You have made it to the All-Star stratum of our 2026 Player Tiers. A few All-Stars appeared in Tier 3, but none who have been All-Star selections in the last three seasons. Tier 2 is larger this year, but it still rounds out the top 30 players in the NBA.
As much as the best players dictate championships, it’s a team game. It’s hard to have one star carry a team of role players to a title, even very good ones. Talent needs to be stacked. It’s not practical, though not impossible, to get multiple Tier 1 players together, and it is hard to be a contender without at least one Tier 2 player.
This is where that stacking becomes possible. You can see it in teams at work deep in the playoffs, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder each having multiple players in Tier 2.
Tier 2A
Many would argue that these players belong in the highest tier. But I had a good reason for keeping them at the top sub-tier here. We might have to call this the Becky Hammon appreciation sub-tier, after she stated her view that, “If your best player is the smallest player on the court, you (probably) won’t win a championship.”
There’s no more appropriate place to start than with point guards Jalen Brunson and Stephen Curry, the latter of whom has been a mainstay in Tier 1 — until now.
Curry posted one of the worst assist-to-turnover ratios among starting point guards (1.68), his team has missed the playoffs two of the last three seasons and Golden State has been a top-five seed in the Western Conference only once since Kevin Durant left in 2019. Much of that has to do with the quality of Curry’s teammates. He is still a top-tier scorer, bending defenses with his movement and shooting threat. He still gets to the free-throw line like a star, averaging 5.1 attempts per game, and he continues to hold up defensively, averaging 1.1 steals per game. But his 3.6 rebounds per game were a 14-year low. If Curry played enough games to qualify, he would have led the NBA in made 3s at 4.4 per game. But he is 38 years old and missed nearly half of this season with a knee issue after suffering a hamstring strain in the 2025 playoffs.
Brunson is an on-ball offense unto himself, spamming pick-and-rolls and isolations to perfection while averaging 5.7 free-throw attempts per game. He’s a relatively low-turnover playmaker, a solid 3-point shooter and very good in the rare times he can spot up. Because he is only 6 foot 2 and has rarely had active hands, he needs to be protected defensively. But Brunson competes on that end of the floor and is the NBA’s leading threat to draw charges.
Donovan Mitchell is Cleveland’s starting shooting guard, but at 6 foot 2, he also fits the Hammon paradox. He’s a powerful scorer who averages 6.1 free-throw attempts per game, has a better than 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and shoots a ton of 3s. Mitchell is better at the point of attack than on an island, but he still has a great nose for the ball.
The small forwards here are two NBA Finals MVPs in Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard. Durant still does everything a scorer has to do, on and off the ball, and has scored at least 25 points per game in every season he’s played since the Supersonics left Seattle. He’s made at least 50 percent of his field goals every season he’s played since 2012 and has made at least 40 percent of his 3s in five of the last six seasons. He’s not a big playmaker defensively, but he remains assignment-sound at 6-11. Durant played 78 games this season, his most since missing the 2019-20 season with a torn Achilles tendon. But the spring returns on Durant-led teams have been diminishing. His Houston Rockets were an eyesore in clutch situations because, like many Durant teams lately, they were chronically bad at executing in fourth quarters and overtime. Durant is best suited to have a powerful lead guard next to him to keep him out of a primary playmaker role, and Fred VanVleet’s ACL injury lowered Houston’s ceiling even before Durant suffered two injuries after the regular season ended. Durant’s teams have won only two playoff series since he left Golden State. He has also lost his last seven playoff games, and he’ll be 38 when next season begins.
Leonard will turn 35 this summer, and he hasn’t been a part of a playoff series win since undergoing ACL surgery in 2021. Foot and ankle sprains contributed to him missing 10 games in November, a stretch during which the LA Clippers lost 13 of 15 games. Then Draymond Green locked up Leonard while the Clippers blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead at home in a Play-In Tournament elimination game. Still, from December and March, Leonard was one of the best players in the NBA, playing enough games to qualify for end-of-season awards while largely putting his knee issues behind him. He had an eight-year high in steals and a three-year high in rebounds while recording more steals than fouls for a third straight season. Players rarely test his one-on-one defense. Offensively, Leonard averaged 6.4 free-throw attempts, his most in six years, and shot better than 50 percent for the fourth time in six seasons. He has one of the lowest turnover rates by a star and launched more 3s than ever while still maintaining a 38.7 percent clip. This season was the first time since 2020 that Leonard began and ended a season healthy, which makes it all the more wasteful that he couldn’t win a playoff series and puts more pressure on a team that intends to contend and have another top player beside Leonard due to his bouts of missed time.
