If there’s one thing that every NBA fan can agree on, it’s that the Eastern Conference has been the inferior conference essentially since Michael Jordan retired. The West has given us 17 of the 26 champions since 2000 and is consistently the deeper, more competitive conference.
It’s unclear why exactly this phenomenon is so reliable, but it seems to be a combination of more well-run franchises and the simple fact that the West has better free-agent destinations. It was once again the case in 2025, as the West had eight of the top twelve teams, a much harder playoff bracket, and provided the champion once again.
Unfortunately, in 2025-26, the separation is just growing larger. With Damian Lillard injured and out of Milwaukee, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton‘s Achilles injuries, and a pending trade request from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Eastern Conference has grown even weaker.
2026 is a golden opportunity for the Cavaliers, Knicks, Magic, and several other up-and-coming teams. With that said, the West has a large majority of the great players in the league. It’s a mark of how deep the NBA is with talent that the top ten players in the East are still an excellent group of stars.
Honorable Mentions Include: Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner
10
Karl-Anthony Towns
Kicking off the ranking is big man Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT had a tremendous first season with his hometown Knicks after being traded from the Timberwolves after nine seasons in the Twin Cities. New York’s gamble paid off immediately, as Towns had one of his best seasons, helping them reach their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years.
Towns has called himself the greatest shooting big man of all-time, and he backed it up once again in 2024-25, hitting 42% of his three pointers on 4.7 attempts per game. One of Mike Brown’s objectives as new head coach of the Knicks is to increase Towns’ three-point volume and maximize his partnership with Jalen Brunson.
All-in-all, Karl had a great season in New York, making him an instant fan-favorite in Year 1. He averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 72 games on an insane 63% true shooting. His defense must be cleaned up if New York wants to be a serious title contender, but Towns’ placement on this list reflects just how great of an offensive player he is.
9
Trae Young
2025-26 is a huge year for Trae Young, as his Atlanta Hawks finally have the talent to make their first playoff run in a half-decade. With the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks now have an eight-man rotation bursting with young talent, as well as the personnel to build a competent defense around Trae.
Despite his weaknesses, Young has quietly been an elite offensive engine since he debuted in 2018-19. He’s given the Hawks 25.3 points and 9.8 assists (third all-time) for his career, peaking in 2025 with a league-leading 11.6 assists per game. Trae is arguably the most consistent pick-and-roll operator in basketball, and now has the tools to attach winning to that.
Now, Trae is a poor defender due to his size, but he has given more effort in recent years. If he can continue to improve on that end and clean up his shot selection, Atlanta could be a top-four team in the East in 2026.
8
Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham was finally given the support to have a breakout year in 2024-25, and that’s exactly what he did. In his fourth season, Cade dragged the competent and feisty, but undermanned Pistons squad to 46 wins and the sixth seed. Cunningham simply needed some shooting around him to space the floor, and proved to be one of the league’s elite offensive engines.
Cunningham placed seventh in MVP voting, earned his first All-Star selection, and was All-NBA Third Team in 2025. He gave Detroit 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 70 games on solid efficiency. He backed it up in the playoffs, nearly upsetting a far superior Knicks team while averaging 25.0 points and 8.7 assists.
The former first overall pick should build on a phenomenal 2025 season.
7
Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam has been one of the league’s most underrated players for nearly a decade at this point, but that ends now. His run to NBA Finals Game 7 as a 1A/1B with Tyrese Haliburton places him firmly within the top-20 players in the league. In 23 playoff games, Siakam averaged 20.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 51.3% from the field and 42.7% from deep.
In addition to a well-rounded floor game, Pascal has become an excellent three-point shooter (38.9% on 4.2 attempts in 2024-25). He’s always been a great post-up player, solid isolation scorer, and elite off-ball guy. Siakam is still dynamite in transition as age 31, and is as good defensively as ever.
Spicy P has quietly built a great career resume: three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 2019 Most Improved Player, and a 2019 NBA Champion. He was one game away from accomplishing the ultimate goal once again, and will now be Indiana’s first option without Haliburton.
6
Paolo Banchero
Next up is a player poised for a breakout fourth NBA season, Paolo Banchero. The Duke product was on the verge of superstardom in 2024-25 before suffering a hamstring injury that limited him to 46 games, but he still posted 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 45.2% from the field despite a brutal offensive supporting cast.
Banchero also averaged 29.4 points per game in the playoffs against an elite Boston defense that was loaded up on him.
With an improved Magic squad due to player health and the arrival of sharpshooter Desmond Bane, Paolo now has the ingredients for success in 2025-26. He put up those numbers with little spacing and constant double-teams because of their lack of shooting, but will now start alongside Bane, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs.
Orlando should be an excellent team in 2026, and Banchero is ready to take off.
5
Joel Embiid
Fifth is Joel Embiid, who would be as high as second if he was healthy. Unfortunately, degenerative knee issues have robbed us of his last two seasons, as he’s missed 106 games over that span. From 2021-2023, Embiid was arguably the second-best player in basketball, finishing in the top two in league MVP voting and winning the 2023 award.
