Anthony Edwards Cracks the Top Three — But Can He Go Higher?
Welcome to the NBA dog days, that strange two-week stretch in early August when there’s nothing happening except Instagram workout videos and the occasional badly Photoshopped “player in new jersey” graphic. NBA.com knows we’re starving for content, so they did us a favor: they dropped some filler rankings.
First, it was the Western Conference power rankings, where, as we covered a few days ago, the Wolves somehow ended up fourth despite making back-to-back Western Conference Finals. (Insert heavy sigh here.)
Now, they’ve given us their list of the 10 best players in the West heading into the 2025–26 season. And while Minnesota as a team may have been slighted, our guy Anthony Edwards actually landed right where he should: #3.
#1 — Nikola Jokic.
No surprise here. The guy has three MVPs, two runner-ups, and just dragged a supporting cast of “NBA 2K MyLeague auto-generated players” to within a game of the conference finals. He’s the best player in basketball until further notice. You can’t argue it — and if you do, you’re probably still mad at him for turning your favorite center into barbecue chicken.
#2 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The reigning MVP. The smoothest, most unhurried 30 points per game you’ll ever see. Shai has the late-’80s Bird vibe where you know he’s about to kill you, you know exactly how he’s going to do it, and you still can’t stop it. OKC just won the title, he was the best player on the team — the résumé writes itself.
#3 — Anthony Edwards.
The right spot for now, but you can see the path to #1 or #2. The gap between Ant and Shai isn’t massive — it’s more about consistency. Shai shows up as “The Guy” every single night. Ant can be that guy, and in flashes, he’s even better. But there are still those random nights when he’s a little too willing to defer, or he spends the first three quarters feeling out the game before flipping the switch. To get to SGA/Jokic territory, Ant has to start games in takeover mode, not just finish them there.
#4 — Luka Doncic.
Honestly, I thought the Lakers bias might bump Luka ahead of Ant. Luka certainly took a step back last season following his injury and trade to the Lakers. We’ll see if cutting weight and gaining some stability has him back in the Top 3 conversation this season.
#5–#9 — The Old Guard.
Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron James. All legends. All still capable of taking over a series. But also all one injury away from turning their playoff run into a “what could have been” documentary.
#10 — Victor Wembanyama.
Probably a year away from cracking the top five, but you could already argue he’s more valuable than a couple guys above him. That’s the scary part.
Landing at #3 isn’t just a hat tip from NBA.com. It’s official acknowledgment that Anthony Edwards has arrived. This isn’t “potential” anymore. This isn’t “future face of the league.” This is: You are one of the guys everyone else is game-planning for now.
But if we’re being honest, it’s also a bit of a dare.
Right now, Jokic and Shai are standing in front of him like the two final bosses in a video game. Shai just outdueled him in the Western Conference Finals and has that “never takes a night off” killer mentality. Jokic… well, Jokic is basically if Bird, Sabonis, and a beer league point guard got stuck in a lab together and came out with 4D vision. To leapfrog either of them, Ant has to make a leap that’s about more than just stats. It’s the consistency.
Because here’s the thing, Shai never gives you a 5-for-18 night in March when you’re playing the Spurs on the second half of a back-to-back. Jokic is never passive for three quarters before deciding, “Alright, I guess I’ll get 14 points in the fourth.” But Ant still has those nights. And on a Wolves team that has Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and a supporting cast full of guys who need him to be the gravity point on every possession, he can’t disappear for stretches.
It’s also about seizing the alpha moments in the playoffs. Look at the Wolves’ postseason runs the last two years — there are games where Ant is clearly the best player on the floor, and then there are games where he’s “just another star.” The difference between #3 in the West and #1 in the league is eliminating the latter entirely. If you’re really the guy, you don’t just win series… you define them.
And maybe that’s the fun part about this whole thing — Ant is 24 years old. Twenty-four! He is still figuring it out, and yet he’s already getting compared to the MVP and the Finals MVP.
So yeah, #3 is fine for now. But this is the year where he can make that jump. This is the year where he can take that “future of the league” tag, rip off the “future” part, and make it official. The path is right there. He’s got the team, he’s got the continuity, he’s got the stage.
And for Wolves fans? Let’s just appreciate how insane this is. Five years ago, we were arguing about whether drafting Ant over LaMelo Ball was a colossal mistake. Now we’re arguing about whether he’s the third-best player in the West and whether he could eventually be the best player in the world. This is uncharted territory for this franchise. The Wolves have a top-three player in the conference, a roster built to win now, and back-to-back trips to the conference finals.
Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards. Contenders. It’s not just a cute underdog story anymore. This is a franchise with a real shot, a superstar close to hitting his prime, and a roster that knows how to win in May.
If #3 is where Ant starts this season, don’t be shocked if he finishes it at #1 — because when you’ve got a player this talented, this driven, and this ready for the moment, the ceiling isn’t a ranking… it’s a parade.