Opinion

Global Rating: Who are the best players in the 2026 NBA playoffs?

By HoopsHype Reuters

Updated May 29, 2026 12:23 PM

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dribbles against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images Brett Rojo, Brett Rojo-Imagn Ima USA TODAY Network, Reuters

Who's been balling in the 2026 Playoffs on both sides of the court? To answer that, we've refined our classic Global Rating metric by factoring in our brand-new Defensive Rating. Here are the best players in the 2026 Playoffs so far.

Top 30 - 2026 Playoffs

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
1	Victor Wembanyama SAS	42.36	16	31.9	23.3	11.0	2.8	40.6
2	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OKC	38.71	14	35.8	27.1	2.9	7.9	18.7
3	Jalen Brunson NYK	36.75	14	36.1	26.9	2.8	6.6	12.9
4	Karl-Anthony Towns NYK	35.55	14	30.2	16.9	10.6	5.9	24.9
5	Cade Cunningham DET	32.03	14	40.8	28.1	5.1	7.5	19.5
6	Evan Mobley CLE	30.89	18	35.5	17.0	8.1	3.9	21.9
7	Donovan Mitchell CLE	30.26	18	36.2	26.0	4.8	3.1	16.5
8	Stephon Castle SAS	30.05	17	33.3	19.4	4.9	6.7	19.8
9	OG Anunoby NYK	28.94	12	33.8	19.7	6.9	1.9	23.3
10	Chet Holmgren OKC	27.80	14	30.4	15.7	8.5	1.2	17.9
11	Jarrett Allen CLE	26.90	18	29.4	12.7	7.2	1.1	20.2
12	James Harden CLE	26.74	18	37.3	19.2	5.1	5.5	16.6
13	Mikal Bridges NYK	25.51	14	31.7	14.6	3.1	2.5	19.1
14	De'Aaron Fox SAS	24.96	15	32.4	16.5	4.3	6.0	20.9
15	LeBron James LAL	24.64	10	38.4	23.2	6.7	7.3	17.9
16	Josh Hart NYK	24.31	14	33.0	11.4	8.6	4.6	23.2
17	Scottie Barnes TOR	24.19	7	39.0	24.1	6.1	8.6	17.9
18	Tobias Harris DET	23.61	14	34.6	18.1	7.2	1.6	16.4
19	Dylan Harper SAS	23.39	17	25.5	13.1	5.2	2.6	20.0
20	Paolo Banchero ORL	22.85	5	40.8	28.2	10.6	6.8	20.1
21	Tyrese Maxey PHI	22.81	10	39.5	23.0	4.2	5.9	10.6
22	Ausar Thompson DET	22.66	14	30.5	8.2	7.9	3.1	30.6
23	Devin Vassell SAS	22.16	17	33.9	13.1	4.8	2.6	22.8
24	Isaiah Hartenstein OKC	21.45	14	23.6	9.3	8.6	2.8	18.4
25	Nikola Jokic DEN	21.30	6	39.5	25.8	13.2	9.5	16.1
26	Ajay Mitchell OKC	21.29	11	28.8	15.1	3.7	4.3	20.1
27	Jayson Tatum BOS	20.92	6	36.3	23.3	10.7	6.8	14.2
28	Julian Champagnie SAS	19.63	17	30.0	10.8	5.8	1.5	15.8
29	Alperen Sengun HOU	19.39	6	38.7	20.3	10.2	4.7	23.4
30	Jaylen Brown BOS	19.29	7	35.6	25.7	5.7	3.3	15.7

