Basketball Poetry

Basketball Poetry

NBA League Pass rankings for 2026-27, Part II

Mike Shearer
Oct 06, 2026
∙ Paid

You can find the introduction to my League Pass rankings in Part I (which is entirely free to read!). I’ll save us all a few minutes and skip the preamble. Let’s see how many giant fanbases I can antagonize right off the bat today:

15) Los Angeles Lakers

Ever see a man spontaneously explode? Watch JJ Redick; it’s gonna happen any day now.

Luka Doncic’s individual brilliance is consistently jaw-dropping, but his constant complaining and criticizing have always turned me off. At his best, he’s one of the league’s great showmen. He might drop 70 again this year.

Austin Reaves’ foul-drawing tricks are nifty and effective, but not always beautiful. Still, he has plenty of jaw-dropping moments:

qzdmab_1.mp4 [video-to-gif output image]

The role players are an odd bunch. Quentin Grimes has become disturbingly important. I hate to admit it, but I’m a little curious to see how Bronny James stands on his own two feet. Sandro Mamukelashvili has a much daintier game than his frame would suggest, while Jarred Vanderbilt is an anthropomorphized floor burn.

Don’t forget: my preseason sale ends in just 48 hours! Unlock the rest of this and all Basketball Poetry articles for just $30 annually, 25% off my usual price (and way cheaper than any other half-decent Substack out there).

Independent writing can’t survive without your patronage. Thank you!

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