NBA Contender Rankings w/ Kevin O’Connor: Thunder & Nuggets BEST, sneaky Celtics, Lakers in top 10
Get 20% off your first purchase at https://Vuori.com/hoops
Jason is joined by Yahoo! NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor to break down contender rankings for the 2026 NBA title. They discuss the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets still being at the top, why James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers are rising, why they’ll never count out Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, how high up the Boston Celtics should be now and if Jayson Tatum returns, whether Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers can crack the top 10, why Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets have fallen since the last rankings, Jalen Brunson’s New York Knicks, Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs, and more.
All lines provided by @hardrockbet
Timeline
0:00 – Start
1:30 – Explaining the tiers
2:00 – #1
7:20 – #2
16:34 – #3
24:30 – #4
31:34 – #5
39:25 – #6 / #9
46:34 – #7
53:42 – #8
55:20 – #10
Follow Jason Timpf on social:
https://twitter.com/_JasonLT
https://www.instagram.com/jtimpf15/
Follow us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/hoopstonight/
https://x.com/hoopstonite
https://www.facebook.com/hoopstonight/
@hoopstonightjasontimpf
Learn more about the Volume:
https://www.thevolume.com
#nba #nbaplayoffs #nbafinals #nbahighlights #nbabasketball #basketball #sports #reaction #rank #ranked #ranking #powerrankings #thunder #okcthunder #oklahomacitythunder #shaigilgeousalexander #nuggets #denvernuggets #nikolajokic #cavaliers #clevelandcavaliers #jamesharden #donovanmitchell #timberwolves #minnesotatimberwolves #anthonyedwards #juliusrandle #sanantoniospurs #spurs #victorwembanyama #pistons #detroitpistons #cadecunningham #rockets #houstonrockets #kevindurant #knicks #newyorkknicks #jalenbrunson #karlanthonytowns #celtics #bostonceltics #jaylenbrown #jaysontatum #lakers #losangeleslakers #lukadoncic #lebronjames #kevinoconnor #yahoo
36 Comments
why is the lakers in here
Ok so the Knicks just beat a good Sixers team by 60 and beat the Nuggets ur #2 team.
I think the emergence of Carter Bryant with his defense and 3 point shooting could be huge for the Spurs in the playoffs. Wemby, Castle and Carter defense is scary
I’ve been waiting for this 🔥
I've never seen someone double down on their own stupid opinions like the guy on the right. If you love your craft and take pride in your work, wouldnt you want to better yourself constantly? People like this let their ego supercede their own growth as a person and as a professional.
Yeah not watching this show anymore. Really terrible takes that are based on feelings
PSA:SPURS TAKE SUCKS!
20:23 years past, sure the east has been “easier” but not in 2026, I would take the pistons, Celtics Knicks and Cavs all over Houston rn. Only 2 teams in the west better than everyone in the east and I would take the Knicks over Nuggets in a final. The east is good this year.
No pistons is insane
Boston over Detroit and my Knicks is crazy work
This will be a really fun rewatch when Harden quits on yet another team, lol
I still would take Harper over knueppel and I like Kon
So your saying basically the times when you would obviously bet on the by far better team you would lose your money, sounds completely legitimate with no foul play at all
Thunder flaws are primarily injury induced
Just here to see where he had the Knicks. Just knew I wasn’t gonna watch this video after he has them at 8 but CLEVELAND at 3. Knicks shown they can compete with anyone besides OKC. Beat the cavs twice this year btw while also beating them in the playoffs and having more playoff success.
There’s only one team capable of winning the title if OKC is healthy, and that is OKC
To say that Spurs have too many guards after watching how this season all 3 of them have been important so far. Quite a silly take
KOC looks like his face hurts that the Spurs are 5th with Dylan Harper. Spurs are 7th in offrtg, but I'm sure Dylan was the wrong choice
I agree with Randles up down take from koc but I think that’s why Ayo is so important. Between him getting more transition and a few ball handlers possessions. On top of that Jaden’s improvement can help fill in that gap if Randle goes cold.
Pistons and Knicks disrespect is crazy.
I’ve watched the Knicks ONLY LOSE TO THE PACERS two seasons in a row and yet somehow every other team is better than them in the east 😂. Be so Fr. People really hate the Knicks
Having the Cavs as high as 3 makes absolutely zero sense.
Jason always have a soft spot for cleveland. But now theyre the choker and chucker. And u believe in them more??????
Cavs and Timberwolves in Teir 1? haha I def got Pistons and Spurs above both, even with the addition of Harden, Detroit is just tougher, and Wemby is going to be dangerous this playoff run.
Mailbag: I'm stoked to hear you still have Denver at #2, but outside of injuries can you dig a little deeper on why/how they've gone from one of the best 4th quarter teams the past couple seasons to blowing 4th quarter leads over and over this season? I don't think it's a recent "Jokic is back" phenomenon… A quick search reveals they've blown 4th quarter leads in 13 of their 20 losses.
Lol Cleveland being a tier 1 contender with harden
Is there a more overrated player in the league than Keon Ellis? People talk about this guy like he is some ultimate defensive player. Hes fine defensively
That was some pathetic an lazy commentary on the Pistons. You talked about them for like 60 seconds. The fact is we are one of the two deepest teams in the league. They have beaten plenty of good teams that are put in front of us. I understand the lack of playoff experience but Duncan and Huerter both bring that to the team. Duren is playing at an all star level the most physically dominant in the league by far. I agree that Boston is a very dangerous team with Tatum but he’s injured and who knows how he will preform when he returns. We have also dealt with plenty of injuries already this year. Detroit will at the very least be in the conference finals right that down.
As OKC fans, hopefully health is on our side throughout the playoff. I have a strong believe in my team that they will take us to the promise land again. One step at the time though
No picture of Cade in the pic 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 2nd best record in the league 1 less win than the OKC. Hilarious
31:30 Jason, I think you forgot what OKC did to Minnesota in the playoffs last year without Ajay Mitchell
The fact that harden is in the thumbnail and not Cade is absolutely wild
These tiers are a joke why is Cleveland so high they ain't doing shit
The Pistons disrespect is real. That’s OK, though, keep it coming, please. They feed off of it.
YALL ARE FUCKING TRIPPIN. KEEP THAT SAME ENERGY WHEN THE PISTONS WIN THE EAST.
This is THE WORST LIST 😂😂😂😂😂