Atlanta Hawks

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
54	Jalen Johnson	13.95	6	35.7	19.5	7.7	5.2	10.6
57	CJ McCollum	13.52	6	32.1	19.2	3.0	2.0	18.8
74	Onyeka Okongwu	10.68	6	33.1	12.5	6.7	2.3	9.2
79	Jonathan Kuminga	10.01	6	26.0	13.7	3.3	1.0	9.1
85	Dyson Daniels	8.93	6	27.6	7.3	6.2	5.0	10.3
111	Nickeil Alexander-Walker	6.16	6	35.4	13.7	2.3	2.7	4.3
137	Tony Bradley	3.22	4	10.2	2.8	2.8	0.8	8.4
153	Asa Newell	1.81	2	5.4	1.0	0.0	0.5	8.9
154	Gabe Vincent	1.70	6	15.5	4.3	0.5	1.2	0.0
186	Mouhamed Gueye	0.42	6	8.4	1.7	1.7	0.7	0.0
187	Buddy Hield	0.40	2	6.5	5.0	1.0	0.0	0.0
193	Zaccharie Risacher	0.31	3	7.6	3.7	3.0	0.0	0.0
199	Keaton Wallace	0.20	3	5.1	2.0	1.0	1.0	0.2
200	Corey Kispert	0.20	5	10.8	2.2	1.6	1.2	1.9

Boston Celtics

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
27	Jayson Tatum	20.92	6	36.3	23.3	10.7	6.8	14.2
30	Jaylen Brown	19.29	7	35.6	25.7	5.7	3.3	15.7
55	Payton Pritchard	13.82	7	32.9	14.6	3.7	5.1	8.6
68	Neemias Queta	11.59	7	21.7	9.3	8.6	0.6	15.5
70	Derrick White	11.36	7	35.8	11.1	3.3	3.1	19.6
106	Sam Hauser	6.73	7	23.5	7.7	4.3	0.9	5.3
118	Baylor Scheierman	5.02	7	14.2	4.3	2.9	0.6	4.8
127	Nikola Vucevic	4.66	6	19.0	6.2	4.3	2.3	5.7
134	Jordan Walsh	3.93	7	12.7	1.7	2.6	1.0	8.6
135	Luka Garza	3.75	7	8.5	4.4	1.7	0.9	1.3
164	Ron Harper Jr	1.34	6	4.2	1.8	0.7	0.2	0.0
177	Dalano Banton	0.73	2	2.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	3.9
194	Hugo Gonzalez	0.27	4	4.7	0.0	1.0	0.5	2.4
201	Amari Williams	0.19	1	1.6	1.0	1.0	0.0	1.5
205	Max Shulga	0.06	2	2.3	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0

Cleveland Cavaliers

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
6	Evan Mobley	30.89	18	35.5	17.0	8.1	3.9	21.9
7	Donovan Mitchell	30.26	18	36.2	26.0	4.8	3.1	16.5
11	Jarrett Allen	26.90	18	29.4	12.7	7.2	1.1	20.2
12	James Harden	26.74	18	37.3	19.2	5.1	5.5	16.6
51	Max Strus	14.41	18	26.7	9.6	4.8	2.1	12.8
83	Sam Merrill	9.52	17	19.9	7.8	1.2	1.1	7.5
88	Dean Wade	8.54	18	22.6	4.4	3.9	0.8	10.5
101	Dennis Schroeder	7.41	17	15.9	5.5	1.5	2.4	8.8
129	Jaylon Tyson	4.36	17	12.7	4.1	2.8	1.3	2.7
169	Keon Ellis	1.09	12	7.4	1.6	1.2	0.3	0.9
182	Nae'Qwan Tomlin	0.57	7	2.8	1.3	0.7	0.3	0.1
192	Thomas Bryant	0.31	9	4.6	1.9	1.2	0.2	0.0

