RealGM

Oh hey again good pals. Figured I'd make a final list of our picks for the top 25 in 25-26. For the history books and all that.

Thanks a bunch for hanging out the last few weeks and voting and nominating and etc. You guys are the best.

Results:

#1: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets with 63% of the votes;
Added to next poll: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472330

#2: Shai Gilgeous Alexander, OKC Thunder with 54% of the votes;
Added to next poll: Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472418

#3: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks with 50% of the vote
Added to next poll: Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472506

#4: Luka Doncic, LA Lakers with 62% of votes;
Added to next poll: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472644

#5: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs with 60% of the vote;
Added to next poll: Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472702

#6: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves with 41% of votes;
Added to next poll: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472754

#7: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors with 30% of the votes;
Added to next poll: Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2472918

#8: Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks with 46% of the vote;
Added to next poll: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473076

#9: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks with 36% of votes;
Added to next poll: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=119556568#p119556568

#10: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers with 29% of votes;
Added to next poll: Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473174

#11: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons with 27% of votes;
Added to next poll: Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473228

#12: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers with 31% of votes
Added to next poll: Karl-Anthony Towns, NY Knicks
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473294

#13: Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets with 29% of votes
Added to next poll: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473394

#14: Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder with 31% of votes;
Added to next poll: Jimmy Butler, GSW
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473480

#15: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic with 34% of votes;
Adde to next poll: Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=119580758#p119580758

#16: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics with 35% of votes;
Added to next poll: Derrick White, Boston Celtics
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473652

#17: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers with 40% of votes;
Added to next poll: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473716

#18: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns with 28% of votes;
Added to next poll: Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473780

#19: Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers with 31% of votes;
Added to next poll: Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473874

#20: Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers with 19% of votes;
Added to next poll: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2473956

#21: Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets with 18% of votes;
Added to next poll: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2474090

#22: Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic with 21% of votes;
Added to next poll: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2474184

#23: Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors with 23% of votes;
Added to next poll: Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2474252

#24: Karl-Anthony Towns, NY Knicks with 32% of votes;
Added to final poll: Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2474320

#25: Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder with 41% of votes
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2474404


Made the final poll but didn't place in Top 25:

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Derrick White, Boston Celtics
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies

For reference, the results from 2024-25:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2406391&p=114891505&hilit

Players who dropped out of the top 25:
Tatum, Halliburton, Lillard, Irving - all injured for this upcoming year, might have made the list if not out for the season
Embiid, George, Williamson - injured in perpetuity and we all got sick of the constant injury risk
Morant - he just didn't impress enough last year, has injury concerns
Sabonis - his team sucks and his box score numbers mask his lack of real impact

Big thanks to Bisme37 for running the show and keeping tabs on these threads. It was a lot of fun to participate in this voting process.

I went with half good, half goofy, mainly because the vote was so conditioned by injuries to some big names, some of which jowglenn mentioned. It was really weird to see guys who aren't even the top players -- in some cases, top-2 or top-3 players -- on their teams get nominated. It was odd to see some players fall as much as they did.

Overall it shows we all have pretty wide-ranging criteria for what we value in players.

I love democracy, but in my opinion, SGA and especially Jaylen Williams are too high, they got NBA champions bump I get it, but that team is great all through out, you can talk me into SGA being #2, but come on with J-Dubb being #14, I do not know about that one.

Devin Booker to me feels too low at 18, he is worse than Williams? Glad Sengun made it, I talked it into existence I feel. I am glad Sabonis is not here, he is just not very good IMO and I feel a bit vindicated RealGM is finally coming to same conclusions. I feel in past 15 years, most overrated guy was always a big, In the past I thought Hibbert had it for sure, then Kevin Love, than Nikola Vucevic, now Sabonis.

Question to voters.

Did you not vote Embiid just cause you assume we will not be healthy, or you think he is not that good anymore even if healthy? Because I know it sounds crazy, but I really think it is the latter, I think even if Embiid plays, my guess we will just see that he is kinda done. Last year he was already pretty bad even when he played and I think clock is probably expired on him already. End came very fast for these guys, Bynum basically expired over night, same with Yao, I think thats another example of that, I doubt we will see slow decline with Embiid, it is just a snap of a finger thing.

UcanUwill wrote:Question to voters.

Did you not vote Embiid just cause you assume we will not be healthy, or you think he is not that good anymore even if healthy? Because I know it sounds crazy, but I really think it is the latter, I think even if Embiid plays, my guess we will just see that he is kinda done. Last year he was already pretty bad even when he played and I think clock is probably expired on him already. End came very fast for these guys, Bynum basically expired over night, same with Yao, I think thats another example of that, I doubt we will see slow decline with Embiid, it is just a snap of a finger thing.

