NBA top 150 starter rankings Part 2: Where LeBron James, Stephen Curry fall in the top 10 for 2025-26

Ranking all 150 projected starters in the NBA is a challenging exercise. In case you missed part 1 of this series, where I covered players 150 through 11, this is the first year where I’m attempting to do exactly that. 

As a reminder, only players who are projected to play the whole season are included, so you won’t see Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, or other injured stars on this list. 

The top 10, filled with true superstars, is going to come under much heavier scrutiny. Everybody has an opinion when it comes to this range, and there is no real consensus. Here’s my top 10. 

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Ranking all 150 starters in the NBA: Top 10

1. Nikola Jokic

Jokic has finished top two in MVP voting over the past five years, winning the award three times during that span. If there is one guy you want to build a team around next year, it’s him. 

Jokic is the best passer in the game, using elite court vision, feel, and skill to whip the ball through the tiniest openings. He also might be the best scorer. He averaged a career-high 29.6 points per game last season, buoyed by a career-high 42 percent from 3. That newfound 3-point shot makes him truly an impossible cover. He was already deadly with his midrange fadeaways, post ups, and the best floater in the league. 

Jokic isn’t a great defender. His athletic tools will always hold him back there. He finds ways to contribute though, kicking the ball to allow the Nuggets defense to reset or using his excellent hands and anticipation to generate steals. 

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the best team in basketball. He is a driving machine, getting into the paint and collapsing opposing defenses with his twisty contortions. He’s great from the midrange, a capable 3-point shooter, and draws a ton of fouls. His detractors call him a free throw merchant, which does a disservice to the extremely high skill level he possesses. 

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Gilgeous-Alexander is a rare two-way superstar. He was an important piece of the Thunder’s all-time great defense, getting a ton of steals. He’s not close to the team’s best on-ball defender, but he’s not a liability either. 

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greek Freak added an automatic midrange jumper to his game last season, making up for a still-poor 22 percent shooting from 3. That outside shot has made his drives even tougher to stop. He’s too fast, strong, and long to keep out of the paint, where he is a great finisher at the rim. 

Giannis has only one Defensive Player of the Year award but finished top 10 in voting for seven consecutive years. He’s not quite as dominant as he was six or seven years ago, but he can still cover a ton of ground and is one of the best help defenders in the league. 

4. Luka Doncic

Doncic is a magician with the ball, averaging 7.7 assists last season between the Lakers and Mavericks. He’s only two years removed from winning the scoring title. He has a great step-back 3, a bully-ball driving game, and a killer deceleration step that he uses at the rim. There’s no good way to guard him — he routinely picks apart every type of coverage due to his tremendous feel. And he looks like he’s coming into this year in the best shape of his life.

5. Victor Wembanyama

Wemby is already the league’s best defender at the age of 21. Opponents are afraid to challenge him at the rim, u-turning their drives in the lane when they spot him near the basket. He has still led the league in blocks per game in both years of his career. He’s also a terrific defensive rebounder, thanks to his eight-foot wingspan. 

Wembanyama isn’t quite as polished on offense. He’s an adequate 3-point shooter who takes some very tough looks and isn’t afraid of deep bombs. His catch radius is enormous, and he should get more easy gimmes at the basket with the Spurs’ improved point guard play this year. He finds ways to score efficiently, and he’s also turning into a plus passer. 

6. Stephen Curry

Curry is still the best movement shooter in the league and a nightmare for opposing coaches. He led the league in 3-pointers made and attempted per game, connecting on 40 percent of those looks last year. He also had the league’s best free throw percentage, hitting 93.3 percent from the line.

He has perfected his role in the Warriors’ motion offense, flying off screens and making perfect passes when he draws a swarm of defenders. Defensively, he has mastered the hedge-and-recover that the team oftentimes uses to keep him out of bad matchups. He has gotten much stronger throughout his career, helping him guard his position. 

7. Anthony Edwards

Edwards has always been one of the league’s premier athletes. He also became one of the best high volume 3-point shooters too last season. He led the league in made 3’s while connecting on 39.5 percent of those shots. He’s a fantastic driver, showed remarkable growth as a passer throughout the season, and is an unstoppable scorer. 

Edwards also has the tools to lock in defensively and make it a nightmare to get past him. His off-ball defense isn’t nearly at that same level, which should be the next stage of growth for him. 

8. Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell is a fantastic three-level scorer who is capable of creating quality looks for himself and others. He has the speed, agility, and athleticism to get to the rim or rise up for pull-up 3’s. He has improved his passing over the past few years, taking over some point guard responsibilities when Darius Garland has been out.

While his lack of defensive intensity went viral at times in Utah, he has been very locked in ever since joining the Cavs. He has a 6-foot-10 wingspan that he uses to his advantage. 

9. Jalen Brunson

Brunson plays way bigger than his 6-foot-2 size. He tries to hit opponents first, relishing physicality and contact. He chains together dribble moves like he’s playing in a video game, getting defenders off balance and hitting tough shots from all over the floor. That allows him to hit huge shots in the clutch, when the Knicks can clear out and let him go to work one-on-one. 

Brunson’s small stature is always going to make him a target on defense. He draws a lot of charges, executes the team’s schemes well, and has held up better than expected on switches, particularly against the Celtics in last year’s playoffs. 

10. LeBron James

LeBron made his 21st consecutive All-NBA team last year, and it was based strictly on merit. He’s still one of the 10 best players in the league even entering his 40’s. 

LeBron is a freight train going to the rim, where nobody can stop him once he gets a head of steam. He has turned himself into a good 3-point shooter, hitting 39 percent of his looks over the past two years. When he gets the ball in the high post, there isn’t a better decision-maker on the planet. His high feel, passing, and scoring are still elite. 

LeBron isn’t able to lock into defensive possessions and chase players around the floor throughout the entire season any more. He picks his spots wisely. He will still get highlight chase-down blocks, and he is more of a quarterback now, calling out coverages and directing teammates where to go. He can still be disruptive and switch onto wings and centers when he needs to. 

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Sporting News ranking of Top 150 NBA starters