2025 NBA team position rankings: Projecting all 30 teams’ depth charts

admin-cdn7 October، 2025

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The NBA offseason is over. Media day and training camps are behind us, preseason play has begun and teams now have roughly two weeks to finalize their rosters for Week 1. Overall, there’s a good idea of how teams should look by late October.

Now is a good time to bring back the team position group rankings. This is the first time I am doing the team position group rankings since I became the shepherd of the NBA Player Tiers at The Athletic. In my methodology for that project, I emphasized that I’m always going to use the overlay of the five traditional positions. But I also acknowledge that those traditional positions are more of a guide toward building a complete roster and having lineup optionality than it is a way to fit players in a box or to even describe every five-man lineup combination that you will see over the course of a 48-minute game.

I look at the traditional positions as roles that teams need to have filled. What I look for at each spot:

Point guard: Primary pick-and-roll ballhandlers, playmakers, passers, pace-setters and caretakers.
Shooting guard: On- or off-ball players with shooting ability across various levels, especially off the catch from 3.
Small forward: Primary perimeter defender, fast-break finisher and half-court cutter.
Power forward: More size than a wing, especially to rebound on both ends, without always having the primary interior responsibilities of a center.
Center: Rim protection and screening, especially in pick-and-rolls.

Then there are the stars at every position — the players who finish most of their possessions scoring out of ball screens, isolations and post ups. Stars have to be able to play in the midrange, be able to make shots from 3 off the bounce, get to the paint and free-throw line consistently and be able to find teammates for easy and open shots. Stars also have to do those things at a high level without being too much of a liability defensively or off the ball. The teams with stars will rank higher at their position group.

With that said, teams generally are going to figure out what their most ideal starting lineups are going to be over the next two weeks. And chances are, the players teams choose as their primary lineup are going to look a certain way based on their nominal position, even if their role is dependent on who they share the floor with and how good they are:

Average 2025 sizes by position

2024-25 startersAvg. height (inches, total)Avg. weight

75.3 (6-3)

195.7

77 (6-5)

205.5

78.9 (6-7)

210.9

80.4 (6-8)

231.8

83.5 (7-0)

249.2

I have always preferred to use the term “positional versatility” instead of “positionless.” Team builders, coaches and players are more open-minded now than they were a quarter century ago when it comes to identifying useful players, lineups and skill sets. You don’t hear the term “tweener” anymore like you did in the 1990s.

What to know about these rankings

These particular rankings have multiple objectives.

I chose to rank the teams based on overall strength at each nominal position, while listing each team’s possible/likely starter as a representative of that position. These are a subjective projection; if a player is listed at one spot, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t list them at another, but I am choosing to evaluate the team from that position. While the starter is the primary source of evaluation (about 75 percent), a team’s reserves are taken into consideration (second unit players account for about 20 percent).

Other criteria for these rankings include:

Basketball: How do you see a player in terms of non-shooting scoring (baskets inside the paint and generating free throws), rebounding, playmaking, defense and shooting efficiency? In general, players who are consistently good, do a variety of things on either end of the floor and are capable of high on-ball usage will have their teams rank higher.
Availability: Injuries exist; there is no “if healthy,” because we know some players won’t play and haven’t played as much as others. Players who are more injury- (or suspension-) prone make their reserves more relevant.
Depth: I’m listing second-unit players for depth chart projection purposes, with regards to the fact that they are even more likely to contribute across the positional spectrum. Three-hundred names will be in this list.
Career: I have to consider where players are in their careers. Younger players have upside, but they have to show something too. Players in their 30s are established, but always a cliff threat; this is not a lifetime achievement ranking.
Morale: Actually wanting to play for the current team — and vice versa — with other teams exploring shaking up the position. Stability is going to upgrade some positional situations and downgrade others.

Emphasis on the word team — these are team positional rankings, meaning that I’m considering all 30 NBA squads. For each table, players highlighted in orange are new veteran additions, while players highlighted in green are 2025 first-round picks. After each table, we’ll highlight some key takeaways about that particular group.

(Click here to see the 2023 and 2024 rankings.)

Point guard

NBA point guard team rankings

PG RANKTEAMSTARTERRESERVE

Thunder

Cason Wallace

Lakers

Gabe Vincent

Warriors

Gary Payton II

Knicks

Miles McBride

Suns

Collin Gillespie

Pistons

Caris LeVert

Clippers

Chris Paul

Hawks

Luke Kennard

76ers

Jared McCain

Grizzlies

Scotty Pippen Jr.

