The 2025-26 NBA League Pass Power Rankings!

A too-detailed look at who will be worthy of your eyeballs

The autumn temperatures are finally, mercifully arriving. The leaves have begun susurrating their way Earthward. Media days are underway. The NBA is officially back! What better way to start getting excited for the new season than by tabulating all the awesome things we’re about to see?

Although Zach Lowe is now gainfully employed, I’m still staking my claim with the first written League Pass rankings of the year (I assume; a cursory Google check backs me up. They’re certainly the longest League Pass rankings!).

This list is objectively correct and entirely my own opinion. I take everything into account when ranking watchability. Good basketball is generally better than bad basketball, but not always. That new-team smell is very important, as checking in on fresh rosters is usually more exciting than seeing squads run it back (for regular-season ball, anyway).

Jerseys, court designs, the broadcast team, fun individual storylines, highly regarded rookies, transcendent talent, old faces in new places — it all factors in, to varying degrees.

Look, I love NBA basketball. I rarely use bold font, but I want to be clear: There are no unwatchable teams. If your favorite team is low on this list, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy watching them! It just means I enjoy watching everyone else more.

(Did that make you feel better? Didn’t sound as good out loud as I meant it to be.)

30. Brooklyn Nets

You remember the movie Bird Box from a few years ago? The one with Sandra Bullock, in which hidden demons drove anyone who saw them insane? There’s a good chance the fiends were simply visions of the 2026 Nets offense.

I give major points to teams with promising rookies, so for Brooklyn to come in last despite keeping five first-round picks from this year’s draft class shows just how uninspiring the total viewing package is. The whole is far less than the sum of its parts, and that sum wasn’t high to begin with.

There’s major positional overlap among the newbies, most of whom fall into the non-shooting ballhandler category. I may take a sick joy from Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. alternating nights with 22 points on 24 field goal attempts, but the appeal won’t last long.

I despise the black and white colors of Brooklyn’s base art scheme, which does whatever the opposite of pop is (fades? drabs?) on TV.

There are still reasons to watch the Nets, however! At least one of the aforementioned freshmen should be decent. Basketball gods know who it’ll be, but it’s about the journey. Pending Jonathan Kuminga, nobody in the league has more riding on this season from a monetary standpoint than Thomas — will he adjust his game, or double down on scoring even more points? I’m not completely out on him, although I can only hold the “Door Open” button for so long before I continue.

Coach Jordi Fernandez turned last year’s Nets (whom I also ranked last) into a shockingly fun group for the first couple dozen games of the season before trades and injuries left him a G-League roster. And the broadcast team and overall production are perhaps the best in the entire league.

But there’s only so much Fernandez, Ian Eagle, Sarah Kostok, and the rest can do when the on-court product will be so brutal to watch for the average fan.

29. Utah Jazz

Like the Nets, the Jazz are a rebuilding team with a lot of mildly interesting young players. Isaiah Collier is due for at least one good passing highlight per game, Kyle Filipowski will be looking to prove his offensive gifts outweigh his defensive limitations, and Cody Williams showed some newfound spunk in Summer League.

But the team traded almost everyone with a proven NBA pulse over the summer, and the only two decent veterans — Lauri Markkanen, who looked awesome in EuroBasket, and stalwart center Walker Kessler — are prime trade candidates. Filipowski might be the only player left in February who I can definitively say is an NBA-level rotation player. The basketball will be so, so bad down the stretch.

If you’re tuning in to see a Jazz game, it’s for the incredibly divisive rookie Ace Bailey. I can’t recall a single prospect in the last 10 or so years who has split smart basketball people so perfectly down the middle. Depending on who you ask, you’ll hear predictions ranging from “future superstar” to “future Süper Lig star.” That’s effective bait for someone like me.

28. Sacramento Kings

The Kings won’t be nearly as terrible as the two teams behind them, but they also don’t have much to recommend them as a viewing experience. DeMar DeRozan’s pretty midrange game is starting to fade as he loses the necessary pep to get to the rim. Zach LaVine is often injured and doesn’t do much dunking anymore, and Domantas Sabonis is proficient in the least sexy way possible.

Keon Ellis is a cool 3-and-D guard, and Keegan Murray will be playing to prove he deserves a big rookie extension even on a team where he’s destined to be the fourth option every night. International god Dennis Schroder makes every team a little bit more watchable. Rookie Nique Clifford turned heads in Summer League. I’m still partial to Malik Monk as a viewing experience.

But the league is in an incredible place right now, and the Beam Team feels like a fever dream. I can’t justify putting Sacramento any higher, although a trade for Jonathan Kuminga would bump them a few spots up.

