ESPN ranks Dillon Brooks No. 76 in top-100 NBA players ranking

The NBA season is right around the corner, and so are ESPN’s yearly top-100 player rankings going into the year. Nos. 100-51 were released Tuesday, with Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks being the lone Sun to make an appearance at No. 76.

The fan-favorite Brooks made a huge leap in 2025-26, shifting his identity from a pure dark arts agitator to more of an all-around player (albeit still with his villainous antics). The nine-year veteran wasn’t ranked in ESPN’s top 100 last season and now slots in one spot ahead of his former Memphis Grizzlies teammate Ja Morant. He’s one spot behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace.

Brooks is coming off a career-best season, his first with Phoenix, averaging 20.2 points per game while being a culture setter for a surprising Suns team, according to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.

Brooks deserves some credit for that turnaround, and the Suns gave him a three-year extension. Houston went from 22 to 41 wins in Brooks’ first season there, and Phoenix had a nine-win improvement last season

The 30-year-old was rewarded for it with a three-year, $73 million extension he inked in August. He was acquired by Phoenix from the Houston Rockets in the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade last June.

No other Sun was included in ESPN’s 100-51 range, and based on some of the other names on the list, it appears that only Devin Booker will be included in the top 50 once that list is released. Nos. 50-11 will be revealed Wednesday, and the top 10 will be named Thursday.

ESPN’s panel based the parameters of its rankings on “predicted contributions — quality and quantity — for the 2026-27 regular season only.”

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