The 2025-26 regular season starts in a little over a month. All 30 NBA teams will soon prepare for the new campaign. It’s time to look around the Western Conference, as this year will surely be another jam-packed race among several teams.

Over the next few days, Thunder Wire will rank the 15 West starters among the five positions. Let’s look at the 15 best starting point guards in the Western Conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had the league’s best defense last season. Any statistical category you wanted to comb through, they were either at the top or near it. Lu Dort was the face of their defense. He had a career season where he earned an All-Defense Team accolade for the first time.

Here are the rankings for each West starting shooting guard:

1. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

2024-25 stats: 27.6 PPG, 4.5 APG, 5.7 RPG, 44.7% shooting, 39.5% 3-point shooting in 79 games

This is an easy choice. Edwards is in a tier of his own. He’s one of the best players in the league. The 24-year-old had another All-NBA season and another Western Conference Finals appearance last year. The Timberwolves have fully bought into him being their franchise player. He’s the perfect mix of elite athleticism and has turned into one of the best high-volume outside shooters. Everything in Minnesota revolves around him as he knocks on the door of being a perennial MVP contender. Expect him to continue to ascend as a do-it-all scorer and playmaker.

2. Amen Thompson, Rockets

2024-25 stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.8 APG, 8.2 RPG, 55.7% shooting, 27.5% 3-point shooting in 69 games

You can’t go one episode without hearing your favorite NBA podcast gush over Thompson. A lot of the love is warranted as he enters next season with plenty of hype. You typically see players make their largest leaps in their third season. The 22-year-old could be up next as somebody who makes their first All-Star berth. While the shooting remains nonexistent, he’s elite in everything else. The superb athlete is a dangerous transition threat and already one of the league’s best one-on-one defenders.

3. Lu Dort, Thunder

2024-25 stats: 10.1 PPG, 1.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, 44.7% shooting, 39.5% 3-point shooting in 79 games

The Thunder don’t win an NBA championship without Dort. After going under the radar for years, he finally went mainstream. The 26-year-old had a career season. He received defensive accolades and was a 40% shooter from the outside. He’s come a long way from being an undrafted rookie five years ago. Now, he’ll receive more noise for Defensive Player of the Year. You don’t win a title without several role players simultaneously having career seasons. He was one of those cases for OKC as it hopes to copy its success.

4. Austin Reaves, Lakers

2024-25 stats: 20.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, 4.5 RPG, 46% shooting, 37.7% 3-point shooting in 73 games

Speaking of successful undrafted stories, Reaves has been one of the better finds in recent years. The Lakers have relied on him to be their third scorer. He rewarded their faith by cracking a 20-point average for the first time last season. He figured out how to get to the free-throw line and upped his outside volume. The 27-year-old is the perfect complementary piece who would benefit from all the attention Luka Doncic and LeBron James receive from defenses. Los Angeles has questionable depth, so his importance is magnified.

5. Jalen Green, Suns

2024-25 stats: 21.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 4.6 RPG, 42.3% shooting, 35.4% 3-point shooting in 82 games

Let’s see if a fresh start can do Green some good. After stagnating on the Rockets for four seasons, he was shipped to the Suns in the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade. Now, he moves to Phoenix with a chip on his shoulder and one last chance to salvage his illustrious draft stock of a No. 2 pick. Inconsistency has been his biggest hurdle. Some months, he’s hot. Most months, he’s cold. As the Suns start over, he’ll be a high-usage player and rebuild his value around the league. If not, then he might be viewed as a streaky scorer better suited off the bench.

6. Stephon Castle, Spurs

2024-25 stats: 14.7 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.7 RPG, 42.8% shooting, 28.5% 3-point shooting in 81 games

After a Rookie of the Year campaign, the Spurs hope Castle can build off that momentum. He sealed the award with a post-All-Star break surge that saw him become San Antonio’s top scorer. The 20-year-old is part of a guard logjam, but has the potential to be a long-term piece. Especially if he can figure out his shooting woes. He will have some head-to-head competition against Dylan Harper, though. The 2025 No. 2 pick offers some redundancy among the two young players. But those are champagne problems the Spurs will gladly deal with.

7. Christian Braun, Nuggets

2024-25 stats: 15.4 PPG, 2.6 APG, 5.2 RPG, 58% shooting, 39.7% 3-point shooting in 79 games

After two years as a bench player, Braun finally graduated to a starter. He rewarded the Nuggets with his best season yet. The 24-year-old averaged career highs across the board and was a 15-plus point scorer on a top-heavy contender. As Denver’s depth was slowly exposed, he was relied upon to do more. He delivered as an outside shooter who can do a little bit of everything. He’s been one of the Nuggets’ better draft success stories in recent years as he established himself as an important starter for the title contender.

8. Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers

2024-25 stats: 11.3 PPG, 5.8 APG, 2.2 RPG, 45.8% shooting, 37.5% 3-point shooting in 78 games

Speaking of draft success stories. Camara went from a background character to a household name. The NBA finally caught up to how special a defender he is. The 24-year-old made a second-year leap as he finished on an All-Defense Team. The Trail Blazers were a pleasant surprise last season. They’re expected to build off that after being in a rebuild for years. If he can have another season of being a high-end 3-and-D starter, that should help Portland’s ambitions to be a playoff squad.

9. Brandin Podziemski, Warriors

2024-25 stats: 11.7 PPG, 3.4 APG, 5.1 RPG, 44.5% shooting, 37.2% 3-point shooting in 64 games

The Warriors had the most unknown entrant in this list. They could start either Podziemski or Buddy Hield. Both took turns being a starter last season. So let’s go with the player with higher upside. As Golden State tries to be a contender with an older roster, Podziemski gives them a young player who could leap. It was a disappointing sophomore campaign, but he’ll get another chance to move on from that. He’s a scorer who can shoot the ball from the outside.

10. Bradley Beal, Clippers

2024-25 stats: 17 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.3 RPG, 49.7% shooting, 38.6% 3-point shooting in 53 games

Part of the Suns’ reset was moving on from Beal. After two lackluster seasons, he was bought out of his hefty contract. Phoenix ate the loss as it moves on from a disappointing era. Meanwhile, the 32-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Clippers. Make all the jokes you want about LA’s antique roster, but this is a bargain deal. Even in a down season, the multi-time All-Star averaged 17 points and was a high-volume outside shooter. He should be the latest veteran to have a bounce-back season on the Clippers.

11. Klay Thompson, Mavericks

2024-25 stats: 14 PPG, 2 APG, 3.4 RPG, 41.2% shooting, 39.1% 3-point shooting in 72 games

While the defense isn’t what it used to be, Thompson remains an outside shooting threat. He was a high-volume outside shooter who adjusted to a smaller role for the first time in his career. Alas, he’s still in an awkward spot on the Mavericks. It’s clear he was added to complement Doncic as a drive-and-kick option. Since he was shockingly traded, that put the 35-year-old in this weird zone. Dallas hopes the four-time NBA champion can help it be a playoff threat when fully healthy. But the mileage and injuries to his legs have clearly zapped him.

12. Malik Monk, Kings

2024-25 stats: 17.2 PPG, 5.6 APG, 3.8 RPG, 43.9% shooting, 32.5% 3-point shooting in 65 games

It was a chaotic season for the Kings that saw several new faces. One old face that stayed was Monk. After two seasons as the Sixth Man, he was a starter for most of last season. The results were mixed. Sure, his stats jumped up. But his efficiency dipped. His skill set also becomes a bit redundant with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. All three are high-usage guards that love to get to the basket and shoot from the outside. That could force Sacramento to eventually move on from the 27-year-old.

13. Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans

2024-25 stats: N/A

After injuries plagued their season, the Pelicans were rewarded with Fears. The 18-year-old was taken with the No. 7 pick of the 2025 NBA draft. He’s a high-feel guard who isn’t afraid to shoot the ball or run the offense. New Orleans will get some excitement out of him in his rookie season. Just expect there to be a pretty large learning curve. You typically see rookie guards struggle in their first year. There’ll be plenty of nights where Fears can’t shoot or turns the ball over at alarming rates. That’s part of the developmental process.

14. Ace Bailey, Jazz

2024-25 stats: N/A

Bailey is the other rookie entrant. The Jazz selected him with the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. He spent one college season at Rutgers. After having the NBA’s worst record, Utah made the best of some bad lottery luck with the 19-year-old. It has several young players, but nobody who stands out. Bailey will get the chance to learn on the job in a low-pressure environment. Like Fears, expect him to overcome a learning curve. That’s always the case with high-usage guards that enter the NBA, especially when they’re super young.

15. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Grizzlies

2024-25 stats: 8.7 PPG, 1.8 APG, 2.2 RPG, 43.9% shooting, 34.2% 3-point shooting in 77 games

After a disappointing Round 1 exit, the Grizzlies hit the soft retool button. They traded Desmond Bane to the Magic. In exchange, Caldwell-Pope will replace him in Memphis’ starting lineup. He had a forgettable stint in Orlando as his outside shot didn’t fall at the clip it usually does. The two-time NBA champion hopes to have a bounce-back season with his new squad. He’s been a solid role player for a dozen seasons. Everybody knows what he brings on both sides of the floor. The 32-year-old has helped playoff teams his entire career.