27. Charlotte Hornets

This feels far too low, because I’m genuinely excited to watch the Hornets this year! There isn’t anyone in the league quite like LaMelo Ball, and if this were a highlight-reel ranking, the Hornets would be top 10 for sure. Nobody else in the league is trying stuff like this:

But your mileage will vary on whether it’s as fun to watch the 80% of the time those shots careen off the backboard:

Regardless, if Ball plays 60 games, this will be an inaccurate ranking.

Can Kon Knueppel possibly live up to his fourth overall selection slot? Brandon Miller is entering a make-or-break third season, and he’ll need to prove he can 1) stay on the court, and 2) actually apply some paint pressure — his 16% field goal share at the rim is woeful.

But the roster is dreadful, even if I retain a mild soft spot for center Mason Plumlee’s twice-daily comedic attempts to prove he should be a point guard. I have no interest in watching Miles Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie eat innings. Collin Sexton and his thirsty-ass hands are here, for some reason.

The Hornets have the best art in the game, full stop. The jerseys and courts are museum-worthy. Play-by-play guy Eric Collins brings adrenaline to a 30-point March blowout. Overall, you could do a lot worse than spending a Tuesday night with the guys from Charlotte.

(But you could do a little better, too).

26. Philadelphia 76ers

I’m as shocked as you are to see the 76ers so low, but if I’m going to penalize the Hornets for health, I have to do the same with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Co.

Jared McCain looked like a feisty rookie scorer before tearing his meniscus last year. Third overall pick VJ Edgecombe should bring some 3-and-D-and-a-little-more pop on the perimeter, and Tyrese Maxey is the world’s tiniest avalanche, snowballing downhill in a hurry. I’m hopeful he has a bounce-back season with a stronger supporting cast around him.

I’m not sure if the best versions of Joel Embiid and Paul George still exist, but there’s at least the possibility of them bouncing back to automatic All-Star status.

The announcing team is too homerific for my tastes. Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker are nice depth pick-ups who won’t cause anyone to switch off Jeopardy. The most exciting thing about Kelly Oubre these days is that he’s nicknamed “Tsunami Papi.” I’m tired of the Kyle Lowry flopping and fouling, although I still enjoy when he dribbles straight up the court as fast as his stocky little legs can carry him before rifling a pass to absolutely no one:

On any given night, when Embiid looks like an MVP and George and Maxey are cooking, the 76ers can be a blast! But probabilistically, on most nights, they won’t be. At least they’re finally bringing back the classic AI jerseys (and yeah, Embiid does look slim in black).

In an NBA 2K world with injuries turned off, the 76ers would be a top-eight team on this list. If and when I do a League Pass update, they might well be the biggest positive movers. But I need to see it before I believe it.

25. Washington Wizards

I suspect my enjoyment of the Wizards will be higher than most people’s, so I begrudgingly put them just outside the bottom five. The heart calls me a liar, but the head intervenes.

Kyshawn George is a future 3-and-D superstar with more passing flair than people realize, and rookie Tre Johnson looked NBA-ready in Summer League. I have absolutely no idea how to crack the Alex Sarr cipher, but he’s overflowing with bizarre tools. Cam Whitmore has been freed from Ime Udoka’s doghouse! He will finally have a shot at proving he’s more than just a deep bench player. If Bilal Coulibaly is going to make an offensive leap, it needs to be now.

Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum are wriggling trade bait, but they provide some desperately needed spacing to open up the paint for the youngsters. AJ Johnson probably won’t play much, because he isn’t particularly good. But he sure is fun, dripping extraneous crossovers and fiery dunks like sweat:

I’d rank the Wizards several spots higher if they brought back the beautiful Cherry Blossom jerseys, which should be their default. But the new gold ones are pretty neat, too.

24. Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers play a lot of full-court defense, which I enjoy, and they can put out some genuinely ferocious groups led by Toumani Camara, newcomer Jrue Holiday, and second-year big man Donovan Clingan.

However, the other end will be a mess unless one of Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe finally takes a kangaroo-sized leap. (I mean that metaphorically; Sharpe might be able to literally outjump a kangaroo right now.) Both those players came off the bench for chunks of last season; that can’t happen again, Holiday or no Holiday. Deni Avdija can only do so much by himself, although his powerful coast-to-coast drives bring their own charm.

Portland has a top-notch announcing crew, from Lamar Hurd to Kevin Calabro to Brooke Olzendam to Substack’s own Tom Haberstroh, and I like most of the team’s art swings.