Cavaliers

Lonzo Ball

Spurs

Dylan Harper

Nuggets

Jalen Pickett

Hornets

Tre Mann

Heat

Davion Mitchell

Rockets

Aaron Holiday

Trail Blazers

Scoot Henderson

Bulls

Tre Jones

Wizards

Bub Carrington

Pacers

TJ McConnell

Magic

Tyus Jones

Raptors

Jamal Shead

Celtics

Payton Pritchard

Kings

Malik Monk

Timberwolves

Donte DiVincenzo

Pelicans

Jeremiah Fears

Mavericks

Jaden Hardy

Bucks

Cole Anthony

Jazz

Walter Clayton Jr.

Nets

Nolan Traore

In years past, I have put Luka Dončić’s team over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team at the top of the point guard depth chart rankings. Perhaps things change next year, but not only was Gilgeous-Alexander the league’s scoring champion, MVP and Finals MVP, but he also leads a team that never turns the ball over. Dončić may have the higher ceiling with what he is able to do with teammates who can take pressure off of him as a ball handler, but the Thunder also have multiple ballhandlers next to Gilgeous-Alexander, and Oklahoma City is the best team in the league at controlling the ball.
The Clippers asked James Harden to do a lot last season. This year, they have a much better insurance policy by bringing back franchise legend Chris Paul after Paul started all 82 games for the Spurs a year ago. LA’s age at this position stands out, and not in a good way. But the talent outweighs the age as well.
The bottom of the top half of these rankings reflects many of the changes that this position has undergone in the last year or so. San Antonio has a lot of mouths to feed, as it acquired both Fox and Harper since the turn of the calendar year. Murray is arguably the league’s best point guard who has never been selected to be an All-Star. Herro was an All-Star last year while Ball wasn’t; Herro’s injury gives the Hornets a slight edge in these rankings. Amen Thompson wasn’t going to be counted on as Houston’s primary ballhandler until Fred VanVleet’s injury, but the Rockets should be leaning on Thompson as a point guard going forward, especially to minimize Thompson’s lack of shooting.
Indiana has the best point guard in the league in terms of assist-turnover ratio. Unfortunately, that player is Tyrese Haliburton, and Haliburton is expected to miss the entire season because of a torn Achilles’ tendon suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The ceiling drops significantly for Indiana at point guard with Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell. But Nembhard has shown that he can produce when Haliburton missed games in the past, and McConnell was already one of the better backups in the league as well.
The Brooklyn Nets used all five of their first-round draft picks, and three of them were used on point guards. Egor Dёmin was the lone lottery pick, though. No matter how this shakes out, the Nets are the only team not expected to start a player with NBA experience at the position.

Shooting guard

NBA shooting guard team rankings

SG RANKTEAMSTARTERRESERVE

Timberwolves

Terrence Shannon Jr.

