By Law Murray | The Athletic, 2026-05-22 09:00:44
随着我们的球星分档项目来到NBA的顶峰，结果并没有太多意外。但去年，我将10名球员列入了第一档（Tier 1）。今年情况有所不同，即便我极力想展现包容性，人数也变少了。
篮球的伟大之处在于，没有哪个球员是完美的。也许存在完美的剧本，这也是为什么在许多人心中迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 是历史最佳 (GOAT)。但即便是乔丹也有瑕疵（尤其是华盛顿奇才时期的乔丹），而且在季后赛中他也需要斯科蒂·皮蓬 (Scottie Pippen) 才能赢球。无论第一档的球员有多么伟大，他们同样存在短板和弱点，在围绕他们构建阵容和战术时，必须考虑到这些因素。
我试着保持与去年的一致性，因此细分档的数量保持不变。但在稳定性、影响力、产出、体型和技术方面，这一组球员是我最看好的。遗憾的是，没有哪个英文首字母缩写词能把这些特质完美概括。
之前的分档我们是按降序呈现的。为了给今年的项目收尾，我们将按升序揭晓第一档。
Tier 1D
去年我曾指出，安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 和维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 已经是第一档球员，因为他们展现出的实力足以让人对他们寄予这样的期望。爱德华兹带领明尼苏达森林狼队连续第二年杀入西部决赛，而文班亚马则正带领圣安东尼奥马刺队在季后赛中一路深耕。在这个细分档中，我的预测成分最多，但原因各不相同。
本赛季，我冲动之下只将一名球员提拔进了第一档，那就是底特律活塞队的控球后卫凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham)。身高6英尺6英寸（约1米98）、体重220磅（约100公斤）的他，正是那种任何球队都会庆幸能围绕其建队的大型后卫。对于坎宁安来说，成功并非一蹴而就，两年前他还在全联盟战绩最差的球队中首发了62场。一年前，在坎宁安身边配备了合格的老将后，他带领球队闯入了季后赛。而今年，他带领活塞队拿下了60胜，这充分说明了他的影响力，因为几乎没人能料到这个结果。当坎宁安在场时，底特律平均每场比赛净胜对手8.1分。
坎宁安利用自己的体型和技术，在挡拆持球、单打和低位背身单打中都能高效得分。他场均获得6.0次罚球机会，且这一数字每年都在递增。坎宁安还将场均助攻提升至9.9次，仅次于尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić)，同时将场均失误降至3.7次。失误是坎宁安最大的问题，这在今年季后赛中有所暴露，但他也证明了自己是一名在季后赛中得分能力更上一层楼的球员。
尽管他的急停跳投很出色，但坎宁安的下一步是提高接球投篮三分球的命中率。虽然他的接球三分命中率仅为30.9%，但他的急停跳投三分命中率达到了35.9%，而这正是他更自然能获得的出手选择。他是一个真正的“四区域”得分手，能够冲击禁区、投射三分、制造犯规，并且在中距离游刃有余。
让坎宁安更具价值的是，他积极参与到了本赛季东部最佳防守体系之中。坎宁安和队友们一样充满身体对抗性，他场均贡献职业生涯新高的1.4次抢断和5.5个篮板。他在防守第一线进行贴身防守，在防单打时也表现得非常坚韧。与许多高使用率的后卫不同，他在防守端不需要被保护。
坎宁安不会用速度或运动能力去压制对手。耐用性是一个黄色警报，因为他在五个赛季中仅有一次单赛季出场超过70场，而且今年春天因肺部塌陷（气胸）缺席了三周。但他集身型、技术和竞争心于一体，这应该会让坎宁安在未来的十年里都处于最佳阵容一阵的讨论之中。
就在坎宁安还在追求首次总决赛之旅时，杰森·塔图姆 (Jayson Tatum) 已经带领波士顿凯尔特人队到过那里了。杰伦·布朗 (Jaylen Brown) 或许是2024年的总决赛MVP，但塔图姆在总决赛中的得分、篮板和助攻均位列全队第一。不幸的是，塔图姆在去年季后赛第二轮中遭遇了跟腱断裂。
在他的前八个赛季中，塔图姆总共只缺席了51场比赛。本赛季他因跟腱手术恢复缺席了前62场比赛，随后在最后20场比赛中缺席了4场。波士顿在首轮对阵费城时取得了3-1的领先，但由于塔图姆因左小腿和膝盖问题缺阵，他们最终输掉了抢七大战。
塔图姆的复出表现令人鼓舞，而波士顿在季后赛的过早出局对塔图姆来说或许是因祸得福，这让他能够拥有一个漫长的休赛期，而无需在其中艰难地从重大手术中康复。
塔图姆之所以在这个细分档，是因为他虽是第一档球员，但需要重新证明自己能恢复到伤前的水平。明年将是塔图姆在20多岁年龄段最后一次亮相季后赛，因此他的伤病恢复与他身体巅峰期的尾声之间存在一个有趣的交汇点。对塔图姆有利的是，他身高6英尺8英寸（约2米03）且技术全面。复出后，他在挡拆和低位单打中表现高效，但他需要找回自己的单打节奏，这在过去的三个赛季中曾让他成为一个极难对付的球员。在常规赛16场比赛的样本中，塔图姆的投篮命中率（41.1%）和三分命中率（32.9%）均创下职业生涯新低，但这些数据在季后赛中提升到了投篮命中率47.5%和三分命中率36.5%。
不难看出塔图姆是如何找回状态的。他能站上罚球线，已经成长为一名可靠的组织者（过去两年他的助攻是失误的两倍以上），并且出手了大量的三分球。在防守端，塔图姆对球的落点有着敏锐的直觉，能够防守场上的所有五个位置。一个极好的迹象是，塔图姆的身体状况足够健康，使他在本赛季常规赛场均抢下10.0个篮板，在季后赛场均抢下10.7个篮板。只要他能保持健康并恢复到以前的竞技水平，塔图姆就是第一档球员。
Tier 1C
一年前，这个细分档里还有斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry)、凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 和勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James)。但这不是终身成就奖。如今占据这一档的两名球员正朝着相反的方向前进。
安东尼·爱德华兹是联盟中最好的得分后卫，尤其是在投篮方面。尽管爱德华兹本赛季的三分出手数比去年的场均命中4.1个略有下降，降至3.4个，但他投出了职业生涯新高的39.9%的三分命中率。