Tier 2B
This sub-tier has seven All-Stars who were all on playoff teams, and they have all had to share the spotlight in one way or another in the last year or so.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick referred to Marcus Smart as the team’s power forward, though LeBron James more frequently defended power forwards during his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. James took an understandable back seat to Luka Dončić and a sacrificial back seat to Austin Reaves as the season went on and those three actually played together. James didn’t begin the season healthy for the first time because of sciatica, and Reaves missed the beginning of winter due to injury. Dončić got hurt shortly before the All-Star break just as Reaves returned, and then both Dončić and Reaves were sidelined again before the playoffs. It was an uneven season for James offensively. He took the fewest shots of his career, played the fewest minutes of his career and had his lowest scoring average since his rookie season. He also shot just 31.7 percent from 3, his worst mark in a decade. But James was still dynamic. No player scored more fast breaks per game, and he had his most dunks (97) since leaving Cleveland. Defensively, few players were better in isolation. For a supposed third option, James is elite. But he is no longer a Tier 1 presence.
The lone point guard is Tyrese Maxey, who is just a step below the Becky Hammon appreciation sub-tier of guards. He has increased his scoring and steals every year, finishing with 28.3 points and 1.9 steals to go with career highs of 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 6.0 free-throw attempts per game and 220 3s this season. He’s a low-turnover star, and he had more dunks this year (29) than the previous two years combined (21). No guard scored more fast-break points per game. Maxey plays with a former MVP in Joel Embiid, but the Philadelphia 76ers are basically his team now.
Jaylen Brown was the focal point of the Boston Celtics’ offense for the first time and put up career highs of 28.7 points, 7.5 free-throw attempts and 5.1 assists per game. Boston’s defense was better when he wasn’t on the floor, and Brown had a seven-year low in steals per game, but the defense was still good with him on the floor. Only Amen Thompson averaged more paint points among non-bigs. Brown is proud of the year he had, and he’s an NBA Finals MVP, but he has to bounce back from his team blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs, a series in which he had more turnovers than assists.
The other power forwards are Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Johnson. Barnes shares touches with fellow All-Star Brandon Ingram and guards RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but Barnes is a superpowered connector. This season, 22 players had at least 100 steals, and 12 players had at least 100 blocks. Barnes was the only one who had both. He was also one of 10 players to average at least seven rebounds and five assists this season. While Ingram faded, Barnes shone in the playoffs. The question for Barnes is whether he can put it all together as a scorer and shooter and sustain it.
Holmgren is one of the best defenders in the game, both in terms of premier rim protection and play-by-play consistency. He’s not a shot creator, but good things happen when he has the ball. Holmgren is remarkably efficient, stretches the floor and finishes everything. It’s no coincidence that the Thunder have been the NBA’s best team since Holmgren recovered from a Lisfranc injury that canceled his rookie season.
Johnson began this season with Trae Young as his point guard and ended it averaging more touches per game than any forward in the league. After missing 72 games the previous two years, Johnson played in 72 games this season and put it all together from a production standpoint. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game; the only other player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists this season was Nikola Jokić. Johnson also made 120 3s and shot 78.8 percent from the line and 35.2 percent from 3. He’s gotten a taste of the playoffs, so he can build from that as one of the most versatile stars in the league.
Karl-Anthony Towns is the top center in Tier 2, and he’s had a fascinating start to the playoffs as he appears in his third straight conference finals. Towns had only one game in his postseason career in Minnesota with at least five assists and only one game with at least five assists in last year’s playoffs with the Knicks. He had seven such games through the first two rounds of the 2026 playoffs. Towns averaged a 10-year low of 20.1 points and a career-low 0.5 blocks per game, and he attempted his fewest 3s in eight years. But his presence has to be accounted for. He was already a threat with his ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot with range. His willingness to sacrifice shots to get his co-starters easy buckets has been a critical development and could elevate his value going forward.
Tier 2C
I needed a sub-tier just below 2B for these two stars.
Jamal Murray is a big point guard at 6-4, 215 pounds, and he made his first All-Star Game this season while helping Jokić lead the best offense in the league. Only LaMelo Ball and Luka Dončić made more 3s out of ball screens than Murray, and Murray made those attempts at a 42 percent rate. He combined his best 3-point shooting season with his highest free-throw volume (5.2 attempts per game) and his most assists (7.1 per game) ever while still keeping his turnovers low. Murray added a career-best 4.4 rebounds for good measure. This wasn’t a charity All-Star appointment. But for years, Murray was a playoff riser, and his floor has been lower in the playoffs after winning the 2023 championship.
Evan Mobley is an interesting comparison with Holmgren. They were top-three draft picks selected a year apart after being one-and-done in college. Mobley has been healthier, while Holmgren’s teams have had more success. Mobley is arguably the better shot creator, capable of getting to the free-throw line at a higher rate and generating more assists. Mobley was also the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year. The biggest difference is the shooting, as Holmgren has been a solid shooter while Mobley’s shot falls apart more often. This season saw Mobley’s free-throw percentage drop to a career low 60.6 percent, while his 3-point percentage fell from 37 percent to 29.7 percent. If Cleveland is going to maximize its corps, then Mobley has to be the unicorn that makes it happen.
Tier 2D
There was a case for players in this sub-tier to be in Tier 3. Ultimately, the case for Tier 2 was stronger.