50/50. I think he'll probably miss half the season, and the half he plays he won't be his old MVP caliber self.

UcanUwill wrote:Question to voters.

Did you not vote Embiid just cause you assume we will not be healthy, or you think he is not that good anymore even if healthy? Because I know it sounds crazy, but I really think it is the latter, I think even if Embiid plays, my guess we will just see that he is kinda done. Last year he was already pretty bad even when he played and I think clock is probably expired on him already. End came very fast for these guys, Bynum basically expired over night, same with Yao, I think thats another example of that, I doubt we will see slow decline with Embiid, it is just a snap of a finger thing.

I don't know enough about his injury. My suspicion is he probably needs to lose weight and manage his minutes long-term. Still, even if he is 75% of his old self, he can be a really good player for years to come since he is such a skilled player.

List is terrible.

Jaylen Brown and Banchero are NOT better than Siakam.

Jaylen Brown over LeBron is absolutely foolish.

Also not sure why KD is above LeBron as well... LeBron was better last season in every way - the numbers back that.

It’s pretty good. Thanks Bisme!!!!
I think the old dudes ( especially Durant) are too high in general. Also Booker shouldn’t be on there imo, but other than that not bad. I’d have KAT a bit higher and Derrick White on there.

LoveMyRaps wrote:List is terrible.

Jaylen Brown and Banchero are NOT better than Siakam.

Jaylen Brown over LeBron is absolutely foolish.

Also not sure why KD is above LeBron as well... LeBron was better last season in every way - the numbers back that.

It’s who we expect to be top 25 next year. I think the Jaylen brown sentiment comes from expectations that he will step it up with Tatum out.
And LBJ at age 41….i don’t expect him to get better and though he was solid last season…it’s down hill from here.

UcanUwill wrote:I love democracy, but in my opinion, SGA and especially Jaylen Williams are too high, they got NBA champions bump I get it, but that team is great all through out, you can talk me into SGA being #2, but come on with J-Dubb being #14, I do not know about that one.

SGA earned it with his MVP play and top 5 guard season of all time. Giannis may end up being better this year, but that’s a testament to Giannis more than a knock on Shai. Shai could’ve easily been put 1 here too.

JDub was elite last year. He’s a top 10 defensive player and a top 20 offensive guy. IMO clearly above J Brown and Paolo based on last season’s play.

UcanUwill wrote:I love democracy, but in my opinion, SGA and especially Jaylen Williams are too high, they got NBA champions bump I get it, but that team is great all through out, you can talk me into SGA being #2, but come on with J-Dubb being #14, I do not know about that one.

Devin Booker to me feels too low at 18, he is worse than Williams? Glad Sengun made it, I talked it into existence I feel. I am glad Sabonis is not here, he is just not very good IMO and I feel a bit vindicated RealGM is finally coming to same conclusions. I feel in past 15 years, most overrated guy was always a big, In the past I thought Hibbert had it for sure, then Kevin Love, than Nikola Vucevic, now Sabonis.

Just on box score numbers, JW was much better than Booker last year and Booker is a very poor defender whose team was worse with him on the floor than the bench last year and the team went 3-17 when he played without KD. JW is also likely to be getting much better this year while Booker should be getting worse. If it was up to me, JW would be in the top 10 and Booker would never have even gotten nominated.

UcanUwill wrote:I love democracy, but in my opinion, SGA and especially Jaylen Williams are too high, they got NBA champions bump I get it, but that team is great all through out, you can talk me into SGA being #2, but come on with J-Dubb being #14, I do not know about that one.

Devin Booker to me feels too low at 18, he is worse than Williams? Glad Sengun made it, I talked it into existence I feel. I am glad Sabonis is not here, he is just not very good IMO and I feel a bit vindicated RealGM is finally coming to same conclusions. I feel in past 15 years, most overrated guy was always a big, In the past I thought Hibbert had it for sure, then Kevin Love, than Nikola Vucevic, now Sabonis.

J.Dub wasn't just an NBA champion, he was all-NBA and all-defense last year. He emerged as probably the most versatile defender in the NBA, guarding 5 positions and somehow offering near elite rim protection when OKC was forced to play small with both their centers injured early in the year. Then he goes into the playoffs, hiding a torn wrist on his shooting hand, which apparently eliminated his ability to control the depth of his shot. Despite not being able to shoot, he manages to put up some BIG games during the playoff run, and stays super scrappy on drives. Being a good enough clear offensive #2 on a championship team, while being an all-defense level guy... It's crazy to be skeptical about his status as a top 15 player.

