The 5 Biggest Gripes with our Top 100 NBA Players List

Bleacher Report released its list of the top 100 NBA players heading into this 2025-26 season this week.

And to no one's surprise, plenty of readers had some strong reactions to the order.

You all poured your comments onto social media posts on Instagram, X and the B/R app. We read them.

And below, we respond to the five things the readers hated most.

This gripe is almost certainly a product of readers skipping straight from the headline to No. 100. It's a natural inclination, but it likely caused many to miss the slide on the injured reserve.

Right after the intro, the staff wrote:

"The mission is to capture the league's true pecking order as the season tips off for Game 1 on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

"That's why the following players, all sidelined with the most significant injuries, were not up for consideration."

Then, several players, including Tyler Herro, were listed.

But that didn't prevent Instagram user @ripitrandy from writing: "There aren't 100 players better than Tyler Herro, W rage bait list"

We agree, but the decision to leave him off was deliberate. Same goes for Kyrie Irving, another star who's currently injured but could play some games in 2025-26.

As we re-vote and re-publish updated versions of the list throughout the season (something that was also explained in the text), players will start to filter back in.

Some, like LeBron James, whose return timeline seems to get longer every day, might even filter out.

Draymond Green coming in at No. 54 is a placement that didn't sit well with a lot of readers and commenters.

Over on Instagram, @saccrunna.mar wrote, "Draymond is not a top 100 player in dis league" @jay_over.4 added "How the hell draymond 54 lmao"

Well, allow us to explain.

First of all, Green was still in the 85th percentile in estimated plus-minus (and in the 98th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus) last season. He was a First Team All-Defense selection and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

That kind of impact on the less glamorous end of the floor alone is probably enough to warrant a top 100 nod, but Green's game doesn't end there.

He trailed only Stephen Curry among Golden State Warriors in total assists last season. And despite averaging just 9.0 points himself, his playmaking helped Golden State score 4.8 more points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor than it did when he was off.

This season, Green will once again have a basic stat line that doesn't blow points-per-game fans away, but his ability to check every other box makes him an easy add to this list.

On the other end of the spectrum, several readers couldn't believe that Ja Morant failed to crack the top 30.

On X, @jerie0 wrote, "Crazy how quick the league forgets when Ja's locked in, he's easily top 15 talent" @SayMane901 threw out the rage bait accusation.

But the gripe in that first comment may contain the answer on this one. How often has Morant been "locked in" over the last few years?

Since the start of 2022-23, he's played just 120 games (40 per year). His absences have been the product of several different issues, including suspensions and multiple injuries.

And in 2024-25 alone, he was below the league average in two-point percentage and effective field-goal percentage and way below-average in three-point percentage. Among the 375 players with at least 500 minutes, he was fourth in turnovers per 100 possessions.

All those missed shots and giveaways were a big part of the Memphis Grizzlies actually scoring fewer points per 100 possessions when Ja was on the floor.

Yes, he's an immensely talented player, but the voting pool will have to see much more consistency from Morant (both in terms of availability and production) before he can move back into the top 30.

Another instagram user, @jnunmore, shared a pretty common sentiment in his response: "Wemby hasn't done sh1 to prove he's top 10, maybe top 15, but not top 10"

And there's certainly some substance to that criticism.

Wemby only played in 46 games last season. He's only 21. He's never been in the playoffs. He still hasn't posted an above-average three-point percentage in his career.

At his size, and now with deep vein thrombosis in his injury history, it's fair to be concerned about his long-term durability.

But this exercise requires some projection. And there is certainly a precedent for super-duperstars taking the big leap in Year 3.

That's what we're anticipating from Wemby, who's already the most impactful defender in the NBA when he's available. This season, we fully expect his offensive game to catch up a bit.

And that player isn't just top 10. He's a potential MVP candidate.

Just imagine modest gains on each of last season's averages (24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals) and between 45 and 50 wins for the San Antonio Spurs.

That may not be enough to unseat Nikola Jokić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it could earn Wemby some third- or fourth-place votes.

Kevin Durant just averaged 26.6 points while shooting 57.4 percent on twos, 43.0 percent on threes and 83.9 percent from the line.

His Phoenix Suns were one of the most disappointing teams in the league, but that kind of scoring was seemingly impossible for anyone in an age-36 season.

Durant did it anyway, so fans were understandably a little perplexed by him coming in at No. 11.

X user @D_Dwi8 wrote: "From Brunson to [Wemby], all before KD. WHY?"

Well, again, there's some projection at play here. Durant is now 37. He only played in 62 games last season, and there isn't a long track record of late-30s players suddenly becoming more durable as they inch toward 40.

Durant also isn't quite as impactful defensively as he was in his prime (which shouldn't be surprising). And his playmaking numbers (4.2 assists to 3.1 turnovers) are a slight concern too.

He's now on a better team and in a situation that should help him age gracefully. Playing with Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson is going to make his life easier.

But with the amount of talent in the league right now, it's never been harder to crack the top 10. And the fact that a 37-year-old is on the verge (and who knows, could break in for later editions of the list) is pretty impressive in itself.