Top 30 NBA players part 3 No. 10-1

The top 10 is here for NBA players heading into 2025-2026. As previously mentioned in articles, if you disagree with the rankings, just make your own list. 

Now let's get to the important stuff. 

10. Kevin Durant (Prev. 6)

Durant is a 1 of 1 scorer in NBA history and is the ideal scorer if you were to build someone from scratch to be the best scorer in basketball.  Durant, however, is not the young, spry 25-year-old who won MVP and averaged 32 points per game. The shooting percentages are even at 52-43-84 at 36 years old; however, the missed number of games over the past 3-4 seasons does hurt him a little bit. Durant showed some slowing down with the constant ankle injuries, knee injuries, and nagging bumps and bruises that take a toll on a 36-year-old. He's been an All-Star every season since his 3rd in the NBA (15 consecutive years), and even in his advanced aging, Durant is still the purest scorer in the NBA and worthy of a top 10 spot heading into next year. 

9. Jalen Brunson (Prev. 13)

Brunson jumps into the top 10 for me after his most efficient scoring season and proving again that he is one of the most clutch players in the postseason. Brunson helped close out the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs with a game-winning and series-clinching three-pointer after breaking down Ausar Thompson. Brunson averaged 26-7 (his best playmaking season) on 48-38-82 shooting splits. In the postseason, he backed up his clutch player of the year award by putting up 29 points per game on 46-35 shooting splits. Brunson has clearly moved himself into being a top 3 player in the Eastern Conference after routinely making big plays when needed for the Knicks. 

8. Steph Curry (Prev. 5)

Curry moves down 3 spots from number 5 to number 8 from last year's list. Curry averaged 24-6-4 on 44-39-93 shooting splits. Curry earned his 11th All-Star appearance and 11th All-NBA season this past year. However, with the stellar averages, the 36-year-old played one of his lowest minutes total for a full season (he still played 70 total games); however, he did experience a hamstring injury that essentially ended his and the Warriors' season in the postseason against the Timberwolves. Still, Curry has shown that his game is one of the best to play late into his 30s and early 40s, given the level of preparation and competitiveness he has. 

7. Anthony Edwards (Prev. 7)

Edwards stays where he was last season, but it feels like we are close to experiencing him being a top 5 NBA player. Edwards, even though he does not have the awards to back it up, is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Edwards has taken out Lebron, Luka, Steph, Jokic, and Durant in the last 2 postseasons with his stellar play. Edwards displayed his best level of shooting this past season as he led the NBA in threes made with over 300 and shot 39.5% from 3 this season with almost over 10 attempts a game. Edwards's development has been astonishing over the last two seasons. The final portion for him to improve the playmaking (4.5 assists last season). 

6. Victor Wembanyama (Prev. 14)

Wembanyama makes a large leap into the top 10 and almost cracked the top 5 for me. He's the best defender in the NBA and can completely disrupt an entire offense for large stretches of time with rim protection. The offense I can understand is a concern with the high volume of three-pointers and low shooting percentages; however, much of the percentages are attributed to the early-season struggles. Once he began connecting more and getting comfortable in the Spurs offense, Wembanyama was untouchable. I expect he will come back hungry, explore more ways to score while very sneakily becoming a very good passer. He was well on track to make a charge at being a top 5 NBA player last, and I expect he'll solidify it this upcoming season. 

5. Jayson Tatum (Prev. 8)

Tatum slides up 3 spots for me and into the top 5, given the overall resume he has. Tatum, who won the NBA championship last season with the Celtics, showed a level of versatility on both sides of the floor that needs to be valued, especially in today's NBA climate. He's arguably the best possible two-way player in the NBA with his ability to play any position on both sides of the floor. Tatum's opening night 35-point showed he was on track to prove my belief in him to win the MVP this season; however, he experienced another shooting slump and regular ebbs and flows of the Celtics' offense. Tatum will miss the upcoming season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Knicks. 

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Prev. 9)

SGA makes his debut into the top 5 for me after winning regular season MVP, the scoring title, the NBA championship, and the finals MVP. Shai had the best scoring season in the NBA, winning the scoring title while also averaging 2 steals a game, showing his versatility on both sides of the floor. SGA finished this season averaging 30+ for the third consecutive season while producing one of the most efficient scoring seasons with his ability to knock down mid-range shots and get to the foul line. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7-6-5 on 51-37-90 shooting splits while taking 21 shots a game. He showed up for the Thunder when he was needed, specifically game 4, when he and the Thunder were down 10 points to start the 4th quarter against the Pacers in the finals. SGA scored 15 of his 35 points to eventually lead the Thunder to the championship. 

3. Luka Doncic (Prev. 2)

Doncic slides down one spot and remains in the top 3 after a sup-par season by his standards. Doncic dealt early in the season with injuries, conditioning issues, and eventually the trade that saw the former Mavericks franchise star move to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers. Doncic averaged 28-8-8 on 45-37-78 shooting splits. If Luka can get back to the 48-38 shooting splits he showed when he won the scoring title in 2024, he'll be in the conversation for MVP, getting back into the All-Star game and All-NBA first-team. Doncic is a generational talent and was on track to be one of the greatest NBA players after making first-team All-NBA as only a sophomore. After an offseason that showcased his improved physique, he'll likely return to being one of the best in the NBA. 

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Prev. 3)

Giannis slides past Luka and into the top 2 after showcasing one of his best seasons in the NBA (mind you, he also has 2 MVPs). Giannis averaged 30-12-6 on 60-22-61 shooting splits. Giannis decided to abandon the three-point line as he only took 0.2 threes a game and decided to attack the basket more. Giannis also introduced the mid-range game that he's showcased over the past seasons, but everything for him came together as he added a ton of versatile moves into his arsenal for beating defenders. While Giannis hasn't gotten out of the first round the past two seasons (he's also been injured for some or most of the series), he's still the best player in the Eastern Conference. 

1. Nikola Jokic (Prev. 1)

Jokic stays atop the poll of being the best player in the National Basketball Association. Jokic had arguably the best season in NBA history to not win the regular season MVP, as he averaged 29-12-10 and became the third player ever to average a triple-double for the entire season. He also did the most efficiently with shooting splits of 57-42-80. The shooting splits likely would've been even better had he not attempted 22 heaves from beyond halfcourt, a new rule in place to accurately represent players' field goal percentages.  Jokic dazzles on a regular night and in the last two postseasons has lost in the second round in 7 games. He had the best chance to defeat the Thunder before ultimately losing in Game 7. He's been a first and second-team All-NBA member in each of the last 7 seasons and has been in the top 2 in MVP voting in each of the last 5 seasons, winning the award three times. He's been at the top of the mountain for quite some time, and he's looking to get back into the finals with a newly constructed Nuggets roster.