NBA players are tall. The average American male is 5-foot-9, but going by the listed heights on the league's website, we don't have a single player under 6-foot this season. According to one estimate, 9 percent of all 7-footers in human history have played in the NBA. We're talking about a tiny pool of some of the tallest people in the world.
But it's not all about size. A whopping 16 inches separate the tallest and shortest rostered players in the NBA this season, and just being tall isn't enough — see McIlvaine, Jim. Height gives you an edge, but skill is the differentiator between the 6-foot-8 guy who starts for the Washington Wizards and the 6-foot-8 guy flying to a sales conference in Albuquerque, looking miserable squeezing himself into a seat in coach.
Luckily for you, we're here to sort out the complicated interplay between skill and height, ranking the best NBA player for the upcoming season at each listed height. And, remember, if you are angry about the group I've put Kevin Durant into — your argument is with the NBA information office, not me.
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6-foot — Fred VanVleet
Small guards are going the way of the dinosaur in the NBA, and there are slim pickings here. VanVleet has obvious flaws to his game, and his shooting percentages were near career lows last season. But his pesky defense and the way he has kept the young Rockets on the same page lets him slide into this spot ahead of veterans with more famous legacies like Chris Paul and Mike Conley,
6-foot-1 — Trae Young
This could be a coin flip with Darius Garland, who I would certainly rather root for. But the question was best player by height, and Young has the edge in individual stats, All-Star selections and playoff wins.
6-foot-2 — Steph Curry
This one is extremely tight, but I'm giving the nod to Steph Curry over Jalen Brunson. The latter has become one of the most feared clutch scorers in the league and an elite offensive engine. But the former is still Steph Curry, still the best shooter in the league and a nearly impossible challenge for any defense.
6-foot-3 — Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell was the centerpiece of the Cavs' jump to contender last season, and even with another playoff washout under his belt, he's elite. De'Aaron Fox is probably the closest challenger for the 6-foot-3 crown, but he only played 62 games last season, saw his 3-point percentage drop to 31 and will need to prove himself all over again with Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper potentially pushing him for minutes.
6-foot-4 — Anthony Edwards
Edwards feels bigger, by virtue of his strength, elastic leaping ability and propensity for dunking over and through some of the biggest bigs in the league. But he's listed at just 6-foot-4 and — as one of the best players in the league of any height — easily clears same-sized competitors like Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen and Lu Dort.
6-foot-5 — Desmond Bane
If he was healthy, Tyrese Haliburton owns this spot, and it wouldn't even be close. But as he's out for the year, recovering from his NBA Finals Achilles' tear, things are a bit more open. You can make a strong case for James Harden, who is several steps slower but still managed to stuff the box score last season — 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game.
But I'm going out on a limb and taking Desmond Bane. He averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game last season, with a 60.0% true shooting percentage. This season, he'll have a larger offensive role and the opportunity to play off the frontcourt creation of Paolo Banchero and the wing connection of Franz Wagner with the Orlando Magic. He's ready to take the leap, while Harden hasn't actually jumped since like 2021.
6-foot-6 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The reigning MVP is, ostensibly, the best player in the NBA and thus the best player listed at this height or any other. But he's going to get pushed this year and probably every year for the rest of his career. Luka Dončić is also listed at 6-foot-6, as are Devin Booker and Jaylen Brown. Throw in Cade Cunningham and you have the starting lineup for a small-ball, 6-foot-6 team that all could make a run at All-NBA next season.
SGA has the top spot, but he can't take his foot off the gas at all this season.
6-foot-7 — Amen Thompson
In the spirit of wildly optimistic projections, I'm handing this one to Amen Thompson. Sure, he's only going into his third season and hasn't yet averaged 15 points per game in his career. Yes, I realize that both Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard are also listed at 6-foot-7. But they only played 92 games combined last season. Thompson already made first-team All-Defense and is going to be a legit challenger to Wemby for Defensive Player of the Year this season. His scoring totals are ho-hum, but he's incredibly efficient, and he does literally everything else — 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Thompson is going to take a gigantic step forward, and while he'll probably still get outscored by Butler and Leonard, he's going to fly past them in total impact.
