.
In response, we reached out to scouts, coaches and executives across the league to get their feedback on our new top 100 for 2025-26, including comments on where they agreed and disagreed with our rankings.
Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest questions and points of contention from our latest edition of NBA Rank, including how long Denver Nuggets star center and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic will remain atop the heap, whether any American players could eventually supplant him in that top spot, and just how much longer active legends LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry can keep themselves among the league’s elite stars.
How long will No. 1 stay No. 1?
The consensus from conversations is that Jokic, who has been the definitive top player or at least in the conversation for the past several years, has at least two more runs at No. 1 before he’s likely to start sliding down this list. “That might seem low,” an East executive told ESPN, “but we never account for how fast things change in the league.”
But Jokic’s stay atop this list, at least according to league insiders, will be as much about how his game should age as the pack trying to catch up. And for a player who doesn’t rely on speed or leaping ability to make an MVP impact, aging gracefully into the end of his prime shouldn’t be a problem.
“There’s no reason his game will slow down,” an East scout said.
“It’s all about his motivation to stay in shape,” another said.
Which players could jump into the top 10 next season?
Some answers naturally pointed to a player who is a top-10 lock – if he was healthy: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who is coming off a fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team selection but will miss at least the majority of the season after tearing his right Achilles in May.
Tatum had plenty of company. Multiple people tabbed Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (No. 11), Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (No. 12), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (No. 15) and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (No. 17) as candidates.
The case for Williams builds off him helping Oklahoma City win the NBA title this past spring, including scoring 40 points in Game 5. Cunningham, meanwhile, earned praise for his growth last season in leading Detroit to its best season in a decade, and for his ability to keep expanding his game.
“He’s got size, playmaking, shooting, he can guard,” one East executive said. “He checks a lot of boxes.”
For Mitchell and Banchero, the case was rooted in a similar logic: Both lead teams that have a chance to break through in a truly wide-open conference. A top-10 spot could be theirs if either can spark a deep playoff run or reach the NBA Finals.
“If [Banchero] comes in and plays the right way, and they do what they are supposed to do,” an East assistant coach said, “I could absolutely see him in there next year.”
What is your top five for this season?
For the second straight year, every person asked rattled off four names right away: Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic.
Several players, however, earned at least one vote for fifth, including Victor Wembanyama, Curry, Anthony Edwards, Durant and Mitchell.
“[Wembanyama] was already good,” one West scout said, “and now he’s got guys around him and they’re trying to win.”
“[Edwards] just continues to grow,” another said.
“[Mitchell] doesn’t get enough credit for how he’s lifted that franchise,” an East scout said, “and for how he’s changed his game to mesh with the guys they had.”
Do LeBron, Steph and KD still belong in the top 10?
It’s remarkable that three players who will be 37 or older by the time the 2025-26 season starts – James will be the oldest player in the league for a consecutive season – remain inside the top 10 in these rankings. And, in large part, league insiders agreed with the assessment. Some argued that one or two of them is a borderline selection, but no one said this trio’s rankings were out of bounds.
“They should be there,” a West assistant coach said. “They’re just not top-five guys anymore.”
“They are for sure [top 10] as long as they are healthy,” an East scout said, “but that’s no sure thing at this point.”
“They’re moving down for sure,” an East executive said, “but they should still be there.”
Flagg or bust? Will an American player become No. 1 any time soon?
With there now being seven straight international picks as the league’s MVP, the top five guys on this list all being international players and the biggest young star in the sport being France’s Wembanyama, the most popular answer to this question, for a second straight year, was no.
But now that he has successfully made it to the NBA, there was a healthy amount of respect for No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, and his ability to eventually make a run at the spot last held by Durant in 2021.
“You don’t go to Team USA [last summer] and do what he did,” one East assistant coach said, “and not have a chance.”
Other players who received mentions: Edwards, Banchero and Tatum.
Where will Flagg rank ahead of 2026-27?
The consensus on Flagg is that he will make a solid leap up this list next season.
“Top 25,” one West assistant coach said. “He’ll be a borderline All-Star and the conversation will be about whether he should make it as a second-year guy or not.”
Several others had Flagg inside the top 30 in next year’s rankings, which was the consensus answer. The only questions posed about Flagg’s potential didn’t center around his game, but rather the Dallas Mavericks’ veteran-heavy roster, which league insiders feared could provide an awkward fit, at least initially.
“I just don’t like the role for him on that team,” said a West assistant, who had Flagg inside the top 50 next season, rather than higher.
Where would you rank Joel Embiid?
Virtually everyone said that, when healthy, the Philadelphia 76ers’ MVP big man is a top-10 or top-15 player. But, given that NBA Rank is a combination of quantity and quality of play for the upcoming season, and that Embiid is coming off playing only 19 games last season, where could they see him landing?
A few league insiders said they couldn’t see him on the list at all. “I just don’t think he’ll play enough,” a West executive said.
Most, though, said they would rank Embiid somewhere inside the top 40, with a few elevating him into the top 25. “The upside is just too great to have him much lower than that,” an East scout said.
Which group would you rather have for this season: the Knicks (seven players in the top 100) or the Cavs (four players in the top 50)?
Given how these franchises are the two favorites in the East, and that there’s no consensus as to which is better at the moment, it wasn’t shocking that this question led to what basically amounted to a 50-50 split. Those who favored the Knicks pointed to the team’s superior depth, while those who picked the Cavaliers opted for the team’s concentration of more top-end talent.
“They’re more battle-tested,” one West scout said of the Knicks, who reached Game 7 of the conference finals last season.
“[The Cavs] are more athletic, they have better defensive potential and a higher ceiling,” an East scout said.
By Tim Bontemps | ESPN, via ESPN