根据Second Spectrum的数据，爱德华兹是本赛季仅有的九位至少投进100个急停跳投三分的球员之一，他投进了128个（位列NBA第五），命中率为35.3%。爱德华兹的接球投篮三分表现更是令人瞩目，本赛季139次尝试中他投出了49.6%的命中率。在今年尝试了20次以上接球三分的425名球员中，爱德华兹的准星是最高的。
爱德华兹承担了巨大的战术负荷，并且他的得分每年都在进步，本赛季达到了场均28.8分。他场均获得7.2次罚球，投篮命中率为48.9%，两项数据均创下职业生涯新高。爱德华兹曾承诺本赛季要在中距离表现得更好，他做到了，投进了103个中距离两分球，命中率达到43.3%。爱德华兹场均3.7次助攻创下五年来的新低，但他忙于砍分，并且在挡拆、单打和低位单打中都表现得极其高效；根据Synergy的数据，在这三种进攻方式中，他每次控球的得分都超过了1分。
身高6英尺4英寸（约1米93）、体重225磅（约102公斤）并拥有出众的运动能力，爱德华兹具备成为强力防守者的硬件条件。但实际情况并不总是如此，他被对手突破的次数超出了应有的水平。但他是一个防守创造者，场均贡献1.4次抢断和5.0个篮板。他的防守动作干净，很少犯规，不过这也是意料之中的，因为他身后有鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 坐镇，而且由于外线还有杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels)，爱德华兹很少被要求去对位对方的主要得分手。
伤病在今年终于找上了爱德华兹。在前五个赛季仅缺席19场比赛之后，爱德华兹今年缺席了21场比赛，这还不包括他职业生涯中首次缺席季后赛。爱德华兹在膝盖过度伸展后仅用九天就重返赛场，这简直不可思议，尽管伤病消耗了他的一些爆发力。总的来说，即将在8月份满25岁的爱德华兹正接近他的巅峰期。
但密尔沃基雄鹿队的前锋扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 却并非如此。五年前，阿德托昆博可以说是球场上最具统治力的球员，斩获了2021年的总冠军以及总决赛MVP。在此之前，他还蝉联了常规赛MVP，并荣膺2020年年度最佳防守球员。
从那以后，雄鹿队基本上一直在走下坡路。阿德托昆博在2022年带领雄鹿队在首轮击败了芝加哥公牛队，自那之后他们就再也没有赢过任何一个季后赛系列赛。今年，雄鹿队沦为了一支输掉50场比赛的乐透区球队，连续九年晋级季后赛的纪录就此终结。
阿德托昆博与雄鹿队之间的矛盾根深蒂固，而且鉴于雄鹿夺冠时期的首发队友悉数离队，以及在此期间引入的唯一球星达米安·利拉德 (Damian Lillard)，这种局面的出现似乎不可避免。阿德托昆博本赛季遭遇了前所未有的伤病困扰，仅出场36场。其中只有6场是在全明星赛后。伤病对阿德托昆博来说已成为日益严重的隐患，他在2023年和2024年的季后赛中缺席了8场比赛，而且在过去五年中仅有一次单赛季出场达到70场。
尽管如此，只要阿德托昆博站在场上，他依然是对手的噩梦。本赛季他场均得到27.6分，创下八年来新低，但他投出了职业生涯新高的62.4%的投篮命中率，并且有望连续第三个赛季完成200次以上的扣篮。全联盟只有卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić) 的场均罚球次数多于阿德托昆博，只有勒布朗·詹姆斯场均快攻得分多于阿德托昆博，而且阿德托昆博连续第三年领跑联盟场均内线得分榜。他的助攻有所下降，但在与小凯文·波特 (Kevin Porter Jr.) 和莱恩·罗林斯 (Ryan Rollins) 分担组织重任的情况下，他依然能送出场均5.4次助攻。虽然爱德华兹投出了49.6%的接球三分命中率，本赛季阿德托昆博尝试了20次接球三分——并且投进了其中的一半。虽然出手次数少，但值得关注。
阿德托昆博本赛季场均仅有0.7次盖帽，创下职业生涯新低。但在至少出场20场、场均至少打20分钟且场均在篮下防守至少2.5次投篮的136名球员中，阿德托昆博限制对手命中率在51.9%，高居联盟第五。尽管他连续八个赛季场均篮板上双的纪录被终结，但他依然能抢下场均9.8个篮板。
阿德托昆博是迄今为止今年休赛期最有可能换队的第一档球星。也许围绕他构建一支争冠球队的难度太高了：理想情况下，你需要一个像布鲁克·洛佩斯 (Brook Lopez) 那样能拉开空间的中锋，一个像克里斯·米德尔顿 (Khris Middleton) 那样强力的中距离得分手，一个像朱·霍勒迪 (Jrue Holiday) 那样防守凶悍且具备次级组织能力的防守尖兵，以及充足的投手。阿德托昆博必须证明自己能保持健康，但他依然是顶尖的防守者，也是篮球界最强的内线得分手，即便他已经不再是联盟中最好的攻防一体大个子。
Tier 1B
从这一档开始，全都是国际球员。这个细分档包括了联盟中最好的得分手和最好的防守者。
洛杉矶湖人队控球后卫卢卡·东契奇的下限，使他未能跻身第一档的最顶端。东契奇是NBA中唯一场均失误达到4次的球员。尽管他的防守还算扎实，但他经常在防守端被保护起来。如果你想知道为什么湖人队的护筐表现排在联盟倒数第二，那是因为洛杉矶的防守战术让东契奇承担了比除首发中锋德安德烈·艾顿 (Deandre Ayton) 之外的任何队友都要多的护筐任务。尽管他效力的球队连续第四年领跑联盟罚球差额榜，但东契奇仍因技术犯规累计过多而被禁赛。在过去的五个赛季中，他每个赛季都至少缺席12场比赛，并且因为遭遇了本赛季第二次（也是更严重的）腘绳肌伤势而缺席了整个季后赛。
尽管如此，联盟中没有比他更令人畏惧的得分手了。东契奇在三年内第二次荣膺NBA得分王（场均33.5分）。他首次领跑联盟场均罚球次数（场均10.1次），并且首次在场均三分命中数和出手数上均位列联盟第一，用场均4.0个三分球和36.6%的命中率弥补了失误。根据Second Spectrum的数据，本赛季没有球员比他投进了更多的急停三分（181个），无论有没有挡拆，他都能完成出手。他投进了104个中距离投篮，排名联盟第10，而且根据Synergy的数据，没有哪个后卫在低位投进的球比东契奇更多。在“四区域”得分方面，东契奇有能力单枪匹马撑起湖人队的进攻，尤其是在比赛早期。他场均在第一节砍下12分，是本赛季所有球员在单节比赛中的最高场均得分。
防守端，东契奇本赛季表现强硬。他制造了14次进攻犯规，位列联盟第八，并送出了职业生涯新高的105次抢断。尽管场均7.7个篮板创下了职业生涯新低，但在后卫中仍高居第三，仅次于约什·吉迪 (Josh Giddey) 和阿门·汤普森 (Amen Thompson)。去年休赛期，关于东契奇体能状况的讨论有很多。下个赛季，休息应该成为他的首要任务，因为他正努力争取自2024年随达拉斯独行侠队输掉总决赛以来，赢得自己的第一个季后赛系列赛。