Cavaliers

Sam Merrill

Trail Blazers

Shaedon Sharpe

Knicks

Jordan Clarkson

Kings

Keon Ellis

Lakers

Marcus Smart

Magic

Anthony Black

Celtics

Baylor Scheierman

Heat

Kasparas Jakucionis

Hawks

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Raptors

Gradey Dick

Nuggets

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Pelicans

Jordan Hawkins

Suns

Grayson Allen

Bulls

Ayo Dosunmu

Clippers

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Thunder

Isaiah Joe

Hornets

Collin Sexton

Mavericks

Max Christie

Nets

Ben Saraf

Pistons

Duncan Robinson

Pacers

Ben Sheppard

Warriors

Buddy Hield

Spurs

Julian Champagnie

Grizzlies

Ty Jerome

76ers

VJ Edgecombe

Bucks

AJ Green

Jazz

Svi Mykhailiuk

Rockets

Josh Okogie

Wizards

Corey Kispert

There’s not much debate at the top of the shooting guard rankings with All-NBA selections leading the way for the Timberwolves (Anthony Edwards) and Cavaliers (Donovan Mitchell). There’s quite a drop-off from there, as no other team has a recent All-Star starting at the position. I put New York and Portland as the best of the rest. The Knicks have an ironman with high expectations in Bridges, who is backed up by a player who could start in Miles McBride. Deni Avdija is going to have the ball in his hands a ton if he starts with Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan. If Shaedon Sharpe comes off the bench, then he is one of the best reserves at the position, even though Sharpe still needs to be more efficient and impactful overall.
There has been quite a bit of movement at the shooting guard position. The Kings traded for Zach LaVine in February. This offseason, the Magic traded for Desmond Bane while the Heat acquired Norman Powell; both are needed to help bad offenses tread water. The Hawks have the Most Improved Player in Dyson Daniels starting at shooting guard, but they got a lot of praise for acquiring Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both Daniels and Alexander-Walker are inconsistent offensive players, but Atlanta arguably has the best tandem of defenders at the position.
Phoenix and the Clippers are on different ends of the Bradley Beal experience. Jalen Green will share the starting backcourt in Phoenix with Devin Booker, and though Green is smaller, I expect Booker to be the point guard and primary playmaker while Green focuses on secondary playmaking and scoring. Beal replaces Powell with the Clippers. I gave Phoenix the edge on LA mainly because while Green and Beal are comparable as scorers, Green is younger and has missed a total of 21 games in his four-year career (none in the last two). Beal has missed at least 29 games in each of the last four years, and is backed up by another talented veteran, Bogdan Bogdanović, who has had availability issues.
This is a prove-it year for a number of players at the end of their rookie contracts or just coming out of the end of their initial contracts. Cam Thomas is going to get all the shots he can handle in Brooklyn, but he played in only 25 games last season; he’s betting on himself this year. Detroit was much better after Jaden Ivey’s season-ending leg injury; now Ivey has to reintegrate himself back to the team, while Duncan Robinson has to help fill the shooting void of two departures (Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley). Bennedict Mathurin is expected to replace Tyrese Haliburton as a starter, and he is extension eligible.
The 76ers took until the October 1 deadline to resolve the contract status of restricted free agent Quentin Grimes, who produced for a team that was demolished by injury to almost every other notable rotation player. Then Philadelphia used the third pick on V.J. Edgecombe. Grimes had little leverage, but Philadelphia has a logjam of guards and a delayed schedule to figure it out now that Grimes is signed. Houston also has to figure out who replaces VanVleet as the starter; they used the third pick of the 2024 draft on Reed Sheppard, who had a forgettable rookie season. It’s time to see if Sheppard can swim.

Small forward

NBA small forward team rankings

SF RANKTEAMSTARTERRESERVE

Rockets

Tari Eason

Celtics

Sam Hauser

Clippers

Kris Dunn

Thunder

Aaron Wiggins

Magic

Tristan da Silva

Knicks

Pacome Dadiet

Kings

Nique Clifford

Pelicans

Saddiq Bey

Mavericks

Naji Marshall

Raptors

Ochai Agbaji

Heat

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Pacers

Jarace Walker

Timberwolves

Jaylen Clark

Cavaliers

Max Strus

Suns

Royce O’Neale

Nuggets

Bruce Brown

Lakers

Jake LaRavia

Spurs

Keldon Johnson

Trail Blazers

Matisse Thybulle

76ers

Justin Edwards

Bucks

Taurean Prince

Wizards

Cam Whitmore

Pistons

Ronald Holland II

Warriors

Jonathan Kuminga

Hawks

Vit Krejci

Grizzlies

Cedric Coward

Hornets

Josh Green

Jazz

Cody Williams

Nets

Ziaire Williams

Bulls

Kevin Huerter

In a vacuum, the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard and the strong defensive options, could top the small forward rankings. Ironically, Leonard is arguably in better condition than Jaylen Brown is after Brown underwent offseason knee surgery. But Brown is an All-Star who is in position to produce his biggest season with Jayson Tatum out, while Leonard’s availability is a persistent question even without a league investigation that threatens his contract status. There is also a chance that Leonard winds up playing more at power forward to balance LA’s defensive needs.
Both the Clippers with Leonard and the Houston Rockets with Kevin Durant were going to be near the top of the power forward rankings. But Dorian Finney-Smith’s injury status (could miss Week 1) likely gives the Rockets an incentive to start Durant next to the bigger Jabari Smith Jr. Durant is a better fit defensively as a power forward. But offensively, well, he’s Kevin Durant.
Full disclosure: I don’t like hyping rookies. Every rookie gets their butt handed to them in some way during their maiden campaign in the league. That includes players such as Victor Wembanyama and Paolo Banchero, two players who wound up being All-Stars in their second NBA seasons. These team position rankings are a projection, so I’m slotting Dallas outside of the top five after drafting Cooper Flagg first overall in the 2025 draft. I expect Flagg to lead the Mavericks in touches and to put up solid numbers while holding up defensively, but don’t be surprised if he has some difficult moments on both ends. I notably like Dallas’ situation here more than Toronto (integrating Brandon Ingram) and Miami (Andrew Wiggins trade rumors).
Denver acquiring Cameron Johnson and bringing back Bruce Brown is one of the most intriguing small forward situations in the league. It represents the biggest shift for Denver as a team since they acquired Aaron Gordon in 2021. I love the fit, and that counts for a lot in a team sport. But the players here have to show that they can stay on the floor and make Denver better than they were when they had one of the largest small forwards in the league in Michael Porter Jr.
There are a lot of young starters and key reserves in the bottom 10 of these rankings, but the potential for more could be realized as soon as this year. Highlighted in that particular glut at small forward are the Wizards, Pistons, and Hawks. Bilal Coulibaly leads a Washington group full of young wings; Coulibaly is in a race to begin the season after thumb surgery. Detroit used the fifth pick in back-to-back drafts on Ausar Thompson (2023) and Ron Holland II (2024), two players who are basically cut from the same cloth: rangy and athletic defenders and finishers who have major shooting issues. Atlanta has the top pick of the 2024 draft in Zaccharie Risacher, who certainly got better as last season went on but still has to show that he can consistently produce while being the last option in Atlanta’s starting lineup.

