# \[ESPN\] NBA Rank 2026：联盟高管解读百大球员榜单，头名之争悬念重重

**URL:** https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48576
**Category:** 环球刺讯
**Tags:** 2026-27赛季, 维克托-文班亚马
**Created:** [2026 年9 月 25 日 12:21 UTC](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48576 "2026-09-25T12:21:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### 作者： ![ESPN](https://chinaspurs.com/user_avatar/chinaspurs.com/espn/32/97_2.png) [@ESPN](https://chinaspurs.com/u/ESPN)
#### 发布日期： [2026 年9 月 25 日 12:21 UTC](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48576/1 "2026-09-25T12:21:49Z")

</div>

By Ben Golliver / ESPN, 2026-09-25 19:00:00

![Image](https://a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0522%2Fr1661839_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg)

在NBA世界里，没有什么比ESPN每年为即将到来的新赛季评选的百大球员榜单更能引发激烈争论了。

[NBA Rank 2026](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48569) 于本周早些时候发布后，纽约尼克斯队后卫约什·哈特对自己仅排在第89位的结果略带讽刺地做出了回应。

“他们[的排名]总是错的，”[哈特在社交媒体上写道](https://x.com/joshhart/status/2102783583467225439?s=20)，“我至少应该排第88。”

这位新科冠军绝非本赛季唯一一位对榜单结果提出异议的联盟人士——这一年，联盟内部本就缺乏共识。

借助对十几位NBA高管和联盟工作人员的非正式调查，让我们来梳理一下本周涌现的一些最重大的排名争议和批评，为2026-27赛季做好铺垫，并澄清一些误解。

**NBA Rank 2026：**  
[前十球员](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48569) | [第11-50位](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48562) | [第51-100位](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48557)  
[圆桌讨论：勒布朗排得太低了吗？](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48563)  
[百大榜单审计：NBA Rank错在哪里](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48568)  
[2027年已进入视野的10名球员](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48558)

## 头名之争

ESPN的七人评审团在头名归属上分裂为三方：尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic) 以694分胜出，险胜维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)（693分）和谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)（691分）。

同样，对管理层高管的调查也呈现出三方激烈交锋的局面，各方都力挺自己心目中的世界第一。

约基奇的支持者强调他的数据产出和进攻组织能力，文班亚马的拥趸则指出他的攻防两端影响力以及马刺队在2025-26赛季的62胜战绩，而吉尔杰斯-亚历山大的支持者则聚焦于他连续两届MVP的荣誉和领袖气质。

“约基奇让整支球队变好的程度超过任何人，”一位总经理说，“如果你给他和文班同样的队友，掘金会更强。文班年轻不是问题，让我在意的是他在季后赛中犯了年轻人的错误。”

不过，许多联盟高管同意[ESPN的专家们](https://chinaspurs.com/t/topic/48563)的观点：22岁的文班亚马的时代已经到来。

“看看他进步的速度有多快，”一位总经理说，“如果你展望[2027年季后赛之后]的未来，他必须是第一。未来五年他都可能是第一。”

在约基奇持续砍下三双、文班亚马多项防守数据领跑全联盟的背景下，一位吉尔杰斯-亚历山大的支持者认为，这场讨论不应只看个人数据。

“他是世界上最全面的球员，”这位高管说，“产出、领导力、情商。把一个球星应该满足的所有条件列出来，他满足的最多。”

* * *

## 另外两位头名候选人

在约基奇、文班亚马和吉尔杰斯-亚历山大之后，ESPN评审团的投票结果与第二梯队之间出现了明显断层，第二梯队包括排名第4的卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic) 和排名第5的扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo)。

尽管大多数非正式调查的受访者都认同前三候选人，但一位联盟高管认为东契奇应被纳入第一梯队，并将在赛季结束时登顶第一。

“随着勒布朗[·詹姆斯]离开，[洛杉矶]湖人队的重担和期望将推动卢卡释放全部潜能，”他说，“明年夏天，他会把MVP奖杯带回斯洛文尼亚。”