第一档中有三位状元秀。马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马已经名列榜单前茅，而这仅仅是他的第三个赛季。他已经两度入选全明星，曾是常规赛MVP的最终候选人，并拿下了可能是他未来一连串年度最佳防守球员奖杯中的第一座。今年，他带领圣安东尼奥赢得了自2017年以来的首个季后赛系列赛胜利。
然而，文班亚马还有极大的上限值得去开拓。在低位单打时，他可以更好地利用自己7英尺4英寸（约2米24）的身架，而且对于一个如此频繁使用急停跳投的球员来说，他在禁区外的急停跳投还不够熟练。根据Second Spectrum的数据，虽然文班亚马的接球三分命中率达到了36.6%，但他的急停三分命中率仅为28.1%。尽管他的防守令人畏惧，但在开阔空间里，当突破者能够给防守延展过度的文班亚马施加身体对抗，甚至钻到文班亚马身下将其过掉时，他依然会被击败。这是专属于他的独特提升领域，凡夫俗子根本无需考虑这些。
话虽如此，马刺队能从西部人尽皆知的鱼腩跃升为真正的竞争者，绝非毫无缘由。文班亚马不仅在攻防两端都堪称统治级，而且他的打法让队友在进攻端极易获得优势，同时还能从他巨大的防守威慑力中获益。
文班亚马场均得到25.0分，同时制造7.0次罚球，他的进攻手段非常多样。他在挡拆的攻防两端都能发挥作用。他可以顺下、空切，或者只是站在那里轻松扣篮，其接球范围仿佛无穷无尽。他终于将自己的投篮命中率提升到了50%以上，这在很大程度上归功于他减少了三分球的出手，从而在更靠近篮筐的位置获得了更多机会。他投的不仅仅是普通的三分球，他往往在三分线外还有很大余地的地方就出手。这种空间拉开能力，结合他的纵向牵制力，让文班亚马身边的一众高水平持球手能够轻松突破并完成战术。文班亚马的场均助攻降至3.1次，但他的场均失误也降至2.4次。当你身边的控球手从杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 升级为斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)、德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 时，情况就会发生这样的变化。
自文班亚马于2023年进入联盟以来，他在181场常规赛中送出了627次盖帽。过去三个赛季中，最接近他的盖帽手是布鲁克·洛佩斯，他在多打了53场比赛的情况下，盖帽数却比文班亚马少了203次。本赛季当文班亚马在场时，圣安东尼奥每100回合仅丢103.6分；而当他下场时，圣安东尼奥每100回合要丢113.7分。这正是联盟第一的防守与联盟第15的防守之间的差距。对文班亚马而言，防守不仅仅体现在盖帽上，他在64场比赛中还贡献了66次抢断，并且场均抢下11.5个篮板。此外，文班亚马在职业生涯的三个赛季中，每个赛季的盖帽数都多于犯规数。
耐用性将永远是文班亚马需要面对的隐忧。上赛季后半段他因深静脉血栓缺席，而左小腿拉伤又让他缺阵了数周。今年4月，他还因脑震荡保护协议缺席了一场季后赛。但文班亚马已经带领他的球队在西部实现了迅速崛起，未来他将拥有更丰富的经验作为武器。
Tier 1A
两位球员站在了2026年球星分档的顶点。就个人天赋而言，他们平分秋色，但他们的风格却截然不同。
去年，我将俄克拉荷马城雷霆队的控球后卫谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 放入了顶层殿堂，即便在他NBA生涯的前六个赛季中，他仅参与过一场季后赛胜利。而他用夺得常规赛MVP并带领俄克拉荷马城夺冠作为回应。
作为卫冕冠军，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大再次带领雷霆队取得了联盟最佳战绩，并且在撰写本文时，他们已连续第二年杀入分区决赛。本赛季有26场比赛的第四节吉尔杰斯-亚历山大没有上场，而他的球队仅输掉了其中的一场。当吉尔杰斯-亚历山大在场时，雷霆队在常规赛中平均每场净胜对手11.6分。
吉尔杰斯-亚历山大持球时那令人胆寒的高效仍在延续。他是俄克拉荷马城首选的挡拆持球人、单打选择和低位背身威胁。根据Synergy的数据，本赛季在这三种战术中，他每次控球的得分都超过了1.1分，是联盟中唯一一位在所有这三种进攻方式上都领跑全队且保持如此高效率的球员。
吉尔杰斯-亚历山大是一个“四区域”得分手，同时拥有高得不可思议的下限。他在合理冲撞区内的命中率为71.2%，在非合理冲撞区的禁区内命中率为53.1%，在禁区外两分球命中率为54.9%。吉尔杰斯-亚历山大持球时间太长，无法经常待在底角，他整个赛季在底角三分线外仅18投6中。但在至少投进90个急停三分的15名球员中，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大38.4%的命中率高居第五，仅次于贾马尔·穆雷 (Jamal Murray)、巴布·卡林顿 (Bub Carrington)、斯蒂芬·库里和CJ·麦科勒姆 (CJ McCollum)。此外，根据Second Spectrum的数据，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大在56次接球三分尝试中投出了39.3%的命中率。
罚球线简直成了吉尔杰斯-亚历山大的常驻地。他的罚球命中率高达87.9%，并且连续第三年领跑联盟罚球命中数榜，尽管他的罚球尝试次数仅排在第四，落后于东契奇、阿德托昆博和德尼·阿夫迪亚 (Deni Avdija)。除了顶尖的造罚球能力外，他场均助攻失误比达到了2.97，在首发控卫中名列前茅。吉尔杰斯-亚历山大场均得到31.1分，而失误仅为2.2次。自1977年NBA开始统计失误以来，历史上仅有13个赛季有球员能做到场均至少30分且失误少于3.0次。吉尔杰斯-亚历山大一人就占了其中的四个赛季，包括失误最少的两个赛季：本赛季和上赛季。
吉尔杰斯-亚历山大还倾向于去防守那些防他的人。身高6英尺6英寸（约1米98）、体重195磅（约88公斤）的他，作为这支防守最佳球队中体型最小的防守者，拥有着理想的臂展。根据NBA Advanced Stats的数据，在今年季后赛中，被他主要防守的科林·吉莱斯皮 (Collin Gillespie) 和马库斯·斯马特 (Marcus Smart) 在他的防守下总共仅有22投4中。他本赛季的抢断、盖帽和篮板数据都有所下降，但他依然场均能贡献1.4次抢断、0.8次盖帽和4.3个篮板。
