Last week we published our annual CBS Sports Top 100 NBA player rankings, and recently we narrowed that league-wide list down to the top 25 Eastern Conference players. Now we’ll do the same thing for the Western Conference.
Top to bottom, and from both and individual and team standpoint, it’s common knowledge that the West is and has long been the superior conference. It’s getting closer, at least at the top, with five top-30 players — Paul George, Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton — having relocated from West to East over the past three years, but nine of the top 12 players still hail from the West.
All told there were 54 West players against 46 for the East in our Top 100. That includes Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Domantas Sabonis, who are the three top-30 players to have moved East to West at some point in the past three years.
Of course, the best player in the league is a Western Conference guy. But we won’t start there. Instead, we’ll go backward, starting with a Memphis Grizzlies guard who has averaged better than 22 points over his last 100 games.
And with that, here are your top 25 Western Conference players, as voted on by our panel of 10 analysts, based on projected 2024-25 performances.
25. Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
Bane is one of the league’s premier shooters — he’s made 41.5% of his 3s in his career, including 43.4% on catch-and-shoot attempts — and he took yet another step forward as a creator in Year 4, increasing his usage to 27.3% (with only a slight dip in efficiency). It is notable, too, that while the on-ball uptick happened out of necessity in the absence of Ja Morant, the Grizzlies’ franchise player was willing to defer to Bane at times when they shared the floor. In the nine games that Morant played, Bane averaged 24.6 points — a little bit more than his season average — including a 37-point explosion a few days before Christmas. It’s a shame that ankle and back injuries cut his 2023-24 season short, but there will be more where that came from, even though Memphis will have much more firepower at its disposal. — James Herbert
24. James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers
Harden’s basketball odyssey took him to Los Angeles last season, where he joined his fourth team in four years. Despite another change of scenery, that campaign ended as many before it had. In the final two games of the Clippers’ first-round series, both losses, Harden scored 23 points on 28 shots en route to a six-game elimination at the hands of the Mavericks. With Paul George off to Philadelphia this summer, Harden will need to take on a bigger scoring burden than he has in recent years in order for the Clippers to stay relevant in the Western Conference. — Jack Maloney
23. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
One silver lining to the lost season Memphis just endured? It created a whole lot of opportunities for Jaren Jackson Jr. to work on creating his own shots. Less than half of his 2-pointers were assisted last season. He’d never come close to that before, and he nearly doubled his career-high in post-ups. Memphis was so depleted that he did these things relatively inefficiently, but hopefully the full-strength Grizzlies can actually take advantage of all of those reps Jackson got. We know he can defend. Though his shooting has declined, he’s at least proven willing to fire away from deep. If he can also create some of his own offense inside of the arc as well, he’ll be right back in the All-Star mix. — Sam Quinn
22. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
So much for the Gobert trade being a disaster for the Timberwolves. The Frenchman reclaimed his throne as the Defensive Player of the Year last season, winning the award for a fourth time, which put him in a tie with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most all-time. Along the way, he helped the Wolves make the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004. There are always going to be certain matchups where it makes more sense for the Wolves to have Naz Reid out there, but last season proved that the Gobert-Karl-Anthony Towns partnership can work. — Jack Maloney
21. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns has ranked as high as No. 11 on previous CBS top-100 lists. The basic premise of that ranking has largely held. Towns is among the best big man shooters of all time. That hasn’t changed. He remains an athletic marvel and strong rebounder, and to his credit, he’s adjusted his game in light of Minnesota’s roster upgrades. He’s scaled back his own scoring for the sake of Anthony Edwards. He’s playing a more traditional defensive power forward role to suit Rudy Gobert.