另一位受访者则预计，在休赛期被交易到热火队之后，阿德托昆博将重夺MVP头衔。

“这是一场复仇之旅，”他说，“在密尔沃基，人们把他的存在视为理所当然。在迈阿密，没人能再忽视他。”

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## 乐透改革的影响

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多位球队高管预测，NBA的乐透改革将引发对ESPN榜单的一波重新审视。

由于球队不再有动力通过大量输球来提升选秀顺位，高管们预计球员的出场率将全面提高。相应地，他们预计比赛将更具竞争力，战绩排名也将更加均衡。

爵士、步行者和奇才被提及为在“后摆烂时代”中，队内球员价值可能大幅提升的球队。

“如果你不上场，或者上场却每晚输20分，没人会谈论你，”一位高管说，“但这一切可能一夜之间改变。”

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## 回应NBA Rank的批评者

让我们换个话题，梳理一下NBA Rank发布后在社交媒体上出现的一些热门争议话题。_（注：帖子内容经过轻微编辑以方便阅读。）_

**OG·阿努诺比与尼克斯**

_“[最离谱的是OG·阿努诺比排在第34位](https://x.com/peterp2000/status/2102792185213325409)。居然排在杰伦·约翰逊和詹姆斯·哈登之后，而后者在[尼克斯]系列赛中表现完全被压制。”_

毫无疑问，在帮助尼克斯凭借NBA历史上最具标志性的投篮之一夺得总冠军后，阿努诺比的身价达到了历史新高。这位老将前锋在季后赛中打出了现象级的表现，成为纽约队内第二得分手，三分命中率高达48.9%，并在多个位置上提供了出色的防守。

ESPN的投票者进行排名时依据的是多种因素，例如整体产出、球队成绩、健康状况、年龄、角色和稳定性，而非单轮季后赛系列赛中的对位表现。

阿努诺比的排名似乎反映出部分投票者的疑虑：如果他必须在进攻端承担更大的组织者或传球手角色，他的球队能否有好的表现。有杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 作为精英级高使用率进攻引擎，又有卡尔-安东尼·唐斯拉开空间充当可靠的第二得分点，阿努诺比可以自由地发挥自己的最佳状态。

如果阿努诺比与亚特兰大的杰伦·约翰逊互换位置，他能否将产出提升到约翰逊那样亮眼的数据？阿努诺比此前在多伦多猛龙的效力经历表明，他在进攻端的上限是存在的。

* * *

**沃克·凯斯勒与湖人**

_“[沃克·凯斯勒排在第73位是‘声望区’效应的教科书式案例：](https://x.com/Betsycashmoney/status/2102793046005862583?s=20) 他整整一年没打过球，却因为被交易到湖人而在排名中飙升25位。”_

这是一条非常普遍的抱怨：凯斯勒因肩部手术在2025-26赛季仅打了5场比赛，为何排名比去年提升这么多？这肯定证明了ESPN偏袒湖人的立场。

首先，请记住这是一份面向2026-27赛季的前瞻性榜单，而不是对去年的回顾。其次，必须指出的是，凯斯勒是从过去三年进攻效率均低于联盟平均水平的爵士队，被交易到由东契奇——NBA最出色的组织者之一——领衔的湖人队。

凯斯勒的进攻方式较为依赖队友：在他职业生涯的前四个赛季中，67%的进球来自队友助攻。可以合理预期，在洛杉矶与东契奇搭档后，他作为进攻球员的表现将比肩伤前——当时爵士的首发后卫是科林·塞克斯顿和尚未证明自己的基昂特·乔治——有显著提升。

在达拉斯独行侠时期，东契奇曾充分激发出丹尼尔·加福德和德里克·莱夫利二世这类依赖型中锋的潜力。假设凯斯勒保持健康，他很有可能打出超出第73位排名的表现。

* * *

**杰森·塔图姆与凯尔特人**

_“[杰森·塔图姆刚经历跟腱撕裂](https://x.com/HoopsReference/status/2103131744379494568?s=20)，复出后表现糟糕，还在对阵76人时挥霍了3-1的领先优势，但他的排名却一点没降。乔尔·恩比德凭一己之力完成了对塔图姆的3-1逆转，排名却低了30位，因为伤病只在方便的时候才被考虑。”_

