ESPN does its NBA Rank annually during the offseason, in which they name who they believe will be the top 100 players for the upcoming year. Altogether, the Timberwolves had five players make the top 100. The 2025 list finished today (September 25) with the top 10 players. Anthony Edwards found himself in the middle of the top 10, coming in at #6. With that placement on the list, Edwards comes in as the highest-ranked American player.
Edwards ranked as the sixth-best player for the 2025-26 season
With Edwards coming as the projected sixth-best player in the 2025-26 season, that is a four-spot improvement from last year’s list, where he was ranked 10th.
The top five on ESPN’s NBA Rank 2025, listed here from #5-1, are Victor Wemabnyama (France), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), and Nikola Jokic (Serbia).
Edwards finds himself just ahead of other American players as they occupy spots #7-10 on ESPN’s NBA Rank. In order from #7-10 are Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Jalen Brunson. While Curry, James, and Durant are all all-time legends and considered among the best players in league history, they will be 37, 40, and 37 years old, respectively, when the 2025-26 season begins. Each of them are well over a decade older than Edwards, who turned 24 years old on August 5.
International players have dominated the MVP award of late
It’s pretty remarkable that the top American player is only considered the sixth-best NBA player. That would have seemed unfathomable throughout much of the history of the sport, but in today’s game, we have seen more and more international players playing in the league. This has created a lot of debate in recent years over who is the best American player, especially as Curry, LeBron, and Durant age.
The last seven MVP awards have gone to an international player. Six of the 7 have gone to players listed ahead of Edwards in the rankings (Nikola Jokic 3X, Giannis Antetokounmpo 2X, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 1X). The other is Joel Embiid, who was named the league MVP in the 2022-23 season.
Edwards coming in as the top American player is different than the NBA offseason survey posted by ESPN on Monday. One of the questions in the survey asked to 20 coaches, scouts, and executives was: Who is the best American player right now? Curry won with 11 votes with Edwards receiving eight votes. The other vote was given to Donovan Mitchell. He is 15th on ESPN’s NBA Rank.