Power forward

NBA power forward team rankings

PF RANKTEAMSTARTERRESERVE

Bucks

Bobby Portis

Lakers

Jarred Vanderbilt

Mavericks

PJ Washington

Knicks

Josh Hart

Cavaliers

Dean Wade

Grizzlies

Santi Aldama

Pacers

Obi Toppin

Warriors

Al Horford

Magic

Jonathan Isaac

Pelicans

Derik Queen

Thunder

Alex Caruso

Timberwolves

Naz Reid

Raptors

Collin Murray-Boyles

Hawks

Asa Newell

Jazz

Kyle Filipowski

Nuggets

Peyton Watson

76ers

Trendon Watford

Clippers

Derrick Jones Jr.

Nets

Noah Clowney

Kings

Dario Saric

Hornets

Tidjane Salaun

Pistons

Paul Reed

Wizards

Kyshawn George

Rockets

Dorian Finney-Smith

Spurs

Jeremy Sochan

Trail Blazers

Kris Murray

Heat

Simone Fontecchio

Bulls

Patrick Williams

Suns

Oso Ighodaro

Celtics

Josh Minott

The power forward position is in a weird place, as Zach Harper mentioned last month when he was ranking players by position. On the other hand, it is also arguably the most loaded spot in the league from a quality-quantity intersection standpoint. It’s also really old. Power forward tends to be the spot where small forwards who either don’t guard the perimeter as much (see: Lakers) or don’t shoot from the perimeter (see: Warriors) get rehomed. And then you have the forwards who can play as or with centers, such as the starters for the Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo), Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns), Cavaliers (Evan Mobley), and Mavericks (Anthony Davis). No other position is this complicated, but that makes this discussion fun as well.
Health is a major issue at this spot. The Grizzlies have newly paid All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. here, but Jackson is in a race to be ready for Week 1 after surgery to address turf toe. Good thing Santi Aldama is back. The Magic, Pelicans and Thunder are very familiar with having to play large portions of the season without their star power forwards. Paolo Banchero played in only 46 games because of a torn oblique. Zion Williamson, finally in shape, played in only 30 games last season. And Chet Holmgren missed 50 games before winning a championship. Yes, I have Alex Caruso as a power forward based on the Thunder depth chart — Oklahoma City is the type of team that can start Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein together while asking Caruso to guard Nikola Jokić in the same game.
I had a whale of a time trying to determine where to slot the Hawks, Jazz and Nuggets. Jalen Johnson has produced at a high level in his two seasons as a starter, offering scoring, rebounding, playmaking and defense. His ceiling is the roof. But his durability has not been ideal. Lauri Markkanen committed to a Jazz team that has been aggressively worse each season he has been there, and his numbers have reflected that. He’s good enough to reverse the trend, but will Utah let him? They still need another season of losses. Like championship teammate Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon is one of the best players at his position to have never been an All-Star. Gordon’s impact and fit in Denver is undeniable. But he’s 30 years old now, and it’s fair to question if his injuries threaten to sap his athleticism going forward. There is a significant drop-off for each of these teams when their starter is out.
Three teams that are adjusting to changes at the power forward spot are the 76ers, Clippers and Nets. One look at the 76ers roster will show you how they don’t have a big bodied power forward type, so 16-year veteran Paul George is going to have to do it (see: small forwards who don’t guard the perimeter as much as they used to). After years of neglecting the “power forward” archetype by playing glorified small forwards, the Clippers went out and got John Collins, a player who meets the intersection of skill and athletic size at a high level but also has to show that he can be impactful for a good team, especially defensively. Leonard’s availability concerns boost the need for Collins as well. Michael Porter Jr. was a small forward in Denver, but opponents will be looking forward to slotting their bigger players onto him now that he’s in Brooklyn instead of sharing the front court with Aaron Gordon and Jokić. Porter’s unique size advantage takes a big hit going forward.
Grant is one of about 20 power forwards making at least $30 million next season. Now that he is on the other side of 30, that contract looks like one of the worst in the league. Portland should consider bringing Grant off the bench after he shot 37.3 percent from the field and averaged 3.5 rebounds while missing 35 games.

