Hollinger's Top 10 for 2025-2026.

[Joao Saraiva]

I'd love to see a list of 10 players definitively better than JDub this year that doesnt include a bunch of near 40 year olds who are gonna play 55 games this season

I'll give you fourteen so you can scratch a few...

Jokic
Luka
Shai
Giannis
Wemby
Cunningham
Edwards
Brown
Brunson
Mitchell
Sengun
Banchero
Zion
Young

Having Zion on a list is wild as hell. He’s had 1 season out of 6 where he played in 65 or more games.

Might as well throw Embiid, Morant, Tatum, and Kawhi to your list.

While I can see the point about Zion I have a feeling he'll be in the MVP conversation (maybe not for #1 but he'll be on the ladder, just cause Idk if they'll win enough games). I think if healthy we're gonna see him as a top 5 guy in the league. I was always impressed with him on the court and to be fair he seems to be putting the work.

Bold prediction for sure, but I don't see it as an impossible take once the season is over.

I'm however not that sold on Banchero, he seems to me like the kinda guy that is getting his way on a bad team but somehow don't feel about him as a guy who can take a franchise very far playoffs wise. Time will tell tough.

[Exp0sed]

I'll give you fourteen so you can scratch a few...

Jokic
Luka
Shai
Giannis
Wemby
Cunningham
Edwards
Brown
Brunson
Mitchell
Sengun
Banchero
Zion
Young

Having Zion on a list is wild as hell. He’s had 1 season out of 6 where he played in 65 or more games.

Might as well throw Embiid, Morant, Tatum, and Kawhi to your list.

While I can see the point about Zion I have a feeling he'll be in the MVP conversation (maybe not for #1 but he'll be on the ladder, just cause Idk if they'll win enough games). I think if healthy we're gonna see him as a top 5 guy in the league. I was always impressed with him on the court and to be fair he seems to be putting the work.

Bold prediction for sure, but I don't see it as an impossible take once the season is over.

I'm however not that sold on Banchero, he seems to me like the kinda guy that is getting his way on a bad team but somehow don't feel about him as a guy who can take a franchise very far playoffs wise. Time will tell tough.

The Magic weren't a bad team last year and they have a decent chance to win the East and are likely locks for HCA if they can stay healthy

Sent from my SM-A055F using RealGM mobile app

[pookenstein]

I'd love to see a list of 10 players definitively better than JDub this year that doesnt include a bunch of near 40 year olds who are gonna play 55 games this season

I'll give you fourteen so you can scratch a few...

Jokic
Luka
Shai
Giannis
Wemby
Cunningham
Edwards
Brown
Brunson
Mitchell
Sengun
Banchero
Zion
Young

Cunningham over Edwards? Yeah not so sure about that.

I wasn't ranking them. Just listing players who are better than J-Dub.

[pookenstein]

I'd love to see a list of 10 players definitively better than JDub this year that doesnt include a bunch of near 40 year olds who are gonna play 55 games this season

I'll give you fourteen so you can scratch a few...

Jokic
Luka
Shai
Giannis
Wemby
Cunningham
Edwards
Brown
Brunson
Mitchell
Sengun
Banchero
Zion
Young

Having Zion on a list is wild as hell. He’s had 1 season out of 6 where he played in 65 or more games.

Might as well throw Embiid, Morant, Tatum, and Kawhi to your list.

Fair point. I happen to believe that Zion will be healthy this year and under that premesis he's better than J-Dub. Same goes for Morant whom I should have added to my list. Tatum would be it as well if he was healthy. Kawhi is 34 years old and therefore ine of the oldtimers.

[jscott]

I'll give you fourteen so you can scratch a few...

Jokic
Luka
Shai
Giannis
Wemby
Cunningham
Edwards
Brown
Brunson
Mitchell
Sengun
Banchero
Zion
Young

Cunningham over Edwards? Yeah not so sure about that.

I wasn't ranking them. Just listing players who are better than J-Dub.

Ah - gotcha. My mistake then!

[ThunderBolt]

Even I think J dub is too high.

[PistolPeteJR]

I’d love to hear the case for JDub in the top-10. I don’t see it.

#2 player on a 68 win championship team. He is similar to a young Kawhi in many ways as a two way player. People heavily underrate being an elite defender while having the ability to handle, pass and score enough to be a second option.

It might not be flashy but you are checking so many boxes and pairing it with elite defense and length.

All fine and dandy. That doesn't suggest why he's top-10. For instance, I have a very hard time putting you in the top-10 when you're shooting 54.4 TS% in the playoffs.

