When it comes to the best players in the NBA’s Western Conference, there shouldn’t be much of a debate for who should be considered the top two. Nikola Jokić has won three of the last five MVPs and finished runner-up the other two years. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and Finals MVP.
After that, many people’s next tier would have Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić, and Anthony Edwards in it. One writer lists the 2020 first overall pick over the other two when ranking them.
Edwards comes in at third
After ranking the top 10 players in the Eastern Conference last week, Shaun Powell of NBA.com moved on to the West on Wednesday. He ranks the Joker first and SGA second. Third through 10th are as follows: Anthony Edwards, Luka Dončić, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Victor Wembanyama.
It may surprise a lot of people to see Edwards ahead of Dončić (some may argue Curry as well). That’s even more true because Luka has found himself in the news more often with a body transformation that found him gracing the cover of Men’s Health. Fans are wondering what a more in-shape version of the Slovenian will look like on the court.
Even the heavier version of Dončić was seen as a transcendent player. While he fell short of the 65-game minimum last season to receive All-NBA honors, he was on the first team the previous five years. He’s won a scoring title, finished in the top six of MVP voting four times, and helped guide the Mavericks to the finals in 2024.
Meanwhile, Edwards has finished seventh in MVP voting twice, made the All-NBA second team twice, and is hopeful to lead the Timberwolves to their first ever NBA finals.
Luka and Ant-Man have met in the last 2 postseasons
While Dončić has accumulated more accolades (albeit with two additional years in the league), it was Edwards’ Wolves that eliminated Dončić's Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs last season. LA entered the series as favorites, but it wasn’t particularly close, with Minnesota disposing of them in five games.
Even though Dončić averaged 30.2 points, it wasn’t his greatest performance. He turned the ball over 20 times, compared to just 29 assists. Now, Dončić's Mavericks did defeat the Wolves in the conference finals in 2024. Edwards wasn’t terrible in that series, but Dončić performed better.
Given the sustained success of Dončić's, and the fact that he may just be entering his prime (26 years old), it is a bit surprising Edwards is ranked ahead of him. The Ant-Man just turned 24 himself, though, and has been steadily improving over his five seasons.
It will be fun to revisit this debate after the season once Dončić has played his first full season with the Lakers, and after it's seen if Edwards can once again navigate the Timberwolves deep in the postseason.