Podcast Summary: Hoops Tonight – Why Anthony Edwards is #5 on my NBA Player Rankings for 2025 | Minnesota Timberwolves

Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd / Hoops Tonight (iHeartPodcasts and The Volume)
Host: Jason Timpf
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of “Hoops Tonight” dives deep into Jason Timpf’s reasoning for ranking Anthony Edwards #5 in his NBA player rankings for the 2025 season. The main theme: analyzing Edwards’ development, his strengths and areas for growth, and why his current trajectory places him among the league’s elite—while also forecasting both his near-term and long-term ceiling. Jason also compares Edwards’ career progress with other stars in the league's 'second tier,' contrasting their peaks and projecting their futures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anthony Edwards: From Controversial Pick to Secure #5 Spot

• Last Year's Rankings Regret: Jason admits putting Edwards at #5 for 2024 was a mistake (“one of the bigger mistakes that I made with that list”—[03:09]), as Jayson Tatum deserved that spot based on last year’s performance.
• Why #5 Feels Right for 2025: This season, Jason says, “He's the most reliable player in the league by a mile in terms of availability... he took a massive leap in both scoring volume and efficiency last year.” ([04:11])

2. Edwards’ Reliability and Ironman Status

• Durability Stats: Edwards has played at least 70 games every season, 79 games for three years running, never missed a playoff game.
  • “He is by far the most dependable night to night superstar in the NBA right now.” ([05:32])
• Comparison to Peers: Jason provides a striking stat—over 30 prominent NBA stars missed more games last season than Edwards in his entire career ([05:24]).

3. On-court Leap: Scoring and Efficiency

• 2024-25 Season Review:
  • “28 points per game, 6 rebounds and 5 assists... 45% from the field, 40% from 3 and 84% from the line.” ([06:56])
• Three-point Surge: Ant was “one of the top three three point shooters in the league last year... second most impressive three point shooter in the entire NBA last year.”
• Cause and Effect: The scoring leap came from “a massive increase in his three point volume.” ([08:02])
  • Notably, few players increase both scoring volume and efficiency; Edwards did, driven by 3-point growth.

4. The Variance and Vulnerability of High-Volume 3-Point Shooting

• Downside: Edwards’ shooting-heavy style makes his performance “susceptible to variance.”
  • In the playoffs, Wolves were 7–0 when he shot over 40% from three, and 1–5 when under 30% ([10:34]).
• Lesson Learned?: Jason believes Edwards "learned his lesson" and expects “more balance in Ant’s shot profile next season.” ([12:10])

5. Playmaking & Scoring Profile

• Pick and Roll Excellence: Ran over 1,200 pick and rolls at elite efficiency; “He was 40% on pull up threes out of ball screens on massive volume.” ([12:29])
• Scoring Archetype: Edwards is a traditional scorer (“self-awareness is key”).
  • “It’s not about becoming some surgical playmaker. It’s just about making the necessary strides to be good enough at it.”—Jason ([14:44])

6. The Drop-off in One-on-One and Short-Range Play

• Decline in ISOs/Post-ups:
  • Last year: 636 isos/postups, just 0.91 points per possession ([15:04]).
  • In 2024, he had a robust “short fade”/post game that delivered over 1.03 points per possession, but he abandoned it for more threes—Jason warns, “That's abandoning a super efficient play type.” ([21:02])
• Playoff Example: In 2024’s playoff run, Edwards posted up to great effect; last season, he cut that down drastically.
  • “He went from 40 down to just 16 of those [short-range shots] in this most recent playoff run.” ([22:34])

7. Critical Head-to-Head: Edwards vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA)

• Western Conference Finals, 2025:
  • SGA decisively outscored Edwards—“The difference was almost entirely short range scoring and free throws.” ([25:52])
    • SGA: 157 points / Ant: 115 over series.
    • SGA: 29 “twos” outside restricted area, 44 FTs; Ant: 14 “twos”, 22 FTs.
• What Must Change: For Edwards to make the leap, he must increase guard post-ups, short-range scoring, and improve “foul grifting” (drawing free throws).

8. Edwards’ Unique Potential

• Ant’s physical tools and upside:
  • “His size, strength and athleticism is an absurd tool. He's built like an absolute truck... has the potential to build out a bully ball game that SGA could never build out.” ([29:35])
• Defensive Ceiling: Could become one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA if he improves attention and navigation around screens.