[MoneyTalks41890]

#2 player on a 68 win championship team. He is similar to a young Kawhi in many ways as a two way player. People heavily underrate being an elite defender while having the ability to handle, pass and score enough to be a second option.

It might not be flashy but you are checking so many boxes and pairing it with elite defense and length.

I don't think JDub is young Kawhi at all. I think it's the braids and long arms.


Young Kawhi didn't have any sort of vision and he still struggles with that. I also think Jalen Williams is a smarter offensive basketball player than Kawhi. JDub is able to operate equally as well on-ball and off of it. He has a greater offensive diversity at a younger age with the ability to run the pick and roll since college days.

To me, he's like a small Scottie Pippen or 76ers Andre Iguodala or Bigger Bucks Jrue Holiday, that was moved to the 4 and the 3 to fill in gaps. I think if he want to any other team without SGA, he would look more like early Rockets James Harden, before the MVPs.

The issue people have JDub the fact that he does all the dirty work as a super utility player. I think SGA soaks up too many possessions and neither of them have strong table setting instincts. I think Jalen needs more on-ball opportunities as a guard instead of being used as a forward for him to get the props instead of being seen as riding SGA's coat tails.

His creation in non-SGA minutes has been garbage but that’s one of the few knocks on his game.

[cupcakesnake]

Even I think J dub is too high.

It's my realgm hill to die on. I felt, once J-Dub got his offense to all-star level, and his defense to WTF level, he clearly entered into the top 10 conversation.

I had him as a top 20 player at the end of 2024, and ranked him 11th last year (9th if we adjust for injuries and dont include Luka and Wemby). When he was having some super inconsistent shooting in the playoffs, my conviction wavered slightly (maybe his offense is worse than I think), but when I found out about the wrist injury (an injury I've had myself), I stopped myself from selling any stock.

Part of this is my biases and bball beliefs. I think great defenders who are only very good offensive players, are much rarer and more valuable that fans tend to give them credit for. They may not always be on the level as the real MVP-level offensive anchors (who are good enough on defense), but they're better than the next tier down of offensive players. I feel very comfortable with my evaluation that J.Dub is more rare and valuable than guys like Booker, Towns, Ja, Cade and Paolo (for now), Sengun, Jamal Murray etc.

Everything I'm saying about J.Dub goes for Mobley, too. They're very similar players to me, and are in my top 10. If those two continue to improve incrementally over the next few years as they hit their prime, I think a lot of people will forget they ever ranked those guys lower, as they'll be no brainer all-NBA guys for years.

[cupcakesnake]

I’d love to hear the case for JDub in the top-10. I don’t see it.

#2 player on a 68 win championship team. He is similar to a young Kawhi in many ways as a two way player. People heavily underrate being an elite defender while having the ability to handle, pass and score enough to be a second option.

It might not be flashy but you are checking so many boxes and pairing it with elite defense and length.

All fine and dandy. That doesn't suggest why he's top-10. For instance, I have a very hard time putting you in the top-10 when you're shooting 54.4 TS% in the playoffs.

Shooting 54.5%ts with a torn wrist doesn't sway me. If his poor playoff shooting continues over a larger, healthy sample, that would sway me. For now I'm much more moved by: this guy had a 40-point game in a tough finals series with a torn wrist!

[cupcakesnake]

J Dub and Mobley aren't in this conversation. Does anyone realistically think they could singlehandedly flip a lotto team into the play in?

I really do. Even if you question their offensive impact, putting Mobley or J.Dub into your starting lineup is a huge boost to your defense. Plenty of solid defense, bad offense teams make the play-in. Miami Heat are the poster boys of this.

I agree, great impact players. But top-10 players in the league is a stretch, I think. I know people are saying the old brigade should not be on here anymore, for instance, but I think I'm still taking Curry over JDub this year, for instance.

I think the hardest evaluation is a declining, late 30s former MVP vs. and up and coming 24-year-old. It's hard to track the decline of the ATG, and it's impossible to know the ceiling of the rising player, and how close he's getting to it. At what point in the night do these ships cross.

I'll admit, I tend to be more bullish on a players decline. Part of that is I see too many fans holding on to the concept of what the player was. They can still squint and see that player, and tend to ignore the little things the player doesn't do as quite a high level anymore. For me, with Curry, it's most consistency and rim pressure. He doesn't get into the guts of the defense as much anymore. He has nights where he can't turn on god mode. Even in the playoffs, it was more about him having 2 amazing games, rather than being this punishing threat all series. Then he goes down with an injury, which can happen to anyone, but happens more often with older players and you kind of have to expect it.

Last year, I had Curry above J.Dub, and the numbers mostly agreed on that. This year, projecting a bit, I anticipate a little more decline from Curry, a little more rise from J.Dub. A few more missed games from Curry, a few less nights where he looks like prime Curry, and some normal incremental improvement from Dub.

