With the NBA season rapidly approaching, various media outlets are starting to roll out all kinds of content ahead of the season, including top-100 player rankings, which ESPN finished putting out on Thursday. A group of seven ESPN experts combined their lists of who they think will be the 100 best players for the 2026-27 season, and there were some interesting takeaways.
As it pertains to the Celtics, most of the rankings were less than positive. For one thing, the team only had four players make the list. Neemias Queta was the most egregious snub, as it makes very little sense for him to be left out. Mitchell Robinson certainly also could have made a case, and I think with some projecting forward, it’s not crazy to think at least one of Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, or Jordan Walsh will be a lock to make the list this time next year.
The next eyebrow-raiser was that Boston only had one player in the top 46. Derrick White came in at 47, Paul George was 67, and Payton Pritchard was 70. I don’t think any one of those rankings is particularly crazy in a vacuum, but the idea that their second-best player is barely in the top 50 just doesn’t track.
By season’s end, I think Pritchard and George will both have a strong case to be in the top 50, and D-White continues to be underrated, as he should probably be closer to the top 25, given everything he contributes on both ends of the floor.
ESPN thinks eight players are better than Jayson Tatum
And then we get to the top of the list. At least they had enough decency to put Jayson Tatum in the top 10, but number nine is still too low. If we are punishing him for injury, then how are guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic ahead of them? Those two have struggled with durability over the past few years, and even still, it’s hard to make a case that either one is a better overall player at full strength.
If we’re basing it on achievements, then how are Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, and Jalen Brunson ahead of JT? Brunson obviously had a great Finals run last year, but good luck finding any rational basketball fan who thinks he’s a better player than Tatum.
Cade had a great season last year, and Ant has emerged as a star, but neither player has come close to touching Tatum’s level at any point in their careers. This list is projecting quite a bit of positive growth for a lot of players, and also assumes that Tatum won’t be able to regain his previous form.
If you want to put Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander atop the list, I don’t think anyone will have a problem with that. But I expect to see a lot of people eating crow in a few months when JT reclaims his regular spot on the first-team All-NBA.
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