塔图姆确实是排名难度最大的球员之一：这位凯尔特人前锋排在第9位，比两年前他上一个健康赛季的第5位有明显下滑。需要说明的是，3月份复出时的塔图姆远达不到前10球员的水准。

ESPN的投票者似乎愿意忽略他坎坷的复出表现，因为那距离他2025年5月的受伤时间太短。到2026-27赛季开始时，塔图姆将拥有近18个月的恢复时间。如果跟腱受伤后的塔图姆能打出凯文·杜兰特跟腱受伤后的水准，那么将他列入前十将被证明是正确的。但这并非板上钉钉。

与恩比德的对比之所以站不住脚，是因为两人的健康履历截然不同：塔图姆正在从职业生涯首次重大伤病中恢复，且在九个赛季中有六个赛季至少出战70场；而恩比德则长期伤病缠身，自进入联盟以来的12个赛季中从未打满70场。此外，对于恩比德“单枪匹马”带领费城完成季后赛逆转的说法，泰瑞斯·马克西恐怕也有话要说。

* * *

**多诺万·米切尔与骑士**

_“[我们确定米切尔还是联盟前十球员吗？](https://x.com/MoreForYou_CLE/status/2103126246141927484?s=20)”_

在NBA顶级球星的排名中，米切尔排在第10位似乎在网上遭到的质疑比其他任何排名都多。但为什么呢？米切尔入选了NBA最佳阵容二阵，在MVP投票中排名第七，并且是上赛季仅有的六位在至少出战60场的情况下场均得到至少27分、4个篮板和5次助攻的球员之一。

更重要的是，米切尔的职业生涯达到了新的巅峰，他带领克利夫兰骑士队首次闯入分区决赛。克利夫兰是上赛季仅有的九支取得50胜的球队之一，而在贾勒特·阿伦饱受伤病困扰、达里厄斯·加兰在赛季中被交易换来哈登的情况下，米切尔是球队的中流砥柱。

反对米切尔的观点往往聚焦于他身材不足和季后赛成绩有限，但值得指出的是，过去九个赛季他每个赛季都带领球队打入季后赛。米切尔与榜单上排在他身后的一些知名球员之间的两个关键区别在于年龄和出勤率：斯蒂芬·库里（第12位）、凯文·杜兰特（第13位）和勒布朗·詹姆斯（第18位）都比米切尔更有名、成就更高，但三人上赛季加起来只赢了4场季后赛。

此外，库里（38岁）和詹姆斯（41岁）因伤缺阵的时间远多于米切尔（30岁）。

最后，泰瑞斯·马克西和杰伦·布朗都有充分的理由进入前十，但ESPN的评审团可能更青睐米切尔，因为克利夫兰在2026年季后赛中的成绩比马克西的76人和布朗的凯尔特人走得更远。而且，随着马克西和布朗在阵容豪华的76人与詹姆斯和恩比德成为队友，他们在2026-27赛季的个人数据也可能受到影响。

* * *

**百大榜单中的四名新秀**

_“[别再把](https://x.com/damienpetersnba/status/2102668834276864476?s=43)一场常规赛都没打过的新秀放进联盟百大球员榜单了。”_

这种观点很有道理。将大学或国际篮球的数据与NBA产出进行比较并非精确的科学，拥有公平的基准对于对比分析至关重要。

然而，文班亚马和库珀·弗拉格等近期的新秀已经毫无争议地证明了自己属于百大球员。多年来，聪明的榜单制定者都谨慎地避免对年轻球员过于乐观，因为他们进入NBA的过渡期必然会经历一些挣扎。如今，评论员们反而要警惕过于悲观，因为包括文班亚马、弗拉格、康·克尼普尔和VJ·埃奇科姆在内的众多新秀都在新秀赛季一鸣惊人。

2026届的前四名球员——AJ·迪班萨（第78位）、达伦·彼得森（第83位）、卡梅伦·布泽尔（第85位）和凯莱布·威尔逊（第97位）——都入选了今年的NBA Rank。客观地说，榜单上有四名新秀似乎有些激进。