[ThunderBolt]

Even I think J dub is too high.

It's my realgm hill to die on. I felt, once J-Dub got his offense to all-star level, and his defense to WTF level, he clearly entered into the top 10 conversation.

I had him as a top 20 player at the end of 2024, and ranked him 11th last year (9th if we adjust for injuries and dont include Luka and Wemby). When he was having some super inconsistent shooting in the playoffs, my conviction wavered slightly (maybe his offense is worse than I think), but when I found out about the wrist injury (an injury I've had myself), I stopped myself from selling any stock.

Part of this is my biases and bball beliefs. I think great defenders who are only very good offensive players, are much rarer and more valuable that fans tend to give them credit for. They may not always be on the level as the real MVP-level offensive anchors (who are good enough on defense), but they're better than the next tier down of offensive players. I feel very comfortable with my evaluation that J.Dub is more rare and valuable than guys like Booker, Towns, Ja, Cade and Paolo (for now), Sengun, Jamal Murray etc.

Everything I'm saying about J.Dub goes for Mobley, too. They're very similar players to me, and are in my top 10. If those two continue to improve incrementally over the next few years as they hit their prime, I think a lot of people will forget they ever ranked those guys lower, as they'll be no brainer all-NBA guys for years.

I don’t think he’s far from it. The wrist is likely a factor in offensive inconsistencies but I need to see a bit more offensive consistency in the regular season. The narrative on him switched dramatically due to a 40 piece in the finals. Kyle Lowery was a huge choker in the playoffs until he wasn’t. The truth is probably somewhere in between. There have a been a lot of time J Dub struggled in big games in the regular season. I’m not hating on him at all. Perhaps he is the Yang to my Yin of unwavering love for Shai.

[Bornstellar]

I'll give you fourteen so you can scratch a few...

Jokic
Luka
Shai
Giannis
Wemby
Cunningham
Edwards
Brown
Brunson
Mitchell
Sengun
Banchero
Zion
Young

Cunningham over Edwards? Yeah not so sure about that.

I wasn't ranking them. Just listing players who are better than J-Dub.

I don't think Brown, Cade, Mitchell, Sengun, Banchero, Young, or Zion are better than JDub. JDub's defensive versatility puts him above all of those guys to me

[cupcakesnake]

Even I think J dub is too high.

It's my realgm hill to die on. I felt, once J-Dub got his offense to all-star level, and his defense to WTF level, he clearly entered into the top 10 conversation.

I had him as a top 20 player at the end of 2024, and ranked him 11th last year (9th if we adjust for injuries and dont include Luka and Wemby). When he was having some super inconsistent shooting in the playoffs, my conviction wavered slightly (maybe his offense is worse than I think), but when I found out about the wrist injury (an injury I've had myself), I stopped myself from selling any stock.

Part of this is my biases and bball beliefs. I think great defenders who are only very good offensive players, are much rarer and more valuable that fans tend to give them credit for. They may not always be on the level as the real MVP-level offensive anchors (who are good enough on defense), but they're better than the next tier down of offensive players. I feel very comfortable with my evaluation that J.Dub is more rare and valuable than guys like Booker, Towns, Ja, Cade and Paolo (for now), Sengun, Jamal Murray etc.

Everything I'm saying about J.Dub goes for Mobley, too. They're very similar players to me, and are in my top 10. If those two continue to improve incrementally over the next few years as they hit their prime, I think a lot of people will forget they ever ranked those guys lower, as they'll be no brainer all-NBA guys for years.

I don’t think he’s far from it. The wrist is likely a factor in offensive inconsistencies but I need to see a bit more offensive consistency in the regular season. The narrative on him switched dramatically due to a 40 piece in the finals. Kyle Lowery was a huge choker in the playoffs until he wasn’t. The truth is probably somewhere in between. There have a been a lot of time J Dub struggled in big games in the regular season. I’m not hating on him at all. Perhaps he is the Yang to my Yin of unwavering love for Shai.

I do think J.Dub lacks an elite ability to gain separation. He's a good driver, good tough shot maker, and a solid playmaker. I don't see an elite first step though, so it's unclear if he'll ever be a scorer or playmaker that creates high end, easy offense. He's got good downhill speed and run and jump ability, but he's not bursting by guys or cracking open the defense. Super important skill for a perimeter #1. It's unlikely he draws enough help or doubles with his current skill set.

The defensive versatility is insane though. Best perimeter helper in the NBA. Actual 1-5 switchability. Actual rim protection. Turnover and deflection god. Some of the stuff he does is subtle, but for me he's should be on DPOY ballots.

