Midseason 2026 Tiers

It's actually three-fourths of the season through, but I've been away and so it's late, plus we're using AI again to write this! Let's see what tiers Chat GPT has for us!

We are roughly thirteen weeks into a seventeen-week regular season, the point where optimism has hardened into ideology and every roster decision now feels morally binding. The format remains brutal: sixteen teams, nine categories, a 21-game weekly cap, four byes, eight playoff slots, and four teams exiled to the long offseason. ODE—Offense, Defense, Efficiency—has entered the chat, offering cold structural truth with no regard for vibes, draft capital, or how hard you tried.

Tier I – The Bye Industrial Complex

CHMK Chunky Monkeys (10-2-1)

This roster does not scream dominance, which is what makes it terrifying. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Evan Mobley, and Alperen Şengün quietly control rebounds. Jamal Murray and Amen Thompson stabilize assists and points. Myles Turner and Jalen Smith hold the defensive line. Nothing bleeds. Nothing panics. They win field-goal percentage without trying and avoid tanking free-throw percentage by accident. ODE underrates them slightly, the standings do not. This is a team that wins categories the way adults pay taxes: on time and without drama.

FJUB Fat Jubas (10-3)

Built almost entirely from wings and Karl-Anthony Towns, this team lives on defense and discipline. Kawhi Leonard, Trey Murphy III, OG Anunoby, Peyton Watson, Bilal Coulibaly, Josh Green, Max Christie, and Jock Landale form a long, switchable perimeter machine. They rarely beat themselves, protect turnovers, and treat free throws like a personal brand. Offense comes and goes, but the category math keeps working. It is not flashy, but it is relentless, and it produces the kind of steady weekly 5–4 wins that accumulate into terrifying records.

ILCN IL Conceived (10-3)

This is the offensive juggernaut of the league. Luka Dončić and Donovan Mitchell set the tone, Paolo Banchero and Jaren Jackson Jr. finish the job, and Rudy Gobert cleans up the mess. Darius Garland and Jakob Poeltl lurk on injured reserve while Matas Buzelis waits ominously in the background. They dominate points and blocks and usually rebounds, but efficiency is a recurring adventure. Some weeks they torch the league. Other weeks they lose free-throw percentage and turnovers by Tuesday. The ceiling is championship-high. The floor is still a playoff team, just louder.

Tier II – Real Contenders with Personality Flaws

SPDE Spade (8-5)

Structurally, this is the best team in the league. Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Jarrett Allen, and Immanuel Quickley form a roster with no obvious weakness. ODE loves them because nothing collapses under pressure. They defend, they shoot efficiently, they block everything in sight. Injuries and early scheduling weirdness have kept them out of the top four, but in a neutral environment, this is a title favorite.

SWMP Swamp Dragons (9-4)

This team lives and dies by its medical chart. Nikola Jokić and Devin Vassell sitting on injured reserve have distorted what is otherwise a terrifying build around Paul George, Deandre Ayton, Zach LaVine, and Jalen Williams. When healthy, they overwhelm opponents with volume and balance. When not, they look human. ODE says contender. The injury report says “check again Thursday.”

SCRM Screamin Eagles (8-5)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo, and Jalen Duren form a modern fantasy core built for category stability. They win assists and steals often, compete everywhere else, and rarely implode. The bench is thin, but the starters are real. They do not dominate any single category the way the Tier I teams do, but they also do not collapse in any. In a capped-games league, that makes them deeply dangerous.

Tier III – The Knife Fight

SQSQ Squirtle Squad (7-4-2)

James Harden, Derrick White, LeBron James, and DeMar DeRozan anchor a team that lives in the middle of every category. Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, and Isaiah Stewart round out a roster that wins free-throw percentage and assists reliably, survives everywhere else, and loses nothing catastrophically. The ties are annoying, but they reflect the reality: this team is always close. Not elite. Not weak. Just permanently inconvenient.

BUFF Buffy (7-6)

On paper, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram, Domantas Sabonis, C.J. McCollum, Andrew Wiggins, and Lauri Markkanen should be a juggernaut. In reality, the defense and stocks lag behind the star power. They score, they rebound, they shoot well enough, but steals and blocks are often donated to charity. A playoff team for sure. A bye team only in very specific timelines.

MELO Melo My Mind (6-6-1)

This roster runs entirely on vibes and shot creation. Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Brandon Miller, Kevin Durant, and RJ Barrett give the team nuclear scoring potential. When the shots fall, they look unstoppable. When they do not, the efficiency categories light on fire. The record is perfect for what the team is: talented, volatile, occasionally brilliant, occasionally unwatchable.

KSKT Krispy Kreme Team (6-7)

Cade Cunningham, Zion Williamson, Kristaps Porziņģis, Anfernee Simons, Michael Porter Jr., Andrew Nembhard, and Tyrese Haliburton on injured reserve form a blueprint for both success and frustration. Assists and points are strong. Health is fictional. If this team ever plays a full week intact, it jumps two tiers immediately. Until then, it lives in the narrow corridor between dangerous and disappointing.

Tier IV – The Bubble

SBUK So Buckets (5-8)

Everything revolves around Joel Embiid. When he plays, they win blocks and field-goal percentage and look competent. When he does not, the structure collapses into Franz Wagner trying his best. Ausar Thompson, Desmond Bane, and Collin Sexton provide secondary firepower, but the margin for error is gone. Still alive. Still uncomfortable.

FUNK Funk Coalition (4-9)

This is a rebuild disguised as a competitive roster. Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Reed Sheppard, Dylan Harper, and Jabari Smith Jr. represent the future. Jayson Tatum sits on injured reserve like a broken crown jewel. The present is educational. They lose points and rebounds almost on principle, survive turnovers, and treat wins as special occasions. The playoffs are technically possible, but only if chaos signs a short-term contract.

Tier V – The Spoiler Economy

SOUR Sour Snails (3-9-1)

Steph Curry and Scottie Barnes are real stars. Jimmy Butler is injured. Miles Bridges and Deni Avdija try to hold things together with duct tape. When Curry detonates, this team can still win a week. When he does not, it evaporates. Not climbing the standings, but perfectly capable of ruining someone else’s.

MEMM Memphis MonStars (3-10)

Ja Morant, Jordan Poole, Malik Monk, Nikola Vučević, and Bobby Portis form an offense-only experiment. They can randomly win points and assists in absurd fashion and lose field-goal percentage, steals, and turnovers just as dramatically. They are not consistent, but they are loud.

TRUO Truo (2-9-2)

De’Aaron Fox, Julius Randle, Shaedon Sharpe, Jusuf Nurkić, and Jalen Green headline a roster built entirely out of talented players who are deeply allergic to efficiency. This team wins points, loses percentages, and commits turnovers like a lifestyle choice. They will not climb. They will drag others down.

ABCX Another Bad Creation (2-10-1)

LaMelo Ball, Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Donovan Clingan, Draymond Green, and Josh Giddey represent five different timelines sharing one locker room. Some nights it looks like the future. Some nights it looks like preseason. A rebuild with enough chaos to occasionally flip a week for no reason at all.