Hall of Famer Julius Erving recently teamed up with NBA fans/YouTubers to rank the top 50 players in the league today on CLASH. Erving was joined by Isaac Gutierrez, Molly Morrison, and River Brown, and they first put these players in tiers from S to D. They were then ranked 50 to 1, and here are the results.
50-41 Rankings:
50. Damian Lillard
49. Kyrie Irving
48. Julius Randle
47. Amen Thompson
46. Aaron Gordon
45. De’Aaron Fox
44. Stephon Castle
43. Zion Williamson
42. Derrick White
41. Desmond Bane
Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving were initially in the C tier but then downgraded to D. They take the final two spots because they missed the entire 2025-26 season with injuries.
As for what else stands out here, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is the only sophomore to make the top 50. Castle even ranks above his All-Star teammate De’Aaron Fox.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, meanwhile, has been rewarded for a rare healthy season (62 games). Here’s hoping the injury bug stays away and enables Williamson to climb even higher.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White is just above Williamson, and he was presented with a great opportunity this season to rank much higher. White found himself higher up the pecking order in the Celtics’ offense, but struggled (shot 39.4% from the field), which hurts his cause here.
40-31 Rankings:
40. Jaren Jackson Jr.
39. Jimmy Butler
38. Paolo Banchero
37. Cooper Flagg
36. Jalen Duren
35. Karl-Anthony Towns
34. Darius Garland
33. Deni Avdija
32. Jalen Johnson
31. Pascal Siakam
Quite a few first-time All-Stars in 2026 find themselves between here in Jalen Duren, Deni Avdija, and Jalen Johnson. The player that sticks out, though, is Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg.
Flagg was named Rookie of the Year for 2026 and is the only first-year player in the top 50. The fact that a rookie being this high isn’t outlandish speaks to just how good he was. Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2025-26. He lived up to all the pre-draft hype.
While Flagg’s stock soared this season, Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler’s dropped after he tore his ACL in January. Butler would be much higher had he stayed upright.
Butler’s former teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, is an interesting selection at 35th. Towns didn’t have the greatest of regular seasons for the New York Knicks, but he has been excellent in the playoffs. If they get to the NBA Finals, the big man might be much higher in rankings after the season.
30-21 Rankings:
30. LaMelo Ball
29. Bam Adebayo
28. Rudy Gobert
27. Austin Reaves
26. Anthony Davis
25. Evan Mobley
24. Scottie Barnes
23. Jalen Williams
22. Chet Holmgren
21. Joel Embiid
LaMelo Ball might not have sniffed the top 30 a year ago, but he played a big role in the Charlotte Hornets‘ stunning turnaround during this season. The Hornets went from 14-26 to 44-38, and that has led to Ball’s stock being higher than ever before.
Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves is another who has climbed up a fair bit. Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2025-26. He has emerged as a quality second option in the NBA now.
While Ball and Reaves are on the up, Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid continue to drop in these rankings. These two missed significant time with injuries last season, and that proved to be the case this time around as well. They won’t get healthier as they age, so expect them to keep dropping.
20-11 Rankings:
20. Tyrese Haliburton
19. LeBron James
18. James Harden
17. Kevin Durant
16. Jamal Murray
15. Devin Booker
14. Tyrese Maxey
13. Jalen Brunson
12. Jaylen Brown
11. Jayson Tatum
Now, some might want injured Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton to get the Irving/Lillard treatment. Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles, but he did lead the Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals.
On the other end, there is another victim of an Achilles tear in the 2025 playoffs, in Jayson Tatum. Tatum made a remarkable recovery, though, returning in less than 10 months. He played very well on his return, too, averaging 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26.
Tatum ranked higher than his Celtics teammate, Jaylen Brown, here. Brown had become an MVP candidate in his absence, but while he had a better season, he might not be the better player.
There are also three players of the old guard here, in LeBron James, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. LeBron was the last among these three in the rankings, but the playoffs have shown he should be above Durant and especially Harden.
10-1 Rankings:
10. Donovan Mitchell
9. Kawhi Leonard
8. Cade Cunningham
7. Anthony Edwards
6. Stephen Curry
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Luka Doncic
3. Victor Wembanyama
2. Nikola Jokic
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
We finally get to the top 10 now, and you wonder whether Warriors superstar Stephen Curry should rank higher by such a margin over the three veterans we mentioned earlier. The Warriors didn’t even make it to the playoffs this season, although that was largely down to Curry being injured. They weren’t all that great even with him, however.
As for the rest, it is pretty good. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the top, and he looks set to win MVP for the second straight year. As this season went on, a growing number started to believe that Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player in the NBA, and Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets getting eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves has made it the popular opinion now.
Gilgeous-Alexander might not hold the belt for too long, though. It seems like only a matter of time before Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama ascends to the top. Wembanyama became the first-ever unanimous DPOY in 2026, and you wouldn’t bet against him running away with MVP in a couple of years.
