Andy Bailey@AndrewDBailey
HNI*, or every NBA player with 500+ minutes in 2025-26, sorted by the AVERAGE OF THEIR RANKS in 12 catch-alls...
1. Nikola Jokić (1.7)
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2.0)
3. Luka Dončić (4.3)
3. Victor Wembanyama (4.3)
5. Kawhi Leonard (4.9)
6. Donovan Mitchell (8.3)
7. Cade Cunningham (9.4)
8. Tyrese Maxey (14.8)
9. Jalen Duren (15.8)
10. Kevin Durant (17.9)
11. Chet Holmgren (18.3)
12. James Harden (18.7)
13. Jamal Murray (20.0)
13. Anthony Edwards (20.0)
15. Karl-Anthony Towns (22.0)
16. Scottie Barnes (22.5)
17. Giannis Antetokounmpo (23.9)
17. Jalen Brunson (23.9)
19. Derrick White (28.6)
20. LaMelo Ball (29.3)
21. Jaylen Brown (30.2)
22. Stephen Curry (32.5)
23. Jimmy Butler (34.8)
24. Devin Booker (35.4)
25. Bam Adebayo (35.6)
26. Austin Reaves (35.9)
27. Jalen Johnson (36.7)
28. Kon Knueppel (38.3)
29. Donovan Clingan (39.3)
30. Deni Avdija (39.5)
31. Evan Mobley (41.3)
32. Neemias Queta (42.6)
33. Jarrett Allen (42.8)
34. Joel Embiid (44.7)
35. De'Aaron Fox (46.3)
36. Amen Thompson (46.7)
37. Alperen Şengün (48.0)
38. LeBron James (49.1)
39. Rudy Gobert (52.6)
40. Stephon Castle (53.1)
41. Immanuel Quickley (53.2)
42. Zion Williamson (54.3)
43. Collin Gillespie (55.3)
44. Lauri Markkanen (55.8)
45. Isaiah Hartenstein (57.9)
45. Sandro Mamukelashvili (57.9)
47. Payton Pritchard (59.0)
48. OG Anunoby (59.4)
49. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (60.2)
50. Michael Porter Jr. (65.4)
51. Mikal Bridges (65.6)
52. Brandon Miller (66.0)
53. Desmond Bane (66.1)
54. Trey Murphy III (67.8)
55. Moussa Diabaté (68.0)
56. Ajay Mitchell (68.8)
57. Norman Powell (69.3)
58. Dyson Daniels (69.8)
59. Julius Randle (70.0)
60. Mitchell Robinson (73.3)
61. Julian Champagnie (73.8)
62. Ausar Thompson (74.2)
63. Robert Williams (76.5)
64. Paul Reed (76.7)
65. Donte DiVincenzo (79.4)
66. Josh Hart (79.8)
67. Onyeka Okongwu (80.7)
68. Jalen Suggs (80.9)
69. Jrue Holiday (84.2)
70. Franz Wagner (85.9)
71. Pascal Siakam (88.1)
72. Kristaps Porziņģis (89.5)
73. Paolo Banchero (90.2)
74. Grayson Allen (91.1)
75. Aaron Gordon (92.7)
76. Duncan Robinson (94.3)
76. Isaiah Joe (94.3)
78. Tobias Harris (95.8)
79. Naz Reid (98.2)
80. Keldon Johnson (98.4)
81. Miles Bridges (98.5)
82. Kevin Porter Jr. (98.7)
83. Kel'el Ware (99.4)
84. Jalen Williams (100.0)
85. Josh Giddey (100.1)
86. Luka Garza (102.0)
87. Luke Kornet (102.3)
88. Day'Ron Sharpe (103.8)
88. Paul George (103.8)
90. Saddiq Bey (104.1)
91. Cason Wallace (104.5)
92. Alex Caruso (106.5)
93. RJ Barrett (107.5)
94. Devin Vassell (109.2)
95. Jordan Goodwin (109.3)
96. CJ McCollum (113.2)
97. Jaylin Williams (113.3)
97. Goga Bitadze (113.3)
99. Tre Jones (114.0)
99. Javonte Green (114.0)
101. Dylan Harper (116.1)
102. Jabari Smith Jr. (117.0)
103. Andrew Wiggins (117.2)
104. Sam Merrill (119.6)
105. Jalen Smith (121.0)
106. Brandin Podziemski (121.8)
107. Tyler Herro (122.1)
108. Wendell Carter Jr. (122.5)
109. Cam Spencer (122.6)
110. Moses Moody (123.4)
111. Anthony Davis (123.6)
112. Ryan Rollins (123.7)
113. Darius Garland (123.9)
114. Jaden McDaniels (124.3)
115. Jakob Poeltl (125.5)