Denver Nuggets

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
25	Nikola Jokic	21.30	6	39.5	25.8	13.2	9.5	16.1
52	Jamal Murray	14.12	6	39.7	23.7	5.0	5.7	9.3
66	Cameron Johnson	11.68	6	31.1	14.2	3.2	2.3	15.4
77	Christian Braun	10.09	6	31.1	8.3	3.5	1.7	21.2
94	Spencer Jones	8.08	6	24.2	6.5	2.0	0.3	16.4
97	Tim Hardaway Jr	7.78	6	23.3	10.8	3.3	0.8	9.1
108	Bruce Brown	6.67	6	19.4	6.3	2.7	1.7	15.1
119	Aaron Gordon	4.95	3	29.8	11.3	5.3	2.3	7.2
162	Tyus Jones	1.43	3	10.1	3.0	0.0	1.7	1.6
165	Zeke Nnaji	1.29	2	9.5	5.0	1.5	0.5	1.8
178	Jonas Valanciunas	0.70	4	6.2	2.8	2.3	0.3	1.0
197	Jalen Pickett	0.24	2	2.1	0.5	0.0	0.5	1.4
208	DaRon Holmes	-0.15	2	2.1	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.2
211	Julian Strawther	-0.23	2	9.1	3.0	1.5	0.0	0.0

Detroit Pistons

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
5	Cade Cunningham	32.03	14	40.8	28.1	5.1	7.5	19.5
18	Tobias Harris	23.61	14	34.6	18.1	7.2	1.6	16.4
22	Ausar Thompson	22.66	14	30.5	8.2	7.9	3.1	30.6
35	Jalen Duren	18.12	14	30.2	10.2	8.5	2.1	17.0
43	Duncan Robinson	15.58	13	29.5	11.8	2.4	2.3	12.9
67	Daniss Jenkins	11.65	14	22.7	9.1	2.6	3.0	6.8
102	Caris LeVert	7.16	13	16.6	5.9	2.2	1.2	10.3
103	Paul Reed	7.12	9	9.5	7.4	4.0	0.6	7.6
113	Isaiah Stewart	6.05	14	11.8	4.0	2.4	0.2	10.7
136	Javonte Green	3.41	11	12.0	2.7	1.8	0.3	7.2
139	Marcus Sasser	3.20	6	10.2	4.5	0.8	0.5	7.9
151	Kevin Huerter	1.96	5	9.1	1.2	1.0	1.4	8.4
160	Ron Holland	1.47	9	6.4	1.4	1.6	0.1	2.9
180	Tolu Smith	0.69	3	2.3	1.3	0.7	0.0	3.3
183	Chaz Lanier	0.57	3	2.5	0.7	0.0	0.3	3.3

Houston Rockets

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
29	Alperen Sengun	19.39	6	38.7	20.3	10.2	4.7	23.4
33	Amen Thompson	18.60	6	44.1	19.2	7.0	5.7	19.4
42	Tari Eason	15.94	6	32.5	13.8	6.7	1.7	23.5
49	Jabari Smith	15.31	6	41.9	17.5	8.5	1.8	17.4
73	Reed Sheppard	10.77	6	32.1	12.2	1.0	4.7	22.2
116	Josh Okogie	5.15	6	17.4	4.8	2.3	0.8	7.8
131	Kevin Durant	4.09	1	41.0	23.0	6.0	4.0	14.1
152	Aaron Holiday	1.96	6	11.1	2.7	0.3	0.5	6.8
170	Jae'Sean Tate	0.93	5	6.1	2.0	2.0	0.0	1.0
188	Dorian Finney-Smith	0.39	4	12.3	2.0	2.0	0.3	1.4
189	JD Davison	0.39	2	2.6	1.0	1.0	0.0	2.6
191	Clint Capela	0.32	4	5.4	1.5	1.8	0.3	0.0