吉尔杰斯-亚历山大身上仍有一些需要警惕的地方。他因腹部拉伤缺席了24天，这已经不是他第一次遭遇这种伤病，而且他整个赛季仅完成了20次扣篮，是近五个赛季以来最少的一次。在去年的季后赛中，他的三分球手感降温，并且在防守端，他容易在单打中被体型高大的突破者击败。
但在过去的三年里，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大一直是联盟最佳球队中最好的球员，而且这还是在过去两年中他的一位明星队友每个常规赛都缺席了相当长一段时间的情况下做到的。
就在吉尔杰斯-亚历山大带领雷霆队在过去三个赛季中强势崛起的同时，尼古拉·约基奇的丹佛掘金队却在缓慢下滑。约基奇在2023年赢得了他的总决赛MVP。接下来的那个赛季，雷霆队险胜约基奇的掘金队，夺得了西部第一。尽管约基奇在2024年获得了他的第三座MVP奖杯，但掘金队和雷霆队都在分区半决赛中被爆冷淘汰。随后吉尔杰斯-亚历山大击败约基奇斩获了2025年MVP，紧接着雷霆队在去年分区半决赛的抢七大战中大胜掘金队，并一路夺冠。本赛季，雷霆队成为自2019年勇士队以来首支重返分区决赛的卫冕冠军，而约基奇的掘金队则在首轮被森林狼队爆冷淘汰。约基奇在系列赛中投出了他季后赛生涯最低的投篮命中率（44.6%）和三分命中率（19.4%）。
围绕约基奇构建强有力的防守并非不可能，但近来确实困难重重。丹佛在过去两个赛季的防守都排在联盟后十位，并且在这两个赛季中都是所有季后赛球队里防守最差的。约基奇是联盟中护筐能力最差的首发中锋之一。在常规赛中，约基奇有五场比赛至少出现了八次失误，与凯德·坎宁安并列联盟最多，也是约基奇职业生涯的新高。如今约基奇已经年过三十，并且刚刚缺席了职业生涯新高的17场比赛，最主要的原因是左膝过度伸展。
然而，约基奇依然是篮球界最具统治力的进攻球员，也是最令人叹为观止的数据制造机。掘金队是本赛季联盟进攻效率最高的球队，约基奇场均得到27.7分，并获得了职业生涯新高的7.4次罚球。他还送出了职业生涯新高且领跑联盟的场均10.7次助攻，这也是中锋位置上的历史最高纪录。
约基奇利用他6英尺11英寸（约2米11）、284磅（约128公斤）的庞大身躯去惩罚对手。没有哪个球员在低位背身单打中能比他得更多的分。但约基奇的技术同样是一件大杀器。他有能力在“反向挡拆”中担任持球手，而且他更擅长在撤销挡拆后直接进行单打。他能很好地完成大个子的本职工作，比如顺下冲击篮筐或空切得分，但约基奇在定点投篮或通过无球掩护寻找优势时同样游刃有余。
尽管今年春天投篮手感挣扎，约基奇依然保持着38%的三分命中率、55.6%的中距离命中率和83.1%的罚球命中率。约基奇拥有联盟顶尖的手感，全联盟只有凯文·杜兰特在合理冲撞区外的禁区内投进了更多的球。
约基奇本赛季的抢断数有所下降，但他场均依然有1.4次抢断；他单赛季92次抢断领跑所有中锋。历史上首次有球员在场均三双的同时荣膺联盟篮板王，约基奇本赛季场均抢下领跑联盟的12.9个篮板，并且他有可能在下个赛季超越拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克 (Russell Westbrook)，成为NBA历史上拿到三双次数最多的球员。（威斯布鲁克目前拥有209次，约基奇拥有198次。）
本赛季没有球员的触球次数比他更多。根据Second Spectrum的数据，约基奇场均触球超过100次，并且已经连续第八个赛季在触球次数上领跑全联盟。当约基奇在场时，丹佛每100回合能轰下126.1分；而当他不在场时，丹佛每100回合仅能得到112.7分，这一数据与联盟进攻排名第22位的犹他爵士队持平。
总而言之，这些球员都是联盟中最顶尖的“大厨”。但如果说这个分档项目教会了我们什么，那就是篮球终归是一项团队运动。尽管这是一个球员个体的评估项目，但这些球员必须与队友通力协作，阵容也必须契合。即便大厨手艺再好、菜肴已经端上桌，餐桌旁也依然需要坐满食客。
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。
点击查看原文：NBA Player Tiers 2026: SGA, Wembanyama, Giannis and more stand above the rest in Tier 1
NBA Player Tiers 2026: SGA, Wembanyama, Giannis and more stand above the rest in Tier 1
As we reach the NBA’s summit in our Player Tiers project, there aren’t any surprises. But last year, I had 10 players in Tier 1. That’s not the case this year, even as I strived to be inclusive.
The great thing about basketball is that no player is perfect. There might be perfect stories, which is why Michael Jordan is the GOAT to many. But even Jordan had flaws (especially Washington Wizards Jordan) and needed Scottie Pippen to win in the playoffs. As great as they are, Tier 1 players have shortcomings and weaknesses that need to be accounted for when building rosters and schemes around them.
I tried to maintain some consistency from last year, so the number of sub-tiers remains the same. But this is the group I feel strongest about when it comes to consistency, impact, production, size and skill. Unfortunately, no acronym works for that.