116. Jaren Jackson Jr. (126.4)
117. Brandon Ingram (127.8)
118. Collin Sexton (128.7)
119. Jaylon Tyson (129.0)
120. John Collins (130.5)
121. Nikola Vučević (130.8)
122. Sam Hauser (133.1)
123. Reed Sheppard (133.3)
124. Oso Ighodaro (133.8)
125. T.J. McConnell (134.7)
126. Josh Minott (135.2)
127. Ivica Zubac (136.4)
128. Miles McBride (137.0)
129. Ryan Kalkbrenner (137.2)
130. Cooper Flagg (138.5)
130. Toumani Camara (138.5)
132. Mark Williams (139.7)
133. Derrick Jones Jr. (142.8)
133. Bones Hyland (142.8)
135. Ayo Dosunmu (143.9)
136. Anthony Black (145.2)
137. Gary Payton II (145.3)
138. Jaxson Hayes (146.8)
139. Jerami Grant (147.3)
140. Clint Capela (147.9)
141. Harrison Barnes (149.4)
142. Gui Santos (150.8)
143. Brandon Williams (152.3)
143. Santi Aldama (152.3)
145. Dru Smith (153.4)
146. Kris Dunn (154.0)
146. Collin Murray-Boyles (154.0)
148. Keyonte George (156.3)
149. Naji Marshall (157.5)
150. Deandre Ayton (157.7)
151. Pelle Larsson (157.8)
152. Coby White (157.9)
153. VJ Edgecombe (158.3)
154. Cameron Johnson (159.5)
155. Dean Wade (161.2)
156. Simone Fontecchio (161.8)
157. Daniel Gafford (162.8)
158. DeMar DeRozan (164.0)
159. Tim Hardaway Jr. (164.2)
160. Jock Landale (164.6)
161. Jusuf Nurkić (166.8)
162. Davion Mitchell (167.0)
162. Landry Shamet (167.0)
164. Jordan Walsh (167.3)
165. Justin Champagnie (168.3)
166. Jaime Jaquez Jr. (169.1)
167. Kevin Huerter (169.8)
168. Andrew Nembhard (170.5)
169. Steven Adams (172.7)
170. Marcus Smart (172.8)
171. Kyle Filipowski (174.8)
172. Anfernee Simons (175.2)
173. Javon Small (176.3)
174. Grant Williams (177.3)
175. Tari Eason (178.1)
176. Isaiah Stewart (178.8)
176. De'Anthony Melton (178.8)
178. Marvin Bagley III (179.2)
179. Myles Turner (179.4)
180. Dillon Brooks (179.7)
181. Baylor Scheierman (180.5)
182. Craig Porter Jr. (181.4)
183. Kenrich Williams (181.8)
184. Tristan Da Silva (182.8)
185. Matas Buzelis (183.9)
186. Thomas Bryant (184.2)
187. Aaron Wiggins (185.8)
188. Keon Ellis (187.4)
189. Cedric Coward (188.1)
190. Al Horford (188.3)
190. Precious Achiuwa (188.3)
192. Brook Lopez (188.6)
193. Jay Huff (192.8)
194. Karlo Matković (192.9)
195. Ja Morant (193.1)
196. Shaedon Sharpe (193.9)
197. Quentin Grimes (194.1)
198. Jordan Miller (194.5)
199. Christian Braun (194.6)
200. Ja'Kobe Walter (195.4)
201. Ryan Dunn (196.6)
202. Jamal Shead (198.3)
203. Micah Potter (198.9)
204. Jalen Green (199.8)
205. Peyton Watson (199.9)
206. Mouhamed Gueye (201.3)
207. Josh Green (204.7)
208. Quinten Post (205.5)
209. Kelly Oubre Jr. (207.8)
210. Nic Claxton (208.3)
211. Royce O'Neale (208.6)
212. Luke Kennard (208.8)
213. Jamaree Bouyea (209.6)
214. Olivier-Maxence Prosper (210.4)
214. Domantas Sabonis (210.4)
216. Daniss Jenkins (210.7)
217. Jose Alvarado (210.8)
218. Bobby Portis (212.1)
219. Ron Holland (212.7)
220. Isaiah Jackson (212.9)
221. Josh Okogie (213.5)
222. Derik Queen (213.8)
223. Jonas Valančiūnas (213.9)
223. Alex Sarr (213.9)
225. Ziaire Williams (216.4)
226. John Konchar (218.3)
227. Jake LaRavia (219.3)
228. Kasparas Jakučionis (219.8)
229. Dominick Barlow (220.6)
230. Bennedict Mathurin (221.2)
