With the long offseason coming to an end, it's a tradition for ESPN to release updated player rankings before the first game of the new season. And just like every list ESPN releases, this one also sparked fiery debates in the basketball sphere, with everyone seemingly giving their two cents on who should rank higher or whose name is too low.
Jeff Teague and his crew did the same on his "Club 520" podcast.
" Zion [Williamson] at 61 is disrespectful ," DJ Wells said .
" Hell nah, what are we doing? I like [Williamson] better than [Christian Braun], I don't like Braun. What? Lamelo [Ball] at 63 ?" Teague added.
" Lamelo is crazy, alright turn this s—t off, this is crazy bro ," Marquis Teague said.
Alex Caruso 's championship play earned him a No. 53 spot on ESPN's list, ahead of players like Paul George , who is right behind him at 54th, Dyson Daniels (55th), Austin Reaves (60th) and Tyler Herro (68th). Even though George had a very disappointing last season, filled with injuries and poor play, some believe his ranking isn't doing him justice.
" Alex Caruso is never better than fu — ing Paul George, stop man. You see, this is what winning do. We wildin ," Brandon Hendricks implied.
" Caruso is wipin s — t, is he better than Austin Reaves ?" Wells asked the group which resulted in a unanimous "no".
" Man, hold the f—k up, this is sick, this can't be real, bro, ain't no way he is 68th. They got Alex Caruso ranked higher than Tyler Herro; he was just an all-star ," Teague said.
What many found blasphemous is Copper Flagg 's rank at No. 52, even though the number one pick of the 2025 draft hasn't played a single minute of NBA basketball. With that, one of the most highlighted ranks is DeMar DeRozan at a comical No.80.
" Disrespectful to a fuc-ing legend. Wait a minute. So, y'all are telling me DeMar DeRozan and [Andrew] Nembhard are the same player? You're telling me Austin Reaves is better than DeMar DeRozan? You're telling me Alex Caruso is better than DeMar DeRozan? "
Behind all the dissatisfaction with the middle of the list, what most fans are interested in is where their favorite superstars rank in the Top 10. With most of the list being similar to last year's, there have been some changes.
ESPN clearly still expects MVP-level play from the older superstars Stephen Curry (seventh), LeBron James (eighth), and Kevin Durant (ninth), who found themselves on the lower end of the ranking, with Jalen Brunson rounding out the top 10.
Victor Wembanyama appeared as the only new name to the list after a promising second season, which the crew also touched on in the podcast . With him, a young superstar in Anthony Edwards leaped from the No. 10 spot to the No. 6.
Giannis Antetokounmpo sits at No. 4, just behind Luka Doncic , who, according to many, shouldn't be ranked as high going into the new season.
Despite winning the regular season MVP and leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to the 2025 NBA championship as the Finals MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still couldn't land at No.1. That spot is still reserved for the Denver Nuggets superstar, Nikola Jokic .
Countless debates have emerged in the basketball community regarding ESPN's list. But that is exactly what they wanted — after all, if the list felt perfectly balanced, it wouldn't have drawn the same reactions.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