We presented the previous tiers in descending order. To close this year’s project, we’ll unveil in ascending order.
Tier 1D
I made the case last year that Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama were Tier 1 players because they had shown enough to expect that they belonged there. Edwards led his Minnesota Timberwolves to a second straight Western Conference finals, while Wembanyama is leading his San Antonio Spurs on a deep playoff run. This sub-tier is where I’m projecting the most, but for different reasons.
I felt moved to promote only one player into Tier 1 this season, and that was Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham. At 6 foot 6 and 220 pounds, he’s the kind of big guard a team would be fortunate to build around. It didn’t happen immediately for Cunningham, who started 62 games for the worst team in basketball two years ago. Putting competent veterans around Cunningham allowed him to lead a playoff team a year ago. This year, he led a 60-win Pistons team, which speaks volumes about his impact, as few expected that outcome. Detroit outscored opponents by an average of 8.1 points per game with Cunningham on the floor.
Cunningham uses his size and skill to score effectively out of ball screens, isolations and post-ups. He averaged 6.0 free-throw attempts per game and has increased that number every year. Cunningham also improved his assists to 9.9 per game, second only to Nikola Jokić, while decreasing his turnovers to 3.7 per game. Turnovers are Cunningham’s biggest issue, and that showed up this postseason, but he has also shown that he is a playoff riser as a scorer.
Though his shot is good off the bounce, the next step for Cunningham is to be better with off-the-catch 3s. While Cunningham made only 30.9 percent of those attempts, he made 35.9 percent on pull-up 3s, the shot more naturally available to him. He is a true four-level scorer, capable of getting to the paint, hitting 3s, drawing fouls and living in the midrange.
What makes Cunningham even more valuable is being an active participant in what was the best defense in the Eastern Conference this season. Cunningham is just as physical as his teammates, and he averaged a career-best 1.4 steals to go with 5.5 rebounds per game. He guards at the point of attack and holds up well in isolation. Unlike many high-usage guards, he doesn’t need to be hidden on that end.
Cunningham isn’t going to overwhelm opponents with his pace or athleticism. Durability is a yellow flag given that he’s played 70 games once in five seasons and a collapsed lung cost him three weeks this spring. But his combination of size, skill and competitiveness should have Cunningham in All-NBA First Team talks for the rest of the decade.
