Fresh off an All-Star Game MVP award, Anthony Edwards is primed for a strong final 26 games of the regular season. His stock is high enough that people like Stephen A. Smith believe he can be the face of the league, no matter how much Edwards doesn't want that moniker.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report posted its rankings of the best 99 NBA players so far. Minnesota Timberwolves fans were likely up in arms to see Ant-Man down to ninth.
Edwards named the ninth-best player by Bleacher ReportÂ
Obviously, nearly every list is going to have Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the top two players in the league. Having Ant at No. 9 seems rather low, though. In their preseason rankings, Edwards was two spots higher in seventh.
The play this season from Edwards certainly hasn’t been a reason for his standing in the league not to be as high. Now in his sixth season, he is averaging a career-best 29.3 points per contest while shooting a career-high from 3-point distance at 40.2%. His 22.4 PER and 4.9 box plus-minus are also the best marks of his career. Ant-Man has come through in big situations numerous times, and there is a reason that he is the favorite to win Clutch Player of the Year.
From the preseason rankings, Ant jumped ahead of Stephen Curry, but he was also leapt by Kawhi Leonard, Cade Cunningham, and Donovan Mitchell. With Jokic first and SGA second, here is #3-8:
3. Luka Doncic
4. Victor Wembanyama
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
6. Kawhi Leonard
7. Cade CunninghamÂ
8. Donovan Mitchell
The biggest surprise to be ahead of Ant has to be Leonard. Yes, the Clippers have been playing much improved after a miserable start, and Kawhi is playing some of his best basketball. Even in a healthier season (by his standards), he has missed three more games than Edwards.
Cunningham has been incredible, but he hasn’t yet won a playoff series. Edwards and the Wolves have won four in just the last two years. Mitchell hasn’t reached the conference finals yet in his career. As great as Giannis is, his health has been a question mark for a few years now, particularly this season.
It’s just one publication’s opinion, but Ant-Man being considered the ninth-best player just seems disrespectful. Another publication, The Ringer, has him sixth in their top 100 behind Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Doncic, Antetokounmpo, and Wembanyama. To me, that is a better placement for where Edwards stands currently in the game.