On Thursday, ESPN’s panel of experts completed its 14th annual ranking of the NBA’s top 100 players.
In response, we reached out to scouts, coaches and executives across the league to get their feedback on our final list, including comments on where they agreed and disagreed with our rankings.
Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest questions and points of contention from our latest edition of NBA Rank, including when rising San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama could get to the top of the list, how long future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry can stay inside the top 10 and who exactly are the five best players in the NBA right now?
(All rankings listed reflect 2024 NBA Rank placement.)
There wasn’t much debate about whether Wembanyama will reach the top of this list — or whether he’ll become a fixture there. And there wasn’t much argument over how long it could take.
The vast majority of those polled said it’ll take three or four years — in other words, as soon as the end of Wembanyama’s rookie deal, when the 7-foot-4 French phenom will be just 23.
“Three years,” one Western Conference executive said, “and he’s competing with Luka [Doncic] as the best player in the NBA.”
For the lone executive who said Wembanyama might not ever reach that point, the reasoning was simple: “I’m not sure he’ll be good enough offensively,” they said.
Still, even they summed up the consensus on Wembanyama’s truly generational talent when asked how long he could reign atop the list: “If he does become the best, it will be for eight to 10 years.”
This was one of the most divisive topics on this list, with opinions split virtually down the middle.
For those on the side of Morant rediscovering his top-end form — the 25-year-old guard peaked at No. 9 in 2022 — they pointed to the potential for Memphis to get back to the top of the West and for the guard to once again become arguably the league’s most exciting player.
“Ja definitely has the chance to return to the top 10 in the rankings,” a Western Conference assistant coach said. “He’s got every chance in the world to return to his old form.”
The counterarguments focused on Morant’s on- and off-court issues over the past couple of seasons — plus the league’s young talent rising in the interim — that made it difficult to predict the guard’s future in the countdown’s upper tier.
“Six of last year’s top 10 — [Giannis] Antetokounmpo, [Nikola] Jokic, [Joel] Embiid, Doncic, [Shai] Gilgeous-Alexander and [Jayson] Tatum — are unlikely to age out before three strong draft classes [2024, 2025 and 2026] age in,” an Eastern Conference executive said, “leaving Morant at risk of being sandwiched between higher-end talent during his peak.”
Perhaps the most honest answer came from a West executive who said, “That one is hard to answer until I see him play about 10 or 12 games this year. But, if I was a betting man, I would not bet against him.”
This was another divisive topic, after both the 76ers and Knicks loaded up this summer with blockbuster moves to try to chase down the defending champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Ultimately, league decision-makers gave the Knicks a significant edge.
The main reason? Health concerns for Philly, which are already impacting the season. Joel Embiid is sitting out the entire preseason and won’t play in back-to-backs, while Paul George will miss at least a week with a bone bruise suffered Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
“The Knicks’ roster seems more formidable,” a West executive said. “[Karl-Anthony Towns] is a good post defender and is also a great 3-point shooter. The additions of KAT and [Mikal] Bridges and [OG] Anunoby give them wing defenders to give Boston a real challenge.”
“The Knicks don’t have Joel Embiid, and I just don’t think you can count on Joel Embiid to help you,” a West assistant coach said. “His track record has shown it. He’s missed two to three playoff games every year. You cannot do that and win a championship.
“Until Joel can be healthy for an entire postseason, I don’t think you can count the Sixers as contenders [for] a championship.”
Those who favor Philadelphia’s roster pointed to the high-wattage trio of Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey — which gives the 76ers three of the top 21 players in the league, when no other team has more than two inside of the top 35 — being enough to push them over the top.
“I want the elite, elite level talent,” an Eastern Conference general manager said.
Everyone’s favorite NBA parlor game is debating the top five players in the league.
ESPN NBA Rank’s entry:
Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum
A consensus of the scouts, coaches and executives polled was that the first four names on that list — Jokic, Doncic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander — all should be in the top five. Not exactly a surprise after they finished in the top four spots in last season’s Most Valuable Player voting.
Where things got interesting, though, was in that fifth spot, with Tatum, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards rounding out the top 10 of this year’s rank.
“[Tatum] is the best player on the best team and he’s coming into the season with extra motivation to prove people wrong and take ownership of his status as one of the best in the league,” a West assistant coach said.
“Embiid is the most dominant player when he’s healthy,” an East scout said.
“As [Edwards] gets more mature his game will expand,” said a West scout.
“What [James] is still doing at his age will never be seen again,” an East general manager said. “He can play all five positions and still has the highest basketball IQ every night he steps on the floor.”
“Nobody can prepare for a player like Steph,” a Western Conference executive said. “He can literally beat you by himself.”
“[Durant is] the purest scorer in the game,” a West assistant said. “Had one of the best seasons ever considering injuries and his age.”
Also receiving praise as players who should be considered for the top five were two stars who landed outside ESPN’s top 10: Jalen Brunson (12th) and Anthony Davis (13th).
Three of the 20 oldest active players in the league — including the oldest in James — remain comfortably inside the top 10: Curry (6th), James (7th), and Durant (9th). But should they be? Opinions were mixed among those polled.
“I would say so,” a West scout said. “Steph still scares you to death with his shooting. Bron can do everything. And KD is still one of the best scorers we’ve ever seen.”
“I think they do,” an East scout said, “but are all trending down and are most likely out next year.”
The biggest refrain from those who believe they should be out of the top 10 (or are heading that way), is health. Over the course of 82 games, it’s hard to expect superstars with that amount of wear and tear to stay healthy and produce at a high enough level on a nightly basis.
“Despite diminished talent around them, none successfully led their team to a top four seed in their conference, nor advanced past the first round of the playoffs — a threshold a top-10 player should exceed,” an East executive said.
It has been six years since an American-born player won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. And, with the top four players in this year’s NBA Rank and last season’s MVP voting all from outside the United States, it is difficult to see that streak ending soon.
Therefore it’s not a surprise that the most popular response to this question was “no one in the NBA right now.”
NBA execs, coaches and scouts also pointed to elite prospects on the rise: Cooper Flagg, the Duke forward who is the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 NBA draft, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, and AJ Dybantsa, Givony’s current top player for 2026.
“The next best American player is Cooper Flagg. The kid is phenomenal,” a West executive said.
“[Dybantsa] is a stud, and has a chance to be the next great American coming up the ranks,” an East general manager said.
As far as current NBA players go, Anthony Edwards received the most support, especially coming off Minnesota’s breakthrough run to the franchise’s first conference finals in 20 years.
“I wouldn’t bet against Ant,” a West executive said.
“Ant is the answer,” said another executive. “He has a chance.”
The blockbuster trade that brought Towns to New York incited a wide range of opinions about whether this move would help or hurt his individual standing.
For those on the positive side of the ledger, they point to the massive spotlight that comes with playing with a contending Knicks team, the fit with the team’s roster and the need for him to step into the starting center role for coach Tom Thibodeau.
“Towns joining the Knicks will help his stock,” a West assistant coach said. “You’ve got the biggest spotlight in the league in MSG — a lot of TV time. He will either be exposed or anointed by the lights.”
“The Knicks’ roster is built to amplify his strengths, his role aligns with his skillset and talent level, and he’ll have the platform to showcase his impact on winning,” an East executive said.
For those predicting a slide for Towns, they pointed to the Knicks’ stacked roster. With perimeter stars Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges now sharing the floor, Towns’ stats could dip as a result.
“He won’t get credit if they are good. It’ll go to the perimeter guys,” a West executive said.
“He was once the first guy, then became the second guy,” a West scout said, “and now is even lower.”
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Michael C. Wright and Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this story.