231. Dwight Powell (221.7)
232. P.J. Washington (222.3)
233. Russell Westbrook (222.4)
234. Yves Missi (223.5)
235. Herbert Jones (226.8)
236. Will Richard (228.0)
237. Dylan Cardwell (230.3)
238. Hugo González (233.0)
239. Kyshawn George (233.3)
240. Tristan Vukcevic (234.8)
241. Vít Krejčí (235.8)
242. Jonathan Isaac (236.8)
243. GG Jackson II (237.0)
244. Kevin Love (237.6)
245. Svi Mykhailiuk (237.9)
246. Andre Drummond (238.5)
247. Luguentz Dort (239.8)
248. Kris Murray (240.9)
249. Draymond Green (241.3)
250. Jaylen Wells (241.4)
251. Tidjane Salaün (242.0)
252. Jonathan Kuminga (244.8)
253. Sion James (245.3)
254. Egor Dёmin (245.8)
255. Adem Bona (246.8)
255. Malik Monk (246.8)
257. Zach LaVine (247.6)
257. Vince Williams Jr. (247.6)
259. Tyler Kolek (248.4)
260. Quenton Jackson (248.6)
261. Zaccharie Risacher (248.7)
262. Aaron Nesmith (249.5)
263. Dennis Schröder (249.9)
264. Scoot Henderson (250.8)
265. Kyle Anderson (251.3)
266. Brice Sensabaugh (251.5)
267. Kyle Kuzma (251.6)
268. Noah Penda (252.3)
269. Klay Thompson (253.3)
270. Jarred Vanderbilt (254.4)
271. Nae'Qwan Tomlin (257.3)
272. Jaylen Clark (257.8)
273. Jamir Watkins (258.3)
274. Justin Edwards (260.4)
275. Jaden Ivey (261.7)
276. Devin Carter (262.0)
277. Jabari Walker (263.3)
278. Caris LeVert (264.5)
279. Buddy Hield (264.8)
280. Lonzo Ball (265.8)
281. Dalen Terry (265.9)
282. Corey Kispert (266.8)
283. Julian Strawther (267.3)
284. Max Christie (268.2)
285. A.J. Green (269.3)
285. Jared McCain (269.3)
287. De'Andre Hunter (269.9)
288. Bryce McGowens (271.8)
289. Bilal Coulibaly (272.3)
290. Rui Hachimura (272.5)
291. Danny Wolf (272.9)
292. Pat Spencer (274.0)
293. Rasheer Fleming (274.2)
294. Keegan Murray (274.5)
295. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (279.3)
295. Jevon Carter (279.3)
297. Pete Nance (280.9)
298. Guerschon Yabusele (281.4)
299. Spencer Jones (281.9)
300. Sidy Cissoko (282.4)
301. Isaiah Collier (284.7)
302. Jett Howard (288.0)
303. Aaron Holiday (288.3)
304. Jordan Clarkson (289.1)
305. Nicolas Batum (289.2)
306. Johnny Furphy (289.3)
307. Mohamed Diawara (291.2)
308. Maxime Raynaud (291.4)
309. Noah Clowney (292.3)
310. Mike Conley (292.6)
311. Jeremiah Fears (293.8)
312. Nikola Jović (297.5)
313. Trendon Watford (298.0)
314. Jalen Pickett (298.8)
314. Jase Richardson (298.8)
316. Elijah Harkless (299.5)
317. Khris Middleton (299.6)
318. Jordan Poole (300.4)
319. Jaden Hardy (301.2)
320. Bruce Brown (301.7)
321. Taylor Hendricks (302.3)
321. Gradey Dick (302.3)
323. Drew Eubanks (303.0)
324. Caleb Martin (305.5)
325. Jarace Walker (306.4)
326. Ace Bailey (306.6)
327. Anthony Gill (306.8)
328. Tyrese Martin (307.0)
329. Kobe Brown (307.5)
330. Terance Mann (307.8)
330. Kobe Sanders (307.8)
332. Zeke Nnaji (310.5)
333. Tyus Jones (311.2)
333. Ben Sheppard (311.2)
335. Isaac Okoro (311.3)
336. Carter Bryant (313.0)
337. Gary Harris (315.3)
338. Nique Clifford (315.9)
339. Cam Thomas (316.6)
340. Ousmane Dieng (318.3)
341. Caleb Love (319.7)
342. Ochai Agbaji (320.9)
343. Daeqwon Plowden (321.5)
344. Nick Richards (321.6)
345. Will Riley (323.5)