不过，快进到明年4月，这四人中很可能至少有两人会被公认为毫无争议的百大球员。如果将他们全部排除在这份榜单之外，公平吗？

_由生成式 AI 翻译，翻译内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。_

> **查看原文：NBA Rank 2026: League execs examine top 100 countdown, race for No. 1**
>
> ## NBA Rank 2026: League execs examine top 100 countdown, race for No. 1
> 
> ![Image](https://a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0522%2Fr1661839_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg)
> 
> Nothing in the NBA world inspires heated debate like ESPN’s annual ranking of the 100 players for the upcoming season.
> 
> After [NBA Rank 2026](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50015167/nba-rank-2026-players-10-1-featuring-wembanyama-sga-jokic-brunson-luka-more) came out earlier this week, New York Knicks guard Josh Hart unleashed a little sarcasm in response to landing at No. 89.
> 
> “They [are] always wrong,” [Hart wrote on social media](https://x.com/joshhart/status/2102783583467225439?s=20). “I should be at least No. 88.”
> 
> The newly minted champion was hardly the only person in the league to raise objections with the results during a year that lacked consensus.
> 
> With help from an informal survey of a dozen NBA executives and league personnel, let’s run through some of the biggest ranking arguments and critiques that emerged this week to set the table for the 2026-27 season and clear up misconceptions.
> 
> **NBA Rank 2026:**  
> [Top 10 players](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50015167/nba-rank-2026-players-10-1-featuring-wembanyama-sga-jokic-brunson-luka-more) | [Nos. 11-50](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50006617/nba-rank-2026-players-50-11-featuring-lebron-curry-durant-kawhi-flagg-more) | [Nos. 51-100](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49965238/nba-rank-2026-players-100-51-featuring-zion-dybantsa-peterson-boozer-more)  
> [Roundtable: Was LeBron ranked too low?](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50001310/nba-rank-2026-debate-snubs-surprises-lebron-curry-durant-predictions-top-10)  
> [Top 100 audit: What NBA Rank got wrong](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50017653/nba-rank-2026-top-100-audit-jokic-wemby-sga-jaylen-brown-jalen-brunson-four-right-four-wrong)  
> [10 players already on the radar for 2027](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49966370/nba-rank-2026-10-players-watch-next-season-top-100-camara-sarr-podziemski)
> 
> ## The battle for No. 1
> 
> ESPN’s seven-person voting panel was split between three players for the No. 1 spot: Nikola Jokic prevailed with 694 points in the vote, narrowly topping Victor Wembanyama (693) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (691).
> 
> Similarly, the survey of front office executives returned passionate arguments for all three players to be considered the best in the world.
> 
> Jokic’s supporters highlighted his statistical production and offensive orchestration, while Wembanyama’s fans pointed to his two-way impact and San Antonio’s 62-win season in 2025-26, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s backers focused on his back-to-back MVP awards and leadership.
> 
> “Jokic makes his whole team better than anyone else,” one general manager said. “If you gave him and Wemby the same teammates, Denver would be better. Wemby being young doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that he made young mistakes in the playoffs.”
> 
> Still, plenty of league executives agreed with [ESPN’s insiders](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50001310/nba-rank-2026-debate-snubs-surprises-lebron-curry-durant-predictions-top-10) that the 22-year-old Wembanyama’s time is now.
> 
> “Look at how fast he is improving,” one general manager said. “If you’re looking ahead to where we’ll be [after the 2027 playoffs], he’s got to be No. 1. He could be No. 1 for the next five years.”
> 
> With Jokic posting triple-doubles and Wembanyama leading the NBA in several defensive metrics, a Gilgeous-Alexander backer argued that the conversation should be about more individual numbers.
> 
> “He’s the most complete player in the world,” the executive said. “Production, leadership, emotional intelligence. List all the boxes that a star should check, and he checks the most.”
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## Two more No. 1 candidates
> 
> After Jokic, Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, ESPN’s voting panel had a noticeable gap before the second tier, which included Luka Doncic at No. 4 and Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 5.
> 
> Though most of the informal survey respondents agreed with the main three candidates, one league executive argued that Doncic should be included in the top tier and will end the season at No. 1.
> 