A defender that good who's fairly strong as a 2nd option on offense, is a top 10 player to me.

[PistolPeteJR]

#2 player on a 68 win championship team. He is similar to a young Kawhi in many ways as a two way player. People heavily underrate being an elite defender while having the ability to handle, pass and score enough to be a second option.

It might not be flashy but you are checking so many boxes and pairing it with elite defense and length.

All fine and dandy. That doesn't suggest why he's top-10. For instance, I have a very hard time putting you in the top-10 when you're shooting 54.4 TS% in the playoffs.

Shooting 54.5%ts with a torn wrist doesn't sway me. If his poor playoff shooting continues over a larger, healthy sample, that would sway me. For now I'm much more moved by: this guy had a 40-point game in a tough finals series with a torn wrist!

That's fair, but then at best, it's a question mark on his ability to be a top-10 player in the league. I think if you most people if they'd rather have Curry or JWill in a playoff series on their team, most would still lean Curry, and I think that's justified.

[Johnston797]

It's my realgm hill to die on. I felt, once J-Dub got his offense to all-star level, and his defense to WTF level, he clearly entered into the top 10 conversation.

I had him as a top 20 player at the end of 2024, and ranked him 11th last year (9th if we adjust for injuries and dont include Luka and Wemby). When he was having some super inconsistent shooting in the playoffs, my conviction wavered slightly (maybe his offense is worse than I think), but when I found out about the wrist injury (an injury I've had myself), I stopped myself from selling any stock.

Part of this is my biases and bball beliefs. I think great defenders who are only very good offensive players, are much rarer and more valuable that fans tend to give them credit for. They may not always be on the level as the real MVP-level offensive anchors (who are good enough on defense), but they're better than the next tier down of offensive players. I feel very comfortable with my evaluation that J.Dub is more rare and valuable than guys like Booker, Towns, Ja, Cade and Paolo (for now), Sengun, Jamal Murray etc.

Everything I'm saying about J.Dub goes for Mobley, too. They're very similar players to me, and are in my top 10. If those two continue to improve incrementally over the next few years as they hit their prime, I think a lot of people will forget they ever ranked those guys lower, as they'll be no brainer all-NBA guys for years.

I don’t think he’s far from it. The wrist is likely a factor in offensive inconsistencies but I need to see a bit more offensive consistency in the regular season. The narrative on him switched dramatically due to a 40 piece in the finals. Kyle Lowery was a huge choker in the playoffs until he wasn’t. The truth is probably somewhere in between. There have a been a lot of time J Dub struggled in big games in the regular season. I’m not hating on him at all. Perhaps he is the Yang to my Yin of unwavering love for Shai.

I do think J.Dub lacks an elite ability to gain separation. He's a good driver, good tough shot maker, and a solid playmaker. I don't see an elite first step though, so it's unclear if he'll ever be a scorer or playmaker that creates high end, easy offense. He's got good downhill speed and run and jump ability, but he's not bursting by guys or cracking open the defense. Super important skill for a perimeter #1. It's unlikely he draws enough help or doubles with his current skill set.

The defensive versatility is insane though. Best perimeter helper in the NBA. Actual 1-5 switchability. Actual rim protection. Turnover and deflection god. Some of the stuff he does is subtle, but for me he's should be on DPOY ballots.

A defender that good who's fairly strong as a 2nd option on offense, is a top 10 player to me.

It felt that Dub figured out some stuff in the 2nd half of the playoffs. Splits much better. Felt he figured out how to get separation and also draw fouls. He is easy top 10 if this holds true and he continues to groove the 3 the way he did in the regular season for his whole career. @38%

[tamaraw08]

is J-Dub getting punished for having SGA as their main focal point of their offense?
Is there enough sample size for us to judge his abilities when SGA is not playing?
Is he very difficult to defend against?
Can he truly make the right reads and have counters?

[Chokic]

I can see a case for Cade Paolo Zion in top 10 but Mobley in top 10 is crazy.

In no order

Wemby
Luka
Sga
Jokic
Giannis
Mitchell
Edwards
Paolo
Brunson
Zion

[UnbelievablyRAW]

I have JDub comfortably better than Paolo. Not sure on what grounds Paolo wins that argument. He averaged a few more points and rebounds with worse efficiency and defensive impact?

[mcfly1204]

I can see a case for Cade Paolo Zion in top 10 but Mobley in top 10 is crazy.

In no order

Wemby
Luka
Sga
Jokic
Giannis
Mitchell
Edwards
Paolo
Brunson
Zion

It's crazy to think Zion is more likely to be a top 10 player this season than Mobley.