This year’s NBA Rank features massive turnover from 12 months ago. A full 25 of our top 100 players weren’t ranked a year ago, the biggest turnover from one list to the next since 2019. Although one of those players (No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg) wasn’t eligible entering his lone season at Duke, the rest elevated their standing in the league with strong performances.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which players could join the NBA Rank top 100 next season after falling short this year.
Notably, we’re excluding players who fell off the list solely because of injury. Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum, expected to sit out all of 2025-26 because of their Achilles ruptures suffered in the playoffs, plus Kyrie Irving (who could return from an earlier ACL tear) are all obvious picks once back healthy.
Instead, we’re going to look at 2025 draft picks, young players who could make the leap and players who fell out of the top 100. From last year’s list, we correctly predicted six out of 10, including Flagg. We’ll aim to beat that this time.
Second-year stars
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Naturally, second-year players are the most common newcomers to NBA Rank, with an average of about three per year over the past decade. With only one rookie on this year’s list, the rest of the draft is available to join that group.
Of the 11 players drafted No. 2 since 2014, eight of them have made the NBA Rank top 100 by Year 2. The exceptions? Brandon Ingram (who made it for the first time in his third season), James Wiseman and last year’s No. 2 pick Alex Sarr. Harper might not have a large role as a rookie behind veteran starter De’Aaron Fox, which explains why he wasn’t in the top 100, but expect him to show enough promise to crack the list in a year.
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
After the top two picks, there’s not much correlation between where a player is drafted and their chances of cracking NBA Rank as a sophomore. It’s more a matter of production, as we saw this year with No. 9 pick Zach Edey making this year’s list.
Knueppel, who was named MVP of the NBA summer league championship game after leading to the Hornets to the title, might be as ready to contribute as any rookie outside of his Duke teammate Flagg and has more immediate opportunity than Harper and No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe. So I’m going to bet on him to join the list next year.
Rising young stars
Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
As a rookie, Clingan was immediately one of the NBA’s top rim protectors. He swatted 7.5% of opponent 2-point attempts while on the court, second in the league to Victor Wembanyama. Clingan’s offensive game is still a work in progress and he averaged only 19.8 minutes. Portland buying out Deandre Ayton opens up a starting role for Clingan, who averaged double-figure rebounds (10.0 per game) in 37 starts last season. If he averages a double-double and 2-plus blocks, Clingan should sneak into the top 100.
Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Risacher is the only No. 1 pick in the past decade not to make the top 100 entering his second season. That’s understandable given his modest rookie production (12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and meager averages in other key categories) and the fact that 2024 was considered a relatively weak draft. At the same time, Risacher finished second in Rookie of the Year voting while turning 20 at the end of the season. Solid growth on an Atlanta team that should return to the playoffs makes him a stronger candidate next year.
Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Among newcomers to NBA Rank, only Ivica Zubac ranked ahead of Thompson’s twin brother, Amen. Ausar isn’t as advanced as Amen, particularly on the offensive end, but showed similar defensive potential after returning from a blood clot. After the All-Star break, Thompson averaged 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks. Only two players averaged at least 1.5 steals and a block per game last season: MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and NBA Rank newcomer Jalen Johnson of the Hawks.
Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
In 36 starts as a rookie, Ware averaged a double-double of 10.8 points and 10.0 rebounds. He benefited from playing alongside All-Star Bam Adebayo in the Miami frontcourt and isn’t the kind of rim protector that Clingan is. Nonetheless, Ware’s development is well ahead of schedule for what was expected as a project coming out of Indiana. Another year of improvement as a 3-point shooter would put Ware on a top-100 trajectory.
Returning to the list
Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls
This is one where I think NBA Rank missed the mark. As high as No. 53 in 2023, entering his final season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey dropped off the list after a lackluster 2024 playoffs. That now seems like an overcorrection after Giddey averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists following the 2025 All-Star break, shooting 46% on 3-point attempts. Giddey’s weaknesses make him a challenging fit in a supporting role, but given the keys to the offense as in Chicago, Giddey can be the engine of a capable attack.
Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
Remarkably, last year’s edition was the only top 100 Jones has cracked despite an All-Defensive first-team appearance and fifth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023-24. Injuries took Jones out of the mix last season. He played only 20 games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in February. Expected to be healthy, Jones will have an opportunity to restore his value.
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Ranking Podziemski No. 78 on the strength of his rookie season might have been aggressive. Podziemski’s All-Rookie first-team nod was in large part on the strength of 38.5% 3-point shooting, which slipped a bit in Year 2. At the same time, Podziemski increased his usage rate serving as a playmaker for the Warriors’ second unit and was actually more efficient overall. Expect a big Year 3 for Podziemski that should solidify him in the top 100.
Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors
Quickley was out of sight, out of mind last season, when injuries limited him to only 33 games. When he was healthy, Quickley averaged 17.1 points and 5.8 assists in only 27.8 minutes — less than he played after joining Toronto midway through 2023-24. If Quickley merely repeats that production over 60-plus games and helps the Raptors reach the play-in or beyond, he can return to the list after ranking No. 64 a year ago.