> “With LeBron [James] gone, the weight and expectations of the [Los Angeles] Lakers will push Luka to reach his full potential,” he said. “He will take the MVP trophy home to Slovenia next summer.”
> 
> Another respondent expected Antetokounmpo to regain his MVP status after an offseason trade sent him from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat.
> 
> “Revenge mission,” he said. “People took him for granted in Milwaukee. You can’t ignore him in Miami.”
> 
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> 
> ## Lottery reform impact
> 
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> 
> Multiple team executives predicted that the NBA’s lottery reform will prompt a wave of reevaluations across the ESPN list.
> 
> With teams no longer incentivized to lose games in volume to improve their draft positioning, executives expect player participation to increase across the board. In turn, they expect more competitive games and more parity in the standings.
> 
> The Jazz, Pacers and Wizards were mentioned as teams with players whose perceived value could improve substantially in a post-tanking reality.
> 
> “No one talks about you if you don’t play or if you play and lose by 20 every night,” one executive said. “But that can change overnight.”
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> ## Addressing NBA Rank’s critics
> 
> Let’s shift gears to run through some hot-button topics that emerged on social media following NBA Rank’s release. _(Note: The posts have been lightly edited for clarity.)_
> 
> **OG Anunoby and the Knicks**
> 
> _“[Worst of all is OG Anunoby at No. 34](https://x.com/peterp2000/status/2102792185213325409). Behind Jalen Johnson and James Harden of all people who were overwhelmed no-shows in the [Knicks] series.”_
> 
> Without a doubt, Anunoby’s stock is at an all-time high after he helped the Knicks clinch the NBA championship with one of the most iconic shots in league history. The veteran forward had a phenomenal run through the playoffs, emerging as New York’s second-highest scorer while shooting 48.9% on 3-pointers and providing excellent defense across multiple positions.
> 
> ESPN’s voters base their rankings on a variety of factors such as overall production, team success, health, age, role and consistency rather than head-to-head performance in a single playoff series.
> 
> Anunoby’s ranking appeared to reflect skepticism among some voters over how well his team would perform if he had to handle a larger role on offense as a playmaker or distributor. With Jalen Brunson in place as an elite high-usage engine and Karl-Anthony Towns spacing the court as a dependable secondary scorer, Anunoby is free to live his best life.
> 
> If Anunoby switched spots with Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, would he be able to scale his production to match Johnson’s impressive numbers? Anunoby’s prior stint with the Toronto Raptors suggests there’s a hard ceiling to what you can expect from him on offense.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Walker Kessler and the Lakers**
> 
> _“[Walker Kessler at No. 73 is a textbook example of the ‘Prestige Zone’ effect:](https://x.com/Betsycashmoney/status/2102793046005862583?s=20) Literally hasn’t played basketball in a year, but he still jumped 25 spots in the rankings because he was traded to the Lakers.”_
> 
> This was a very popular complaint: How did Kessler improve so much from last year’s rankings after playing only five games during the 2025-26 season due to shoulder surgery? Surely, this must be evidence of ESPN’s pro-Lakers agenda.
> 
> First, remember that this is a forward-looking list for the 2026-27 season rather than a recap of last year. Second, it must be noted that Kessler was traded from a Jazz team that ranked below average in offensive efficiency in each of the past three years to a Lakers team led by Doncic, one of the NBA’s best playmakers.
> 
> Kessler’s offensive game is derivative: 67% of his baskets during his first four seasons were assisted by his teammates. It’s reasonable to expect him to perform substantially better as an offensive player with Doncic in Los Angeles than he did before his shoulder injury when Collin Sexton and an unproven Keyonte George were Utah’s lead guards.
> 
> Back in his Dallas Mavericks days, Doncic brought the best out of derivative centers such as Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. Assuming Kessler stays healthy, there’s a decent chance he’ll outperform his No. 73 ranking.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Jayson Tatum and the Celtics**
> 
> _“[Jayson Tatum is fresh off an Achilles tear](https://x.com/HoopsReference/status/2103131744379494568?s=20), stunk when he returned to the court, and choked a 3-1 lead against the 76ers but doesn’t get moved down at all. Joel Embiid single-handedly led the 3-1 comeback against Tatum, but he gets ranked 30 spots lower because injuries only matter when it’s convenient.”_