6-foot-8 — Pascal Siakam
This is another category made wide-open because of injury — Siakam is just keeping the seat warm until Jayson Tatum is healthy again. But even at 31, Siakam is remarkable. While everyone (myself included) was gushing over Haliburton and TJ McConnell, he was quietly the best player on the Pacers team that ran through the East to the NBA Finals. He's a terrifying mismatch in myriad ways, competes hard on both ends of the floor and could actually see his numbers go up this season with Haliburton out. Or a young gun like Jalen Johnson or Trey Murphy could stay healthy and go off, making this pick look silly in a few months.
6-foot-9 — LeBron James
All due respect to Bam Adebayo, Julius Randle and Naz Reid, but this one still belongs to the old guy.
6-foot-10 — Paolo Banchero
With all due respect to Nico Harrison and his excellent, above-reproach assessment of basketball talent and fit, but the pick here is Banchero, not Anthony Davis.
There was a point early last season where Davis was playing like an MVP, carrying the Lakers through a difficult stretch. Then he missed a game. Then another. Then, 30 more. In the end, he played 51 games, meaning he's only played 60 or more games twice in the past seven seasons. Even Joel Embiid managed that three times.
Banchero had injury problems last season, but he's also a young player on a remarkable trajectory. He averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season, with essentially zero floor-spacing around him. He should be better this year regardless, as a 22-year-old entering his fourth season. But with Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones, joining the backcourt and the rest of the roster hopefully healthy, he could be an absolute monster this year.
6-foot-11 — Nikola Jokić
Besides 6-foot-6, this is arguably the toughest height to suss out. Nikola Jokić, who has won three of the last five MVPs and could probably have four-in-a-row, should make it easy. But going by listed heights, we also have Giannis and Kevin Durant, as well as rising stars like Evan Mobley and Alperen Şengün. That's two inner-circle MVP candidates, an all-time great who could lead the league in scoring and a potential DPOY in Mobley.
If he keeps producing, there's no arguing with Jokić. But if he's hurt or the Nuggets struggle at all, someone could definitely steal the crown.
7-foot — Joel Embiid
Karl-Anthony Towns was the best 7-footer last season, and there's a very good chance he is again this season. Counting on Embiid is a fool's errand at this point. Luckily, I don't have to put any money behind this pick — just point out that Embiid is one of the six best players in the league when he's healthy and, even if he's only playing in 50 or so games, should be strong enough to take Towns' lunch money again and again.
7-foot-1 — Chet Holmgren
This one comes down to Chet and Rudy Gobert, and only one of those guys didn't purposely touch all of the microphones as a stupid joke right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's also the same guy who hasn't ever punched a teammate and doesn't espouse Andrew Tate-style, manosphere misogyny.
Congrats to Chet Holmgren, a very good, very tall basketball player who also seems to be a pretty cool guy.
7-foot-2 — Kristaps Porziņģis
The taller you go, the smaller the player pool and the easier the choices become. Kristaps Porziņģis comes with big health questions and his game certainly has flaws, but the competition is Khaman Maluach and Donovan Clingan, so here we are.
7-foot-3 — Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is the easiest pick on here, and not just because Bol Bol is the only other 7-foot-3 player in the league right now. So much of Wembanyama's appeal is tied up in the way his height defies his skill set and vice versa: He defends the rim exactly like you'd want a 7-foot-3 player to, but he also runs the floor like the 6-foot-7 Amen Thompson, drills pull-ups like the 6-foot-3 Donovan Mitchell and can destroy a mismatch like the 6-foot-8 Pascal Siakam.
And, it bears repeating, he's still only played 117 NBA games. He's still figuring out his body and refining his game, simultaneously doing things we've never seen before and learning more about what's possible for him. There simply is no one else like him, at any height.
7-foot-4 — Zach Edey
The biggest man in the NBA, a mountain unto himself.