Los Angeles Lakers

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
15	LeBron James	24.64	10	38.4	23.2	6.7	7.3	17.9
36	Marcus Smart	17.86	10	34.5	12.9	3.5	5.1	21.4
37	Rui Hachimura	17.42	10	38.6	17.5	4.0	1.7	13.9
58	Luke Kennard	13.43	10	32.6	11.5	3.5	2.3	11.3
61	Deandre Ayton	12.35	10	28.5	10.0	9.6	0.9	11.4
86	Jaxson Hayes	8.83	10	16.3	5.7	3.2	0.7	13.3
99	Austin Reaves	7.56	6	36.8	20.0	4.0	5.8	4.7
141	Jake LaRavia	2.93	8	14.2	3.3	2.1	0.8	7.7
144	Jarred Vanderbilt	2.65	7	10.7	2.9	3.4	0.3	5.7
172	Bronny James	0.85	8	5.3	1.5	0.4	0.9	1.4
176	Adou Thiero	0.75	6	5.6	1.5	2.0	0.2	1.2
179	Nick Smith	0.70	6	3.0	2.7	0.2	0.2	0.0
185	Dalton Knecht	0.45	5	3.6	2.0	1.2	0.6	0.0
190	Maxi Kleber	0.37	3	4.8	0.3	0.7	1.0	2.3

Minnesota Timberwolves

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
40	Jaden McDaniels	16.88	12	33.8	16.3	5.8	2.4	16.5
41	Rudy Gobert	16.40	12	31.0	7.2	9.3	2.3	18.4
46	Ayo Dosunmu	15.41	10	29.2	15.6	3.6	4.1	13.3
50	Anthony Edwards	14.71	10	32.4	21.6	5.7	2.7	10.8
56	Julius Randle	13.68	12	33.3	16.0	7.5	2.8	7.9
59	Naz Reid	12.92	12	26.9	12.6	7.3	2.1	8.5
98	Donte DiVincenzo	7.65	4	24.0	10.8	3.8	4.0	15.6
100	Terrence Shannon	7.47	9	22.6	11.8	2.6	1.3	8.9
107	Mike Conley	6.72	12	14.0	4.4	1.3	2.7	5.8
142	Bones Hyland	2.65	10	11.6	4.6	1.3	1.5	0.3
161	Kyle Anderson	1.46	8	7.6	1.9	0.9	1.9	4.1
166	Joan Beringer	1.27	5	4.6	3.2	2.2	0.0	1.4
168	Jaylen Clark	1.13	6	9.5	1.7	1.2	0.5	3.7
195	Joe Ingles	0.26	3	4.5	2.3	0.7	0.0	0.0
206	Julian Phillips	0.05	5	5.1	1.2	0.2	0.4	0.0

New York Knicks

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
3	Jalen Brunson	36.75	14	36.1	26.9	2.8	6.6	12.9
4	Karl-Anthony Towns	35.55	14	30.2	16.9	10.6	5.9	24.9
9	OG Anunoby	28.94	12	33.8	19.7	6.9	1.9	23.3
13	Mikal Bridges	25.51	14	31.7	14.6	3.1	2.5	19.1
16	Josh Hart	24.31	14	33.0	11.4	8.6	4.6	23.2
60	Mitchell Robinson	12.85	13	14.1	5.3	5.5	0.3	7.7
78	Miles McBride	10.05	14	19.1	6.9	1.4	1.1	11.0
80	Landry Shamet	9.93	14	13.5	5.7	0.8	0.6	12.6
109	Jose Alvarado	6.53	13	8.4	4.2	0.9	1.1	6.1
110	Jordan Clarkson	6.39	14	11.8	5.4	1.8	0.7	2.7
138	Ariel Hukporti	3.21	8	8.8	2.1	3.9	0.3	1.0
140	Tyler Kolek	2.95	8	6.7	3.5	0.8	1.5	1.2
145	Jeremy Sochan	2.46	5	4.5	4.0	1.0	0.4	0.0
148	Pacome Dadiet	2.38	7	5.7	2.9	1.0	0.4	1.8
203	Mohamed Diawara	0.15	6	7.1	1.2	1.5	1.0	1.3