While Cunningham is seeking his first NBA Finals appearance, Jayson Tatum has already been there with the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown may have been NBA Finals MVP in 2024, but Tatum led the finals in points, rebounds and assists. Unfortunately, Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in the second round of last year’s playoffs.
Tatum missed only 51 games in his first eight NBA seasons. He missed the first 62 games of this season while recovering from Achilles surgery, then four of the last 20 games. Boston took a 3-1 lead against Philadelphia in the first round, then lost Game 7 with Tatum sidelined due to left calf and knee concerns.
Tatum’s return to play was encouraging, and Boston’s premature playoff exit is probably a blessing in disguise for Tatum, who gets to have a long offseason without recovering from a major surgery.
Tatum is in this sub-tier because he’s a Tier 1 player who needs to re-establish his pre-injury level of play. Next year is the last time Tatum could appear in the playoffs in his 20s, so there’s an interesting intersection between his injury recovery and what may be the end of his physical prime. What helps Tatum is that he is 6-8 with skill. Upon his return, he was effective playing out of ball screens and post-ups, but he needs to get his isolation game back, which made him a particularly difficult player to deal with in the previous three seasons. Tatum’s 16-game sample of regular-season play returned career lows of 41.1 percent field goals and 32.9 percent 3s, but those numbers improved to 47.5 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3 in the playoffs.
It’s not hard to see how Tatum gets back in the swing of things. He gets to the free-throw line, has developed into a solid playmaker who has more than twice as many assists as turnovers the last two years and launches a ton of 3s. Defensively, Tatum has a nose for the ball and can guard all five positions. It was a great sign that Tatum was healthy enough to capture 10.0 rebounds per game this regular season and 10.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs. As long as he can maintain his health and return to the level of play he previously established, Tatum is a Tier 1 player.
Tier 1C
A year ago, this sub-tier featured Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. But this isn’t a lifetime achievement award. The two players occupying this sub-tier now are now heading in opposite directions.
Anthony Edwards is the league’s best shooting guard, with an emphasis on shooting. Though Edwards’ 3-point volume dipped slightly this season from 4.1 3s made per game last year to 3.4, he made a career-high 39.9 percent of his 3s.
Edwards was one of nine players to make at least 100 pull-up 3s this season, per Second Spectrum, knocking down 128 of those attempts (fifth in the NBA) while connecting at a 35.3 percent clip. The 3s off the catch are eye-opening for Edwards, as he made 49.6 percent of his 139 attempts this season. Of the 425 players who attempted more than 20 off-the-catch 3s this season, Edwards was the most accurate.
Edwards has a tremendous workload and has improved his scoring every year, reaching 28.8 points per game. He got up to 7.2 free-throw attempts per game and 48.9 percent shooting from the field, both career bests. Edwards promised to be better in the midrange this season, and he did that, making 103 midrange field goals and shooting them at 43.3 percent. Edwards had a five-year low of 3.7 assists per game, but he was busy getting buckets, and he was proficient at getting them out of ball screens, isolations and post-ups; he scored more than a point per possession out of all three of those play types, per Synergy.
At 6-4, 225 pounds with exceptional athleticism, Edwards has the tools to be a strong defender. It doesn’t always work out that way, as he gets beaten more than he should. But he is a playmaker, averaging 1.4 steals to go with 5.0 rebounds. He also defends without fouling, though that should be expected with Rudy Gobert behind him and Edwards rarely being asked to take on primary scorers with Jaden McDaniels also on the perimeter.
Injuries finally caught up to Edwards this year. After missing only 19 games in his first five seasons, Edwards missed 21 this year, not including the first playoff absences of his career. The fact that Edwards returned from a hyperextended knee in nine days is incredible, though the injury zapped some of his explosiveness. Overall, Edwards, who turns 25 in August, is nearing the peak of his powers.
The same cannot be said for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Five years ago, Antetokounmpo was arguably the game’s most powerful player, decorated with the 2021 championship and the accompanying NBA Finals MVP award. That came on the heels of back-to-back MVP awards and the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year honor.
It’s basically been all downhill for the Bucks since then. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a first-round win against the Chicago Bulls in 2022, and they haven’t won a playoff series since. This year, the Bucks devolved into a 50-loss lottery team, snapping a nine-year playoff streak.
The conflict between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks is profound and seemed bound to happen given the loss of his co-starters from Milwaukee’s championship and the one star who was brought in over that time, Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo dealt with more injuries than ever this season, appearing in only 36 games. Just six of those came after the All-Star break. Injury has been a growing concern for Antetokounmpo, as he missed eight playoff games in 2023 and 2024 and has only appeared in 70 games once in the last five years.
With all that said, Antetokounmpo is a problem for opponents on the court. His scoring was an eight-year low 27.6 points per game this season, but he made a career-best 62.4 percent from the field and was on pace for his third-straight 200-dunk season. Only Luka Dončić attempted more free throws per game than Antetokounmpo, only LeBron James averaged more fast-break points than Antetokounmpo, and Antetokounmpo led the league in paint points per game for the third year in a row. His assists were down, but he averaged 5.4 per game while sharing playmaking duties with Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins. While Edwards made 49.6 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s, Antetokounmpo attempted 20 3s off the catch this season — and made half of them. A low volume, but noteworthy.
Antetokounmpo averaged a career-low 0.7 blocks per game this season. Among 136 players who played at least 20 games, averaged at least 20 minutes and averaged at least 2.5 defended field goals at the rim, Antetokounmpo’s 51.9 percent yield rate ranked fifth. Though his streak of double-digit rebounding seasons was snapped at eight, he averaged 9.8 rebounds per game.