Booker is a better off-the-dribble pull up scorer, but he can't sniff J.Dub's jockstrap in other areas. Booker has functional limitations as a playmaker, doesn't get into the paint a ton, and is a mediocre 3-point shooter.

UcanUwill wrote:Question to voters.

Did you not vote Embiid just cause you assume we will not be healthy, or you think he is not that good anymore even if healthy? Because I know it sounds crazy, but I really think it is the latter, I think even if Embiid plays, my guess we will just see that he is kinda done. Last year he was already pretty bad even when he played and I think clock is probably expired on him already. End came very fast for these guys, Bynum basically expired over night, same with Yao, I think thats another example of that, I doubt we will see slow decline with Embiid, it is just a snap of a finger thing.

Embiid could easily make us all look silly, but his injuries are half awful news, and half mystery. There was talk in the summer of his retirement. There have been concerns from the Sixers that he might not be able to play at his MVP level ever again. Once/if Embiid starts playing again, it is likely to dramatically transform our current opinions. Right now we're in a dark place with him and need some evidence that he's got some health left.

I'm surprised Cade is ahead of Banchero and by that many spots, and that both are ahead of Brown. And maybe there should be a minimum number of games played requirement which could affect the list of available players to choose from. Other than that, yeah good list.

This post was in the final round thread, but I don't want to bump it so I'm bringing it here.

brackdan70 wrote:So if OKC has three if the top 25 guys in the league they win like 70 games no?

Another team with three top 25 guys is the Los Angeles Clippers. The league is sleeping on them but I expect they will shock many.

Kawhi Leonard.
Ivica Zubac.
James Harden.

LoveMyRaps wrote:List is terrible.

Jaylen Brown and Banchero are NOT better than Siakam.

Jaylen Brown over LeBron is absolutely foolish.

Also not sure why KD is above LeBron as well... LeBron was better last season in every way - the numbers back that.

<insert Big Lebowski "That's just like your opinion man" gif>

UcanUwill wrote:I love democracy, but in my opinion, SGA and especially Jaylen Williams are too high, they got NBA champions bump I get it, but that team is great all through out, you can talk me into SGA being #2, but come on with J-Dubb being #14, I do not know about that one.

Devin Booker to me feels too low at 18, he is worse than Williams? Glad Sengun made it, I talked it into existence I feel. I am glad Sabonis is not here, he is just not very good IMO and I feel a bit vindicated RealGM is finally coming to same conclusions. I feel in past 15 years, most overrated guy was always a big, In the past I thought Hibbert had it for sure, then Kevin Love, than Nikola Vucevic, now Sabonis.

I think ranking the reigning League MVP and Finals MVP lower than #2 would be kind of insane lol. Agreed on J-Dub tho I think he’s getting a championship bump + assumed improvements given his age - we’ll see if he take a leap offensively.

G R E Y wrote:I'm surprised Cade is ahead of Banchero and by that many spots, and that both are ahead of Brown. And maybe there should be a minimum number of games played requirement which could affect the list of available players to choose from. Other than that, yeah good list.

Cade was the vote that surprised me the most. I had no idea so many already thought of him as a top 10 player. People see the huge counting stats, and see Detroit's surprise season without obvious big talent around him, and that's convincing to him then.

I had him as a top 30 guy last year, and projected him to keep on improving into the top 20 this year. 11th is not where I'm at with him at all.

Caneman786 wrote:This post was in the final round thread, but I don't want to bump it so I'm bringing it here.

brackdan70 wrote:So if OKC has three if the top 25 guys in the league they win like 70 games no?

Another team with three top 25 guys is the Los Angeles Clippers. The league is sleeping on them but I expect they will shock many.

Kawhi Leonard.
Ivica Zubac.
James Harden.

Assuming Kawhi has good enough health and Harden doesn't decline too much in his age 36 season.

Zu is legit and this roster is crazy deep. I don't think the talent at the top is the main advantage of this roster. They should have an easy time putting out functional lineups, even if a few of the oldies spend time injured. They go 11 deep with just their vets.

Caneman786 wrote:This post was in the final round thread, but I don't want to bump it so I'm bringing it here.

brackdan70 wrote:So if OKC has three if the top 25 guys in the league they win like 70 games no?

Another team with three top 25 guys is the Los Angeles Clippers. The league is sleeping on them but I expect they will shock many.

Kawhi Leonard.
Ivica Zubac.
James Harden.

The funny thingh about that comment is that okc already was a 70 win pace team lol