The NBA is filled with talented players at every position. Of course, the Minnesota Timberwolves are lucky to have multiple big-time talents at several positions, which led to them being one of the best teams in the league last season. But of course, the biggest name of them all is Anthony Edwards.
Number five has been the biggest and most important cog in the Timberwolves' machine. Minnesota does not get to the Western Conference Finals three months ago without his extremely high-level play. Many believe Ant to be among the top shooting guards in the association now at just 23 years old.
We know that Ant ranks highly among other players at his position, but where specifically does he fall? Perhaps one of the best ways to quantify this particular discussion is through using a tier list. Here, we will look at each starting shooting guard in the NBA and arrange them into an appropriate group based on talent and overall body of work.
S tier: All-NBA level
Players: Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell
In this tier we have the best of the best shooting guards. It is important to note that the players are not ordered within the tier. But Anthony Edwards has certainly earned his way into this group based on everything he has accomplished in his four-year career thus far. The way he has consistently produced in both the regular season and playoffs earns him a spot at the top.
Booker and Mitchell represent the other two SGs in the top three of the league. Booker has been the one constant for the Phoenix Suns over the last nine seasons, turning them into a serious Western Conference powerhouse. Mitchell may have moved around a bit, but his offensive talent is matched by few others at his position.
A tier: All-Star/fringe All-Star-level
Players: Desmond Bane, Kyrie Irving, Zach LaVine, Derrick White
These are the players that would be considered to still be big-time talents, but not quite big enough to land themselves in the top tier. Even so, each of these guys are major difference-makers that can swing a game any given night with their impact.
B tier: Above-average level starters
Players: Tyler Herro, Brandon Miller, Anfernee Simons, Marcus Smart, Dejounte Murray, Austin Reaves, Devin Vassell, Bennedict Mathurin, Donte DiVincenzo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Herb Jones
With so much talent in the NBA, even being called above-average should be a tremendous compliment. All these guys bring a certain level of expertise each time they step on the floor and bring a level of proficiency at either the offensive end, defensive end, or both. These guys are talented, but they would not be considered fringe All-Stars at this time.
C tier: Average-level starters
Players: Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas, Jalen Green, Jaden Ivey, Gary Trent Jr., Jalen Suggs, Buddy Hield, Terance Mann, Kevin Huerter, Malik Beasley, Bilal Coulibaly, Keyonte George
With the lowest tier on our list, these players would all be considered to be just average. Again, that is to say there there are no NBA players truly lacking in talent. Each one of these guys are serviceable in their roles, but a night where they are their team's difference-maker would be considered the exception rather than the rule.