Oklahoma City Thunder

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
2	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	38.71	14	35.8	27.1	2.9	7.9	18.7
10	Chet Holmgren	27.80	14	30.4	15.7	8.5	1.2	17.9
24	Isaiah Hartenstein	21.45	14	23.6	9.3	8.6	2.8	18.4
26	Ajay Mitchell	21.29	11	28.8	15.1	3.7	4.3	20.1
31	Alex Caruso	19.17	14	22.4	10.9	2.9	1.9	19.2
32	Cason Wallace	18.63	14	24.1	8.0	3.6	2.3	21.5
75	Jared McCain	10.42	14	16.8	9.9	1.9	1.1	4.7
87	Jaylin Williams	8.65	14	15.3	4.5	3.7	1.3	10.1
90	Luguentz Dort	8.39	14	22.8	5.6	2.8	1.3	10.2
93	Jalen Williams	8.11	5	21.4	14.4	3.2	2.8	8.3
112	Isaiah Joe	6.11	13	11.0	4.8	1.4	1.1	5.1
146	Kenrich Williams	2.46	10	6.8	3.2	1.9	0.6	1.3
173	Aaron Wiggins	0.84	13	5.8	1.5	0.4	0.4	0.2
204	Nikola Topic	0.07	9	2.4	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.0

Orlando Magic

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
20	Paolo Banchero	22.85	5	40.8	28.2	10.6	6.8	20.1
38	Franz Wagner	16.96	2	33.9	18.5	5.5	2.5	42.5
48	Wendell Carter Jr	15.33	5	35.7	11.2	6.4	3.6	20.3
53	Desmond Bane	13.97	5	35.8	16.0	4.6	2.0	17.1
71	Anthony Black	11.16	5	29.2	8.0	2.2	0.8	25.5
89	Jalen Suggs	8.52	5	37.7	12.4	3.4	3.8	19.0
114	Jamal Cain	5.66	5	19.3	3.6	4.2	0.6	14.5
123	Goga Bitadze	4.77	4	13.0	2.0	4.5	0.0	10.2
167	Moritz Wagner	1.15	1	6.9	5.0	0.0	0.0	6.3
207	Jevon Carter	0.02	2	7.1	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.0

Philadelphia 76ers

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
21	Tyrese Maxey	22.81	10	39.5	23.0	4.2	5.9	10.6
39	Paul George	16.90	10	35.8	16.4	3.8	2.8	17.9
44	VJ Edgecombe	15.56	10	36.5	13.5	5.6	3.6	14.5
45	Joel Embiid	15.53	7	33.3	24.0	7.3	5.4	4.7
76	Kelly Oubre	10.09	10	32.4	10.9	6.1	1.1	5.9
105	Quentin Grimes	6.77	10	22.1	7.0	2.6	2.3	3.7
124	Andre Drummond	4.77	10	11.0	2.9	3.7	0.5	0.5
149	Dominick Barlow	2.36	8	10.7	2.8	1.6	0.1	3.1
155	Adem Bona	1.65	9	8.8	2.7	2.0	0.1	3.8
156	Trendon Watford	1.60	7	5.7	2.9	0.4	0.4	2.0
163	Dalen Terry	1.39	7	5.6	1.9	0.6	1.0	3.0
174	Justin Edwards	0.79	9	12.2	3.3	2.2	0.4	0.0
202	Johni Broome	0.17	2	3.9	3.5	1.0	0.5	0.0

Phoenix Suns

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
72	Jalen Green	10.82	2	36.2	8.0	5.0	4.0	19.2
91	Dillon Brooks	8.22	2	41.4	35.5	8.0	0.5	0.0
92	Devin Booker	8.14	2	36.6	21.5	5.0	3.5	3.4
104	Collin Gillespie	6.84	2	38.1	17.5	7.0	6.5	9.1
117	Oso Ighodaro	5.06	2	39.5	8.5	10.5	4.5	4.3
122	Royce O'Neale	4.88	2	24.1	6.5	7.5	2.5	2.8
132	Grayson Allen	4.06	2	18.9	9.5	2.0	2.0	9.5
158	Rasheer Fleming	1.53	3	5.7	3.0	0.3	0.0	3.1
175	Jamaree Bouyea	0.78	3	2.8	1.7	0.7	0.3	0.7
184	Khaman Maluach	0.49	3	13.5	2.7	2.3	0.0	2.9

