NBA 2026-27 Season Opens: Rankings Split on Wembanyama vs. Gilgeous-Alexander

The NBA's 2026-27 season began on October 20 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder beating Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs 116-104 at Frost Bank Center, a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals. Wembanyama, the reigning unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and six blocks but missed his first 12 shots on the way to a 1-for-13 shooting night, according to CBS Sports.

Who is ranked No. 1 entering the season?

Entering the opener, the league's major preseason rankings did not agree on a single best player. The Ringer's annual player-rankings project named Wembanyama, 22, its No. 1 player, making him the youngest player ever to top that ranking. The outlet credited his dominant playoff run and a plus-12.9 net rating when he was on the floor, while noting his offensive game 'remains unpolished.'

CBS Sports' Top 100 list, published October 13 by writers Sam Quinn, Brad Botkin and Jack Maloney, also placed Wembanyama first, ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver's Nikola Jokić. The outlet argued that modern championship teams need more than top stars, writing that winning now 'means having players scattered throughout the entire list.'

A different picture emerged from a USA Today-reported, team-by-team 'best player on every roster' survey, syndicated on Yahoo Sports: in that ranking, Gilgeous-Alexander sits first overall, Jokić second and Wembanyama third. The split shows there is no single consensus No. 1 as the season opens, with outlets weighing playoff performance, two-way impact and statistical production differently.

Which teams have the most top-ranked talent

The Ringer's data shows Oklahoma City with seven players inside its Top 100, the most in the league, followed by San Antonio and Portland with six each. Only the defending champion New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers have three players inside the top 25. Five teams have just a single Top 100 player, including Golden State, where Stephen Curry remains the lone representative.

The USA Today/Yahoo Sports survey found the Memphis Grizzlies to be the only team without a single player inside the top 100, reflecting a roster turnover that included trading Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.; rookie Cameron Boozer came close but fell just short of the cutoff. In a separate surprise, Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey ranked 14th overall, ahead of teammates Jaylen Brown (15th), LeBron James (19th) and Joel Embiid (41st), despite Maxey being the least decorated name on that roster.

Offseason moves reshaping the contenders

ESPN's season preview, which projects team win totals, lists the Thunder with the league's highest projected total at 60.7 wins, followed by the Spurs at 59.1 and the Knicks at 51.7. The outlet also outlined the offseason moves that reshuffled the contender picture ahead of opening night.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the Miami Heat.
• Jaylen Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
• LeBron James, 41, signed with Philadelphia on a veteran's-minimum contract.
• Kawhi Leonard returned to the Toronto Raptors.
• LaMelo Ball joined Anthony Edwards in the Minnesota backcourt.

According to a report from San Antonio's KSAT, NBA general managers picked the Spurs to win the 2027 championship ahead of the season, with both San Antonio (62-20 last season) and Oklahoma City (64-18) returning largely intact rosters after their conference-finals series.

Where established stars and young guards now rank

The Ringer's preseason top 10 does not include Curry (11th), Durant (15th) or LeBron James (21st). Kawhi Leonard, 35, is the only player over 31 in that top 10, ranking No. 8. The USA Today/Yahoo survey similarly placed Curry 11th and Durant 12th, both age 38, calling them anomalies in a league where most of their contemporaries have declined or retired.

The Ringer also tracked a decline among smaller point guards: Jalen Duren dropped from 24th to 46th after a weak playoff showing, while Ja Morant, Darius Garland, De'Aaron Fox and Trae Young have all fallen out of the top 30, a trend the outlet linked to the league valuing size and defense more heavily. One exception is Dallas-to-New York guard Jalen Brunson, who rose from 51st in 2022 to sixth this year after winning Finals MVP.