Debate: Snubs, surprises -- and what's next for the top 10

ESPN's countdown of the NBA's champion 100 players for the 2025-26 play has yet to scope its apical 10, but determination person been plentifulness of surprises already. And earlier we uncover our last elite group, our adept sheet is breaking down this year's list.

Are aboriginal Hall of Famers LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant inactive deserving of apical 10 honors? Which players got snubbed and which did we underrate?

Ahead of Thursday's finale, we're hitting connected the apical questions truthful acold from our NBA Rank 100, including wherever injured superstars Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton would person landed.

Which player's ranking amazed you the most?

Jamal Collier: Victor Wembanyama is awesome, but apical 10 is excessively precocious for him astatine this moment. I'm not saying helium won't get determination -- adjacent by the extremity of this upcoming season. But helium simply doesn't person the credentials oregon unit performances of the different top-10 players successful the league.

Bobby Marks: The disrespect to Tyler Herro (No. 68). Yes, Herro volition beryllium retired for the aboriginal portion of the regular play with a ft injury, but this is simply a subordinate who was selected arsenic an All-Star past season. For a 4th consecutive campaign, Herro averaged astatine slightest 20 points, and helium finished 2024-25 with 5 games of astatine slightest 35 points, a career-best 47.2% people from the tract and 5.5 assists per game. He played a career-high 77 games past season.

Jorge Sedano: I hold with Bobby connected Herro. I would adhd that Herro wasn't the focal constituent of the Heat's discourtesy past play and inactive averaged astir 24 points per crippled with 38% shooting from 3. Everyone remembers Pat Riley calling retired Jimmy Butler III (No. 18) astir 17 months ago. No 1 remembers that Riley besides called retired Herro successful that aforesaid quality conference, and Herro responded with the champion play of his career. Herro besides handled himself similar a pro and a person during the Butler saga. Herro should beryllium successful the scope of apical 40 to 55.

Anthony Slater: Ivica Zubac (No. 36). Not due to the fact that helium isn't worthy of the leap, but I'm amazed the hoops satellite is yet catching connected to his crippled to this degree. Zubac wasn't ranked successful our apical 100 past year, failing to marque the chopped implicit players specified arsenic Jonas Valanciunas (No. 87 this year) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (now unranked). This year, Zubac is ranked supra Jamal Murray (No. 46), Joel Embiid (No. 47) and Rudy Gobert (No. 49). Zubac is 3 slots distant from Ja Morant (No. 33). Zubac's ninth NBA play was his champion -- averaging 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds with elite interior defence -- but the Clippers large man, present 28, has been a sturdy starting halfway for a agelong time.

Matt Williams: While playing conscionable 58 games implicit the past 2 seasons is simply a important factor, Joel Embiid's ranking (No. 47) was surprisin...