Portland Trail Blazers

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
62	Robert Williams	12.26	4	23.0	11.5	7.5	3.0	18.4
63	Deni Avdija	11.83	4	34.1	17.5	5.8	2.8	9.7
64	Jrue Holiday	11.76	4	38.3	15.3	5.8	8.0	18.3
84	Scoot Henderson	9.16	4	32.0	16.5	1.3	1.0	13.7
115	Toumani Camara	5.33	4	32.2	6.8	5.8	1.5	9.8
125	Jerami Grant	4.71	4	23.2	9.0	1.8	0.5	6.7
126	Donovan Clingan	4.69	4	19.6	8.3	7.0	1.8	5.1
133	Shaedon Sharpe	4.02	4	11.5	6.0	1.8	0.5	3.5
143	Matisse Thybulle	2.65	3	13.4	1.3	2.7	1.3	11.0
171	Sidy Cissoko	0.88	4	6.5	2.8	1.3	0.3	0.0
210	Blake Wesley	-0.22	4	1.1	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0

San Antonio Spurs

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
1	Victor Wembanyama	42.36	16	31.9	23.3	11.0	2.8	40.6
8	Stephon Castle	30.05	17	33.3	19.4	4.9	6.7	19.8
14	De'Aaron Fox	24.96	15	32.4	16.5	4.3	6.0	20.9
19	Dylan Harper	23.39	17	25.5	13.1	5.2	2.6	20.0
23	Devin Vassell	22.16	17	33.9	13.1	4.8	2.6	22.8
28	Julian Champagnie	19.63	17	30.0	10.8	5.8	1.5	15.8
65	Luke Kornet	11.75	17	14.6	4.7	4.4	0.8	10.8
69	Keldon Johnson	11.40	17	18.8	8.5	3.4	0.9	10.7
120	Harrison Barnes	4.92	17	9.6	2.7	1.4	0.2	5.6
128	Carter Bryant	4.37	16	10.1	2.9	2.1	0.9	5.5
147	Kelly Olynyk	2.43	9	3.9	2.8	0.8	0.3	1.5
150	Jordan McLaughlin	2.01	10	4.6	1.9	0.8	1.0	0.0
157	Lindy Waters III	1.58	9	3.8	1.7	0.7	0.4	1.4
181	Bismack Biyombo	0.61	9	2.7	0.7	0.3	0.0	3.0
196	Mason Plumlee	0.26	6	3.1	0.7	0.7	0.3	0.3

Toronto Raptors

#	Player	GR+	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	Def PO
17	Scottie Barnes	24.19	7	39.0	24.1	6.1	8.6	17.9
34	RJ Barrett	18.44	7	38.7	24.1	7.0	4.0	16.3
47	Collin Murray-Boyles	15.37	7	27.3	14.4	6.4	2.4	10.5
81	Ja'Kobe Walter	9.77	7	32.1	11.1	3.1	1.4	16.7
82	Jakob Poeltl	9.77	7	19.2	7.0	6.0	1.4	14.5
95	Jamal Shead	8.01	7	32.0	9.0	2.0	5.0	16.0
96	Brandon Ingram	7.87	5	29.6	12.0	3.2	2.2	17.3
121	Sandro Mamukelashvili	4.91	7	14.8	5.0	5.0	1.0	5.5
130	Jamison Battle	4.12	6	11.9	4.8	1.8	0.2	6.0
159	AJ Lawson	1.48	7	7.2	1.7	0.4	0.6	7.3
198	Jonathan Mogbo	0.20	3	1.3	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.3
209	Gradey Dick	-0.16	3	1.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.3
212	Garrett Temple	-0.24	2	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Global Rating: Who are the best players in the 2026 NBA playoffs?

Reporting by HoopsHype / Hoops Hype

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 11:52 AM.

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