> 
> Tatum was indeed one of the trickiest players to rank: The Celtics forward landed at No. 9, a noticeable drop from his No. 5 ranking in his last healthy season two years ago. To be clear, the version of Tatum that returned to the court in March wasn’t close to a top-10 player.
> 
> ESPN’s voters appeared willing to look past his bumpy return because it came so quickly after his original injury in May 2025. By the time the 2026-27 season starts, Tatum will have had almost 18 months to recover. If post-Achilles Tatum performs like post-Achilles Kevin Durant, his inclusion in the top 10 will be proved correct. But that’s no guarantee.
> 
> The comparison to Embiid falls short because of their disparate health track records: Tatum is recovering from the first major injury of his career and has logged at least 70 games in six of his nine seasons, while Embiid is chronically hurt and has never appeared in 70 games in the 12 seasons since he was drafted. Tyrese Maxey also might have something to say about Embiid “single-handedly” leading Philadelphia’s playoff comeback.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers**
> 
> _[“Are we sure Mitchell is still a top-10 player in the league?”](https://x.com/MoreForYou_CLE/status/2103126246141927484?s=20)_
> 
> Mitchell’s inclusion at No. 10 seemed to receive more pushback online than any of the other rankings for the NBA’s top-tier stars. But why? Mitchell was selected to the All-NBA second team, he finished seventh in MVP voting, and he was one of only six players to average at least 27 points, four rebounds and five assists per game while appearing in at least 60 games last season.
> 
> What’s more, Mitchell’s career reached a new peak when he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to his first conference finals appearance. Cleveland was one of only nine teams to win 50 games last season, and Mitchell was the steadying presence with Jarrett Allen battling injuries and Darius Garland traded for Harden during the season.
> 
> The arguments against Mitchell tend to focus on his lack of size and limited playoff success, though it’s worth pointing out that he has led playoff teams in each of the past nine seasons. Two key differentiators between Mitchell and some prominent names who finished behind him on the list were his age and availability: Stephen Curry (No. 12), Kevin Durant (No. 13) and LeBron James (No. 18) are all much more famous and accomplished than Mitchell, but they combined to appear in four playoff wins last season.
> 
> Meanwhile, Curry (age 38) and James (age 41) missed far more time due to injuries than Mitchell (age 30).
> 
> Finally, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown both had strong cases to make the top 10, but ESPN’s voting panel likely favored Mitchell because Cleveland advanced further in the 2026 playoffs than Maxey’s 76ers and Brown’s Celtics. Maxey and Brown could also see their individual statistics take a hit in 2026-27 now that they’re teammates with James and Embiid on the souped-up 76ers.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Four rookies in the top 100**
> 
> _“[Stop [including] rookies](https://x.com/damienpetersnba/status/2102668834276864476?s=43) who haven’t played a single second of regular season basketball in top-100 players in the league lists.”_
> 
> There’s a lot of merit to this viewpoint. Comparing stats from college or international basketball to NBA production is an inexact science, and having an equitable baseline is essential to comparative analysis.
> 
> However, recent rookies such as Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg have left no doubt that they belong in the top 100. For years, smart list-makers were careful not to be overly bullish on young players because they were bound to endure some struggles early in their NBA transitions. Now, pundits must caution against being too pessimistic because plenty of prospects – including Wembanyama, Flagg, Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe – have hit the ground running in their first seasons.
> 
> The top four players from the 2026 class – AJ Dybantsa (No. 78), Darryn Peterson (No. 83), Cameron Boozer (No. 85) and Caleb Wilson (No. 97) – were included in this year’s NBA Rank. Realistically, having four rookies on the list seems aggressive.
> 
> Fast forward to April, though, and there’s a very good chance that at least two of those four will be regarded as no-brainer top-100 talents. Would banning all of them from this conversation be fair?

By Ben Golliver / [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50022448/nba-rank-2026-league-insiders-saying-jokic-sga-wemby-mitchell-rookies-top-100)