But I’m docking the Blazers for bringing back their City Edition jerseys from a few seasons ago, which were inspired by — no joke — the airport carpeting. I assume Portland is a cool, vibrant city. That’s what all my IPA-loving Nor’wester friends tell me. Nike’s headquarters are right there! They should know the place better than anyone! But you’re telling me the best they can come up with for inspiration is the stuff people tread on when they flee for culturally superior locales? C’mon.

23. New Orleans Pelicans

Zion Williamson is a uniquely watchable force, the spring-heeled mountain man. He exerted greater defensive effort last season, routinely making the extra rotation, poking the ball away as a help defender, and sticking with quicker point guards when attacked:

Williamson, even more than Embiid or Luka Doncic, looks like the winner of the biggest offseason transformation award. He’s nearly unrecognizable, to the point where I wonder if he lost too much weight. Better this than the alternative!

Trey Murphy III became a 20-point scorer in 2025. He should look even better next to a healthy Williamson. Jose Alvarado still gets away with the occasional cartoonish Grand Theft Alvarado backcourt steal. Jordan Poole isn’t everyone’s cup of chamomile, but he’s always doing something worth watching, for good or ill.

Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are two highly-regarded young rookies with pronounced strengths and weaknesses. Neither currently seems like an ideal fit next to Williamson (read: They can’t shoot). I wonder…

Despite all their on-paper talent, the Pelicans are cursed by bad voodoo. At this point, it would be far more surprising if they weren’t decimated by injuries, which explains their bottom-third ranking. Williamson is only the tip of the iceberg. The only players to notch 60 games (less than 75%!) last season were rookie center Yves Missi (who could be third on the depth chart this year) and journeyman power forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who might not crack a final roster this season at the tender age of 24. This year is already off to a bad start, with Dejounte Murray still recovering from a torn Achilles that will keep him out until 2026 at the earliest.

Antonio Daniels is my favorite analyst on TV, and the team is bringing back my beloved “Skelican” jerseys. Those are positives, even if the basketball gets tough.

22. Los Angeles Clippers

Let’s leave aside the whole Kawhi Leonard thing, which looks more damning by the day. Nothing will be decided on that for months, as the league launches a proper investigation.

I like what the Clippers did this offseason, even if they learned nothing. I am partial to their unusual red uniforms, and they do have some quirky presentation elements, particularly in the CourtVision stream (like the expected shooting percentages overlaid on players while they have the ball). James Harden’s passing can still drop jaws.

But from a watchability standpoint, they won’t be my go-to recommendation. They’re just so freaking old, and competence doesn’t always translate through the TV. Kids won’t be making YouTube packages of Ivica Zubac sharking up rebounds or Chris Paul running second-unit pick-and-pops with Brook Lopez.

21. Toronto Raptors

This will be a bigger and more important year for Toronto than last season. Everyone on the roster needs to do something new for them to reach their potential.

Scottie Barnes needs to step into superstardom. I can’t quite put my finger on why it hasn’t happened yet, particularly given his strong defensive development, but the Dinosaurs need him to perform up to the level of his contract.

Immanuel Quickley needs to stay healthy and improve defensively. I’ve never been high on Quickley, but the team has no choice but to play him big minutes to achieve proper spacing. He’ll need to expand into that role.

New addition Brandon Ingram needs to prove he can fit into coach Darko Rajakovic’s passing-heavy system. He took a step in the right direction by launching more catch-and-shoot threes and (slightly) fewer midrangers last season before an injury ended his season. I didn’t mind the Ingram trade as much as most of the NBA media world, but it’s far from a certain success. At times, Ingram has been a prolific one-on-one scorer, deadly floor spacer, and strong team defender. This needs to be the year he puts it all together.

Finally, Rajakovic needs to determine what to do with RJ Barrett, who has become proficient in many areas but also overlaps with the other players on the roster. Barrett might be the least-respected 20-point scorer in the league.

While there are major questions with the main players, the Raptors’ supporting cast is quite enjoyable. I liked last year’s rookies. Ja’Kobe Walter is a confident shot-taker and defender, while Jamal Shead viewed opposing ballhandlers as meat. Utah castoff Ochai Agbaji flaunted his surprisingly violent dunk game, and Gradey Dick might’ve set a record for the hardest degree of difficulty on missed layups.

The Raptors are even bringing back a new twist on the cartoon Raptor jerseys, so that’s cool! (But where’s the purple?)

This team’s core has never inspired me, but they’ve also never been healthy enough to prove me wrong. Can they change my mind?