Center

NBA center team rankings

C RANKTEAMSTARTERRESERVE

Nuggets

Jonas Valanciunas

Spurs

Luke Kornet

76ers

Andre Drummond

Rockets

Steven Adams

Clippers

Brook Lopez

Heat

Kel’el Ware

Kings

Drew Eubanks

Hawks

Onyeka Okongwu

Jazz

Jusuf Nurkic

Cavaliers

Thomas Bryant

Mavericks

Daniel Gafford

Timberwolves

Joan Beringer

Thunder

Jaylin Williams

Warriors

Quinten Post

Bucks

Jericho Sims

Pistons

Isaiah Stewart

Bulls

Zach Collins

Raptors

Sandro Mamukelashvili

Lakers

Jaxson Hayes

Suns

Khaman Maluach

Nets

Day’ron Sharpe

Knicks

Guerschon Yabusele

Wizards

Marvin Bagley III

Trail Blazers

Robert Williams III

Magic

Goga Bitadze

Grizzlies

Brandon Clarke

Pelicans

Yves Missi

Hornets

Moussa Diabaté

Pacers

Isaiah Jackson

Celtics

Luka Garza

Denver already had the best center in the league in Jokić. But they made the position even stronger by acquiring Jonas Valančiūnas, who was a starter for a playoff team just two years ago. The Nuggets weren’t the only team near the top of this position to make backup center a priority this offseason, as San Antonio added Luke Kornet to play behind Wembanyama, Houston reunited with Clint Capela to go with Steven Adams behind Alperen Şengün, and the LA Clippers signed Brook Lopez.
In terms of a team getting a new starter, Kristaps Porziņģis is in Atlanta now, replacing Capela. Even if the Hawks kept Capela, it was clear that Onyeka Okongwu had bypassed Capela. Now, Atlanta remains two-deep at the position, a necessity given Porziņģis’ durability issues. Dallas also has two solid options at center with both Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, but both have had injury issues and both are about to find out what a whole season without Dončić feels like. Minnesota used a first-round pick on Joan Beringer, and ideally, Beringer learns as much as he can from Rudy Gobert as fast as he can.
These are team position rankings. Nothing makes that clearer than the Warriors having Draymond Green start at center, despite the addition of Al Horford. Now, Warriors death lineups of past lore had Green as a situational center anyway. But the difference between playing that spot in advantageous bursts versus playing the majority of those minutes against the most brutish players in the NBA is notable. Golden State needed Green at center so that it can have a functional offense with Butler on the floor, but that arrangement costs the Warriors a lot of size for significant portions of a game. The Warriors also went 16-3 with the lineup I have for them here, so it’s worth seeing how well that can translate over a larger sample size.
Teams like the Lakers and Suns are in interesting spots. The Lakers wanted Mark Williams, until they decided they didn’t at the trade deadline last season. Williams wound up being traded by the Hornets to Phoenix on draft night, which is also when Phoenix acquired the draft rights of lottery pick Khaman Maluach. Seven summers ago, Phoenix used the top pick in the draft on Deandre Ayton; now to complete the circle, Ayton winds up with the Lakers after Portland moved on from him. The Suns have more than enough depth at center now, although all three of their centers (including Nick Richards) have major flaws or deficiencies. Case in point: Williams is a question mark for Week 1. Ayton improves the Lakers based on what they had in the playoffs (the re-signed Jaxson Hayes), but dependability hasn’t been Ayton’s strong suit for a number of reasons.
Myles Turner left Indiana for Milwaukee, replacing Brook Lopez. Cold game. It leaves Indiana completely bare at center. Jay Huff is probably the best facsimile to what the Pacers had in Turner, but it’s easy to put Indiana and Boston (losing Porzingis and Al Horford) at the bottom of these rankings now that they don’t have legitimate starters or even acceptable backups.