Antetokounmpo is by far the most likely Tier 1 player to relocate this offseason. Perhaps it is too challenging to put a contending team around him: Ideally, you need a floor-spacing center in the spirit of Brook Lopez, a strong midrange scorer in the spirit of Khris Middleton, a bulldog point-of-attack defender capable of secondary playmaking in the spirit of Jrue Holiday and plenty of shooting. Antetokounmpo has to show that he can stay on the floor, but he is still a top defender and the best interior scorer in basketball, even if he’s been surpassed as the game’s best two-way big.
Tier 1B
It’s all international from here. This sub-tier features the league’s best scorer and the league’s best defender.
The floor for Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Dončić is what keeps him out of the very top of Tier 1. Dončić was the only player in the NBA to average four turnovers per game. Even though his defense was solid, he is often hidden, and in case you’re wondering why the Lakers had the second-worst rim protection in the league, Los Angeles’ scheme had Dončić in position to be a rim protector more than anyone on the team besides starting center Deandre Ayton. Dončić was suspended for excessive technical fouls despite playing for a team that led the league in free-throw differential for the fourth year in a row. He has missed at least a dozen games each of the last five seasons and missed the entire postseason because of his second (and more severe) hamstring injury of the season.
Still, there isn’t a more feared scorer in the league. For the second time in three years, Dončić led the NBA in scoring (33.5 points per game). For the first time, Dončić led the league in free-throw attempts (10.1 per game). For the first time, Dončić led the league in both 3s made and attempted per game, balancing those turnovers with 4.0 3s per game on 36.6 percent accuracy. No player made more pull-up 3s (181) this season, per Second Spectrum, and he gets them off with or without a ball screen. He also ranked 10th by making 104 midrange field goals, and no guard made more baskets in the post than Dončić, per Synergy. When it comes to four-level scoring, Dončić was capable of buoying the Lakers’ offense by himself, especially early. He averaged 12 first-quarter points per game, the most any player averaged in any quarter this season.
Defensively, Dončić was strong this season. He drew 14 charges, eighth-most in the league, and finished with a career-best 105 steals. Even though his 7.7 rebounds per game were a career low, it was third among guards behind Josh Giddey and Amen Thompson. A lot was made about Dončić’s conditioning last offseason. Next season, rest should be a priority as he attempts to participate in his first playoff series win since losing the 2024 NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks.
There are three No. 1 picks in Tier 1. Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is already placed atop the list, and he’s only in his third season. He’s a two-time All-Star, was a finalist for MVP and secured the first of what might be a string of Defensive Player of the Year awards. This year, he led San Antonio to its first playoff series win since 2017.
And yet, Wembanyama has much more ceiling to explore. He can be better at using his 7-4 frame in the post, and his pull-up jumper isn’t proficient outside the paint yet for a player who goes to it as often as he does. While Wembanyama makes 36.6 percent of his 3s off the catch, he only makes 28.1 percent of his pull-up 3s, per Second Spectrum. As intimidating as his defense is, he can be beaten in space when drivers can get a bump into an overextended Wembanyama, or even get under Wembanyama to get by him. It’s a unique area of improvement that doesn’t apply to mere mortals.
With all that said, there’s a reason the Spurs have gone from Western Conference road kill to legitimate contender. Wembanyama is not only a world beater on both ends of the floor, but his style of play makes it easy for his teammates to have advantages on offense while benefiting from his vast defensive presence.
Wembanyama scores 25.0 points per game while drawing 7.0 free throws, and there’s variety in his attacks. He can be effective on both ends of pick-and-rolls. He can roll or cut or just stand and collect dunks, with a seemingly infinite catch radius. He finally got his field goal percentage over 50 percent, and much of that was due to Wembanyama cutting down his 3-point volume for more opportunities closer to the basket. He doesn’t just shoot normal 3s, lining up with room to spare behind the arc. That kind of spacing, combined with his vertical gravity, allows for Wembanyama’s pack of high-level ballhandlers to drive and make plays. Wembanyama’s assists dropped to 3.1 per game, but his turnovers went down to 2.4 per game as well. That’s what happens when you go from Jeremy Sochan as your point guard to lead ballhandlers Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper.
Since Wembanyama entered the league in 2023, he has blocked 627 shots in 181 regular-season games. The next closest shot blocker over the last three seasons is Brook Lopez, with 203 fewer blocks in 53 more games. When Wembanyama was on the floor this season, San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions. When he was off the floor, San Antonio allowed 113.7 points per 100 possessions. That’s the difference between the league’s best defense and its 15th-ranked defense. It’s not just blocks for Wembanyama either, as he had 66 steals in 64 games, and he averaged 11.5 rebounds per game as well. Wembanyama also has had more blocks than fouls in each of his three seasons.
Durability will always be a concern for Wembanyama. He missed the second half of last season with deep vein thrombosis, and a left calf strain cost him multiple weeks. He also missed a playoff game in April due to concussion protocol. But Wembanyama has led his team to a speedy ascent in the West, and he’ll be armed with the tool of experience going forward.
Tier 1A
Two players are at the vertex of the 2026 Player Tiers. In terms of individual talent, they’re on equal footing, but they couldn’t be more different.
Last year, I put Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into the upper room even though he had only been a part of one postseason win in his first six NBA seasons. He responded by winning MVP and leading Oklahoma City to a championship.