Joel is one of the most dominant scorers this league has ever seen, with a 27.7 scoring average that ranks fourth all-time. Since 2021, Embiid has posted 30.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on an outrageous 63.3% true shooting mark. He’s won two scoring titles and leads NBA history in free throw makes per game (8.3).
Embiid has struggled in the playoffs, with all of his numbers dropping severely, but he’s been banged up in most of those runs as well. Sadly, it seems far-fetched that Joel will ever complete a full season and postseason at full strength. However, if he does, he instantly makes Philadelphia an elite contender.
4
Jaylen Brown 
It was incredibly difficult to differentiate between the potential of Paolo Banchero, the ceiling of an always-injured Joel Embiid, and the reliable Jaylen Brown, so we went with the guy who’d won an ECF and Finals MVP just a year ago. Jaylen Brown isn’t always rated highly by the general NBA fan, but he consistently delivers All-Star-caliber seasons every year.
After winning Finals MVP to conclude a championship run where Brown was a dominant two-way force, he backed it up with another solid season. JB appeared in 63 games, giving him 57-plus outings in all nine of his seasons, posting 22.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds on decent efficiency.
As he enters his age-29 season, Brown is still a terrifying defensive force and a tremendous athlete. Knee injuries nerfed his value in last year’s postseason, but Jaylen should return strong in 2025-26. He’ll be the primary offensive option for the first time in his career without Jayson Tatum. Brown has a chance to change how we view him in 2026.
3
Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell had the best season of his career in 2024-25, despite reduced statistics. Mitchell, who has always been a dynamic athlete and scorer, has previously struggled with game management and making his teammates better. Fortunately, in 2025, new head coach Kenny Atkinson emphasized a more team-friendly, transition-based attack, and Mitchell thrived.
In 2025, Donovan’s points and assists per game decreased by 2.6 and 1.1, respectively. His efficiency numbers also went down a touch. With that said, Mitchell led the Cavs to 64 wins as the indisputable best player, earning an All-NBA First Team selection and a sixth straight All-Star appearance.
Mitchell capitalized on the decreased usage to focus on creating better shots for his prolific Cavaliers offense, which allowed them to be the league’s top offense (121.0 ORTG). He was also a positive defender for the first time in his career, using his energy on that end of the floor more.
D-Mitch finally accepted that this Cavs roster is too talented to play hero ball consistently, and his mentality shift worked wonders for Cleveland. Unfortunately, they once again had an ugly playoff exit, as injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley forced Mitchell to return to his ball-dominant ways.
2
Jalen Brunson
No one expected that Jalen Brunson would be the second-best player in the Eastern Conference when he moved over from Dallas in the Summer of 2022, but here we are. In the three seasons since joining the Knicks, Brunson has established himself as an elite point guard and dominant scorer, landing second on this list.
Since 2022-23, JB has averaged 26.4 points and 6.7 assists on 48.5% from the field and 39.9% from deep. Not only has Brunson been an excellent playmaker and an unstoppable scorer, he’s done it on stellar efficiency for a guard, especially considering how tough his shot diet is as NY’s number one option.
Simply put, Jalen Brunson is a bucket-getter. Despite his lack of athleticism and size, Brunson is one of the league’s top-five scorers because of his endless bag of tricks. He has every piece of footwork mastered, can shoot off the dribble from anywhere on the floor, and is great at floaters, push shots, and layups around the rim.
Perhaps Brunson’s greatest strength is his playoff performances, as he’s been one of the clutchest players in basketball since his final year in Dallas. In 42 playoff games in NYC, he’s posted 29.9 points and 6.8 assists, carrying the Knicks to four series victories. Brunson has saved this beleagured franchise, and is now in a great position to take them to the NBA Finals.
1
Giannis Antetokounmpo
His time left in the conference might not be long, but while he’s still in the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo is easily the best player. The Greek Freak has consistently been considered one of the top three, if not the very best, in the world. Giannis is now knocking on top-10 all-time conversations as he enters his 30s.
Antetokounmpo has an extremely impressive statistical resume. In the seven seasons since he won his first league MVP in 2018-19, Giannis has averaged an eye-popping 29.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on 57.5% from the field. He’s finished in the top-four in MVP voting in all seven of those campaigns, winning back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.
The 12-year-veteran has polished off his game around his freaky athleticism and strength at six-foot-eleven. Giannis has become much more than a downhill force in his transition, as he’s now an excellent passer (career-high 6.5 APG in 2024 and 2025), mid-range shooter, and post scorer. He’s also arguably the best defensive player in the game.
Giannis is already a nine-time All-Star and All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year winner, and a champion and NBA Finals MVP. He’s only 30 years old, but his time to compete for titles is running out if he doesn’t request a trade from Milwaukee. He and his Bucks may be fooling themselves that a weakened East will allow them to compete, but Giannis needs a new home.