9. Outlook, Ceiling, and Curve Context

• Edwards vs. Peers:
  • SGA is “better at all those things” (post play, foul drawing, consistent finishing, off-ball defense) but Ant has higher future potential, “technically ahead of schedule.”
• Best Player in the World Potential?
  • “I think Ant legitimately has best player in the world potential... but it’s going to take obsessive competitiveness, obsessive work behind the scenes dedication and willingness to do the dirty work.” ([33:41])
• Playoff Production:
  • “He’s played 42 playoff games, made two Western Conference finals runs, and he is a career 27 points per game on 59% true shooting in the playoffs.” ([34:38])
• Current Standing:
  • “In the meantime, I think number five is a safe bet for Ant... But I am really curious to see if he can actually capitalize on that all-world potential.” ([35:09])

10. Ranking Review: The Second Tier of Superstars

Jason runs through his approach to evaluating the “second tier” (players ranked 5–14), identifying their historical or projected peaks:

• Excerpts:
  • Joel Embiid (#14): “I think that will end up being Embiid’s peak. … He was a consensus top five player at that point in time.” ([39:27])
  • Kawhi Leonard (#13): “2019 was like that mind-body-skill peak for Kawhi Leonard.” ([40:11])
  • Donovan Mitchell (#12): “I do think this is the highest Donovan Mitchell will ever get.” ([41:05])
  • Kevin Durant (#11): “His peak was 2018… That was KD’s peak, in my opinion.” ([42:32])
  • Anthony Davis (#10): “This one’s easy. 2020… that was the peak of Anthony Davis’s career.” ([44:04])
  • Jalen Brunson (#9): “We are experiencing his peak right now.” ([45:32])
  • LeBron James (#8): “Peak for me with LeBron was 2018… I think 2018 LeBron is the best basketball player to ever play in the NBA.” ([47:17])
  • Victor Wembanyama (#7): “I think he will be the best player in the world someday.” ([48:48])
  • Steph Curry (#6): “I think his peak stretched from the end of the regular season in 2021 to the time he hoisted the trophy in the 2022 finals.” ([50:36])
  • Anthony Edwards (#5): “I do think Ant has the potential to be the best player in the world someday, but it will require a lot of things to go right for him.” ([53:32])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Availability:
  • “He reminds me of a young LeBron in the sense that like you’ll see him turn the shit out of his ankle...and then he’s ripping through the defense to the rim like 90 seconds later.” – Jason ([05:54])
• On Efficiency Leap:
  • “Very rarely will you see a player massively increase their scoring volume while simultaneously increasing their efficiency. And Ant did.” ([08:17])
• On Playoff Learning Curve:
  • “Ant’s playoff shortcomings are a little overstated because he’s basically been amazing outside of the two Western Conference finals series, and...just struggling with the highest levels of playoff basketball right now, which is pretty typical for a superstar in his early 20s.” ([03:58])
• Why It’s Hard for Young Stars:
  • “Ant is in the unfortunate position of being a player in his early 20s who is consistently making deep playoff runs and consistently facing off with experienced superstars. And those dudes outplay him. This is causing everyone to hyper focus on his flaws...” ([34:54])
• On Defensive Potential:
  • “He has the potential to build out a bully ball game that SGA could never build out...He has the potential to be like a game breaking defender. He could easily become one of the two or three best perimeter defenders in the entire NBA if he just got better at navigating screens.” ([29:54], [30:55])
• On Ceiling & Reality Check:
  • “I would argue it’s more likely than not that Ant kind of ends up as just another guy in the top tier for the majority of his career, but that potential is there.” ([34:03])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & Purpose [02:13]
• Why #5 For Ant? [03:09–05:50]
• Reliability and Games Played [05:11–05:54]
• Scoring/Efficiency Leap & 3-Point Shooting [06:56–09:59]
• Variance, Playoff Duds, and Lessons [10:34–12:10]
• Pick and Roll & Playmaking [12:29–15:04]
• On-Iso Decline & Short-Range Regression [15:04–24:09]
• Comparing Ant & SGA [25:52–29:35]
• Potential, Defensive Upside, and Trajectory [29:35–34:03]
• Overall Assessment & Curve Context [34:38–35:09]
• Second Tier Rankings: Peaks & Projections [39:27–53:32]
• Conclusion [53:32–54:42]

Final Takeaway

Jason Timpf presents a nuanced, data-backed argument for ranking Anthony Edwards as the #5 player heading into the 2025 NBA season. Edwards’ extraordinary durability, combined with a leap in offensive output, place him in rare company—yet his playoff learning curve, tendency to favor threes over short-range/post play, and developing playmaking mean his best is still ahead. If Edwards leverages his physical gifts and refines his approach, he could one day become the best player in the world; for now, his secure placement in the league’s true upper echelon is both a testament to his growth and a challenge to keep evolving.