346. Dorian Finney-Smith (323.6)
347. Ryan Nembhard (324.8)
348. Tre Johnson (325.8)
349. Jalen Wilson (327.5)
350. Micah Peavy (330.3)
351. Sharife Cooper (331.2)
352. Dalton Knecht (334.2)
353. Jericho Sims (335.7)
354. Walter Clayton (336.1)
355. Cole Anthony (338.9)
356. Jahmai Mashack (339.3)
357. Gabe Vincent (339.4)
358. Tre Mann (339.5)
359. Bub Carrington (342.3)
360. Gary Trent Jr. (343.6)
361. Cody Williams (347.2)
362. Patrick Williams (347.8)
363. Drake Powell (350.8)
364. Rob Dillingham (351.8)
365. Rayan Rupert (352.8)
366. Ben Saraf (356.3)
367. Nolan Traoré (356.9)
368. Jordan Hawkins (357.9)
A number of catch-all metrics from the around the internet endeavor to tell us who's playing best every year. And though many of the different adjusted plus-minuses attempt to measure the same thing (an individual player’s impact on the game when he’s on the floor), they have slightly different ways of getting there.
If you want to acknowledge the most accessible ones, you could say something like…
“Jayson Tatum is 3rd in Basketball Reference’s box plus/minus and 7th in wins over replacement player; 3rd in Dunks and Threes’ estimated plus-minus and 5th in estimated wins; 9th in Basketball Index's LEBRON and 31st in LEBRON WAR; 6th in ESPN's Net Points per 100 possessions and 21st in Net Points WAR; and 2nd in Basketball Reference’s game score per 100 possessions and 17th in total game score..."
…but that’s quite a mouthful.
For the last several seasons, I’ve been sharing something of a shorthand for the above. Instead of rattling off that list for any and all players one might want to discuss, I sort every qualified player by the average of their ranks in those stats (as well as their cumulative variants).
The results give credit to each of the metrics, throw a bone to basic numbers (through the use of game score) and reward players for availability (through the addition of the cumulative marks).
The lists produced by this exercise aren’t perfect, but none are. Strictly subjective rankings obviously have their own flaws. This is at least a guide. And it can give you a pretty good idea of who’s been the best (or worst) in 2025-26.
If you’re looking for a specific player (like, oh say, Paolo Banchero), do the handy little “control (or command) plus F” trick on your keyboard and type in that player’s name.
Oh, and one more caveat. If someone looks lower than you thought he should be (a warranted reaction to some placements), bear in mind that cumulative numbers (think points, rather than points per game) are in play. So those who've missed plenty of time are affected by that.
*Shout out to Tim MacMahon for coming up with the name "Huge Nerd Index" or HNI.
It's a little late in the game to do this, but I was curious to see if or how adding DARKO DPM to the mix might affect things. So, I did. Being just one-sixth of the stew didn't make much of a difference, but there's certainly an argument for getting another reputable number in there. And the real math people might hate me for mixing a predictive number in with non-predictive ones, but they've never cared for me much anyway. So, it's in!
