A former NBA All-Star said that a young star will have a better season than Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this year.
The duo have four MVPs between them. Jokic is considered by most to be the best player in the NBA, and Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off one of the greatest seasons in the league’s history, winning the MVP and the championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Both Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander have eyes on next year’s championship, and they’re leading contenders to win it. But this up-and-coming star has been touted to have a better season than both of them.
Jeff Teague says Anthony Edwards will have a better season than Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Anthony Edwards has been knocking on the door of basketball superstardom for a number of years. He made the Western Conference Finals in 2024, and knocked LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s LA Lakers out of the playoffs last season.
He’s fallen just short of putting himself in the conversation with the league’s very best, however. This season is the year he does that, according to former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague.
On the Club 520 Podcast, he said, “I’m gonna go with Anthony Edwards. He has to take the step. He’s at that point where you’ve been a star. He’s been playing well in the playoffs. He had good runs. It’s time to be mentioned in the MVP conversation.
“This is when most people take the leap. He’s been killing it. I think he’ll average 28, 29, but everything’s gonna go up. I just think he’s gonna take that superstar leap.
“Losing KAT, it was a different team. He had to get used to that team, and how he’s used to playing with that team, I think this is the year he takes that big leap to the MVP conversation.”
He’s well-positioned for a great season, but in a stacked Western Conference, it’ll be tough for Edwards to stand out.
Anthony Edwards faces stiff competition for MVP award
Even if Edwards does make the leap, there are countless players in the NBA who are well-positioned to win MVP.
Doncic, following his offseason body transformation, is predicted to have his best-ever season in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets have revamped their roster, putting Jokic in a position to bring them back to the top of the mountain.
Meanwhile, if Gilgeous-Alexander repeats the season he just had, it’ll be hard to deny him the award back-to-back.
In the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo hopes to carry the Bucks to the Finals, as he looks set to stay in Milwaukee. The conference is wide open following Jayson Tatum’s injury, and if Antetokounmpo can take a weak Bucks roster to a high seed, he’ll be a front-runner for the award.
Edwards will realistically have to take the Timberwolves to the one seed, and play incredibly well in doing so. Only then can he put himself in the conversation for the best player alive.