James Harden was an All-Star snub and changed teams for the fourth time in six seasons. Harden continued his brand of on-ball dominance, attempting a four-year high 7.5 free throws per game and making a six-year high 3.1 3s per game. He had to score more with the Clippers because of November injuries to Leonard and Bradley Beal, and he was more efficient once he got to Cleveland. His floor in the postseason is well documented, with single-digit scoring performances, games with more turnovers than field goals and instances of matador defense. But he’s one of the league’s best playmakers and has averaged more assists (9.3) than field goals made (6.4) in each of the last six seasons. Despite Harden’s advanced age (he turns 37 in August), his skill level at 6-5, 220 pounds allows teams to have more lineup versatility and a higher defensive floor compared to teams that have smaller point guards who need to be hidden. Harden has also played at least 70 games in three straight seasons despite reaching 40,000 career minutes.
The shooting guards here are Devin Booker and De’Aaron Fox, two players who could also be called point guards. Booker has won just four playoff games without Chris Paul on the floor with him, and all five of Phoenix’s series wins with Booker have been against a team missing a star for all or part of the series (Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Paul George). That’s not to say that Booker isn’t a very good player. The Suns would be lost without him, as he is his team’s best chance for anything close to efficient offense, and he competes on defense. But he would benefit significantly from three things: a point guard who consistently helps him get easier shots, another star teammate at any position and a head coach who can stick around a while (Jordan Ott is Booker’s eighth head coach).
Fox joined a Spurs team that had Paul start all 82 games last season, watched the Spurs replace Paul with second-overall draft pick Dylan Harper and then saw Stephon Castle build on his Rookie of the Year campaign by leading San Antonio in touches and assists. So where does Fox figure into all of that? By being San Antonio’s most efficient on-ball player. He has sacrificed volume scoring (seven-year low of 18.6 points) by having a career-low 2.3 turnovers, being reliable on defense and saving his best work for fourth quarters.
Deni Avdija and Jalen Williams both have a level of positional versatility that gives their teams lineup optionality. Only Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged more free-throw attempts per game this season than Avdija, who hinted last year that he could be capable of powerful on-ball outcomes if he didn’t have to share touches with Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton. Avdija only made 25 percent of his pull-up 3s, compared to 36 percent of his catch 3s, and only Dončić had more turnovers per game. Portland’s offense was messy quite often, but if Avdija saw a driving lane, he was getting to the paint, and that continued in his first postseason. He is a huge perimeter player at 6-8, 228 pounds, and though he could better handle the rigors of his role by cleaning up his shooting, passing and defense, he has arrived as an All-Star capable of leading a playoff team.
Williams is wrapping up one of the best rookie contracts ever for a player drafted outside of the top 10, having already established himself as an All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive team selection for an NBA champion. His 2025 postseason was extraordinary, considering he was playing with a wrist injury that required surgery and delayed his 2025-26 season. Williams then dealt with three separate hamstring injuries that further kept him out of rhythm and interrupted his postseason. The injuries sapped some of Williams’ scoring punch while canceling his 3-point shot (career-low 29.9 percent), but he is a confident decision-maker and ballhandler offensively and can guard every position.
Pascal Siakam is the lone power forward in this sub-tier. Like Williams, Siakam had an astonishing playoff run for an Indiana Pacers team that was one game short of a championship. Siakam was Indiana’s leading scorer in each of his playoff runs with the team, and he had a great scoring season, playing 2,057 minutes for a 63-loss Pacers team. Indiana will need that to continue if it wants to jump back into relevance in the East. But I’d be concerned about the 32-year-old Siakam’s burst and defense maintaining the levels they need to be.
Tier 2E
I’m rounding out Tier 2 with the red flag sub-tier that I used last season.
Kyrie Irving was here a year ago, and he wound up missing all of the 2025-26 season. I don’t quite have that concern with point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was on one of the most spectacular revenge tours in postseason history when he tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals while playing through a calf strain. To make matters worse, Haliburton dealt with shingles during his recovery this season. I don’t expect Haliburton to hit the ground running next season. His success won’t be measured in scoring. He wins as a 6-5 pick-and-roll manipulator who has one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the game and the ability to steal games with audacious shot creation. Haliburton puts the pace in Pacers, but he’s going to need some time.
This sub-tier was made for Joel Embiid last year, and I was discouraged with where the 2023 NBA MVP was in his knee injury recovery. The start of this season did little to assuage my concerns. Embiid missed 14 of the first 23 games, and those nine games he played saw Embiid convert only 40.7 percent from the field with just 5.6 rebounds per game. But after Philadelphia’s four-day NBA Cup break, Embiid averaged 30 points on 52.1 percent shooting over 22 games. He could have easily been an All-Star. Embiid dealt with an oblique strain that limited him to seven games after the All-Star break, and an appendectomy delayed yet another playoff appearance, which ended in a sweep by the Knicks after the Sixers rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Boston. The fact that the 32-year-old Embiid is encouraged by the state of his knee reminds me of how Kawhi Leonard felt a year ago. Perhaps it is still possible for Embiid to play the majority of a regular season and get through a playoff run in one piece. If it is, few players can reach the level of Embiid.