As a defending champion, Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the league’s best record again and, as of this writing, the conference finals for the second year in a row. There were 26 fourth quarters in which Gilgeous-Alexander did not play this season, and his team only lost one of those games. When Gilgeous-Alexander was on the floor, the Thunder outscored opponents by 11.6 points per game during the regular season.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s ruthless effectiveness with the ball in his hands continued. He was Oklahoma City’s top pick-and-roll ballhandler, isolation option and post-up threat. He scored more than 1.1 points per possession in all three of those actions during the season, the only player in the league who led his team in all three play types to be that proficient in all of them, per Synergy.
Gilgeous-Alexander is a four-level scorer who also has an impossibly high floor. He converted 71.2 percent in the restricted area, 53.1 percent in the non-restricted paint and 54.9 percent on non-paint 2s. Gilgeous-Alexander is on the ball too much to be in the corner, as he made only 6 of 18 corner 3s all season. But of the 15 players to make at least 90 pull-up 3s, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38.4 percent clip ranked fifth behind Jamal Murray, Bub Carrington, Stephen Curry and CJ McCollum. For good measure, Gilgeous-Alexander nailed 39.3 percent of his 56 3-point attempts off the catch, per Second Spectrum.
The free-throw line has been a place of residence for Gilgeous-Alexander. He makes 87.9 percent of his free throws and led the NBA in free throws made for the third year in a row despite ranking fourth in attempts behind Dončić, Antetokounmpo and Deni Avdija. In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander’s elite free-throw generation, he compiled 2.97 assists per turnover, one of the best among starting point guards. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points and only 2.2 turnovers per game. Since the NBA began tracking turnovers in 1977, there have been only 13 seasons in which a player averaged at least 30 points per game and fewer than 3.0 turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander has four of those seasons, including the two with the fewest turnovers: this season and last season.
Gilgeous-Alexander also tends to guard who guards him. At 6-6, 195 pounds, he has ideal length for the smallest defender on the floor on the team with the best defense. Per NBA Advanced Stats, his primary assignments of Collin Gillespie and Marcus Smart were held to 4-of-22 shooting from the field in Gilgeous-Alexander’s coverage this postseason. His steals, blocks and rebounds were all down this season, but he still averaged 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks and 4.3 rebounds.
There are still things to be wary of with Gilgeous-Alexander. He missed 24 days with an abdominal strain, which isn’t his first instance of the injury, and he had only 20 dunks, his fewest in five seasons. His 3-pointer got dry last postseason, and he can be beaten defensively by big drivers in isolation. But Gilgeous-Alexander has been the best player on the league’s best team over the last three years, and that’s with one of his co-stars missing a significant part of the regular season each of the past two years.
While Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder have risen over the last three seasons, Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets have slowly descended. Jokić won his NBA Finals MVP in 2023. The following season, the Thunder barely secured the top seed in the West over Jokić’s Nuggets. Though Jokić earned his third MVP award in 2024, both the Nuggets and the Thunder were upset in the conference semifinals. Gilgeous-Alexander edged out Jokić for the 2025 MVP, then the Thunder blew out the Nuggets in Game 7 of last year’s conference semifinals on the way to a championship. This season, the Thunder were the first defending champion to make it to the conference finals since the 2019 Warriors, while Jokić’s Nuggets were upset by the Timberwolves in the first round. Jokić posted his lowest field goal percentage (44.6) and 3-point percentage (19.4) in a playoff series.
Building a strong defense around Jokić isn’t impossible, but it’s been difficult recently. Denver has finished as a bottom-10 defense each of the last two seasons and owned the worst defense of any playoff team in both seasons. Jokić is one of the worst rim-protection starting centers in the league. There were five regular-season games in which Jokić had at least eight turnovers, tied with Cade Cunningham for most in the league and the most Jokić has ever had. Jokić is on the other side of 30 now, and he just missed a career-high 17 games, most notably due to a left knee hyperextension.
Jokić, however, remains the most dominant offensive player in basketball and the most impressive manufacturer of production. The Nuggets were the league’s top offense this season, and Jokić averaged a career-best 7.4 free-throw attempts to go with 27.7 points per game. He also averaged a career-best and league-leading 10.7 assists per game, the most ever by a center.
Jokić uses his 6-11, 284-pound frame to punish opponents. No player scores more points in the post. But Jokić’s skill is a weapon. He is capable of handling the ball in inverted pick-and-rolls, and he is far more effective at taking the ball screen out of it and just playing in isolation. He does the big man stuff well, such as rolling to the basket or cutting for scores, but Jokić is also comfortable spotting up or coming off off-ball screens to gain an advantage. Despite the shooting struggles this spring, Jokić is still a 38 percent 3-point shooter, a 55.6 percent midrange shooter and an 83.1 percent free-throw shooter. Jokić has some of the best touch in the league, and only Kevin Durant made more shots in the paint outside the restricted area.
Jokić’s steals were down this season, but he averaged 1.4 per game; his 92 steals led all centers. For the first time, a player led the NBA in rebounding while averaging a triple-double for a season, with Jokić averaging a league-leading 12.9 rebounds per game, and he might pass Russell Westbrook for the most triple-doubles in NBA history next season. (Westbrook has 209; Jokić has 198.)
No player touched the ball more often this season. Jokić averaged more than 100 touches per game, per Second Spectrum, and has now led the NBA in touches for eighth straight seasons. When Jokić was on the floor, Denver scored 126.1 points per 100 possessions. Without him, Denver scored only 112.7 points per 100 possessions, the same mark as the 22nd-ranked Utah Jazz offense.
All in all, these are some of the best cooks in the league. But if this project has taught us anything, it’s that it is a team game. Even though this is a player evaluation exercise, these players perform in tandem with teammates, and these rosters have to fit. You can have the food served. The cooks still need seats filled at the table.
By Law Murray, via The Athletic