There’s something to be said for that flexibility, but too often, Towns simply faded into the background in big moments last season. He was invisible for large stretches of the Western Conference finals when Minnesota badly needed offense. Finding balance will be essential for him if he wants to climb back up to his old range on the list. Towns doesn’t have to be the all-encompassing offensive force he was earlier in his career, but he has to be able to find buckets when the Timberwolves need them most. — Sam Quinn
20. Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder
Williams’ numbers when he played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court last season were eerily similar to those posted by Kevin Durant. This is not to say that the 23-year-old Williams is a superstar hiding in plain sight, necessarily — part of superstardom is being able to get your numbers consistently despite being at the top of opponents’ scouting report and being hounded by opponents’ best defenders, not just as the No. 2 guy and against second units — but, I mean, sheesh. If Williams’ relative struggles against the Mavericks in the playoffs give him a roadmap for offseason improvement, watch out. This guy is already a scorer from all three levels, a knockdown shooter, a clever playmaker and a versatile defender. There are All-Star appearances in his future. — James Herbert
19. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray is nearly impossible to rank. Forget about making an All-Star team, we’re judging Murray against some of the best guards in the NBA and he’s never averaged 22 points or seven assists in a season. He’s here on the strength of two playoff runs, but they are two of the best playoff runs any active guard has ever had. In the 2020 and 2023 postseasons, he averaged over 26 points while flirting with 50-40-90 shooting splits. His peak is competitive with those of players ranked 20 spots higher. His floor, as we saw quite a bit in the 2024 postseason and even more in the Olympics, might warrant a 20-slot dip. With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gone and the Nuggets thinner than ever, they’re going to need a full season of elite play out of Murray, not just a few rounds of it. — Sam Quinn
18. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
The Warriors fan in me doesn’t like having to write this blurb, because Markkanen is awesome and it seems like Golden State could’ve had him for a steep price. Instead, he stays in Utah on a five-year, $238 million extension. Markkanen is 27 years old, just entering his prime, but the Jazz aren’t close to competing. You wonder about that marriage of those timelines, but you can bet Danny Ainge has a plan and that Markkanen, a seven-foot sniper who averaged 23 and 8 last season on a better true-shooting clip than Kevin Durant, is central in it. — Brad Botkin
17. Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder
The delayed debut for Holmgren was well worth the wait, as he fit seamlessly into an Oklahoma City team built for sustained success through at least the next decade. He’s 7-foot-1 and yet has the handle of a guard. He can drain a 3-pointer just as simply as he can back someone down in the paint. He has already established himself as one of the best rim protectors in the league, with a knack for perfectly timing blocks, something we rarely see out of players his age. Holmgren’s on a career trajectory to be a mainstay at the All-Star Game, as well as end-of-season awards like All-NBA and All-Defense. — Jasmyn Wimbish
16. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Sabonis led the league in rebounds last season and was eighth in assists. The only other player in the top 10 in both categories was Nikola Jokic. Furthermore, he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to average at least 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in a season. Those are arbitrary cutoffs, of course, but it emphasizes how unique Sabonis’ game is for a big man. He is a true playmaking hub for the Kings, while also being an efficient scorer in the paint and a force on the glass. Like too many of his teammates, though, defense remains an issue. –– Jack Maloney
15. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Remember when Fox couldn’t shoot? He certainly doesn’t. His 36.9% conversion rate on 3-pointers is nothing to scoff at in a vacuum, but making that clip on 7.8 attempts per game? That seemed nearly unfathomable early in his career, and it’s poked a hole in pretty much every strategy opponents could have used to defend him. How are you supposed to stay in front of the fastest guard in the NBA when he can casually pull-up from 28 feet when you try to duck under a screen? There’s no easy way to defend Fox anymore. He’s going to beat you at the rim or he’s going to beat you from deep. Take your pick. — Sam Quinn
14. Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
For all the concerns about how Irving would fit on the Mavericks, both on and off the floor, he put together one of his best seasons to date without ruffling any feathers. Irving has reminded us all of why he’s among the best secondary options in NBA history. Irving still has the best handle in the league, can easily get to the rim and score from all three levels. The Mavericks certainly wouldn’t have made it to the NBA Finals without him, and alongside Luka Doncic, they create one of the most dangerous backcourts in the league. — Jasmyn Wimbish
13. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson was once again sidelined with an injury when the Pelicans’ 2023-24 season ended, but this felt different. His absence in the playoffs was a bummer, not because it prompted unpleasant discussions about his conditioning and commitment, but because his play over the previous few months had completely changed the conversation. Williamson strained his hamstring as he made a floater over Anthony Davis to tie New Orleans’ play-in game against the Lakers in crunch time. The shot gave him 40 points; on one of the biggest stages of his career, he had come through with one of his finest games, leading a fourth-quarter comeback that would fall short after he checked out.
In the best shape of his career, Williamson showed that he could handle heavy minutes while carrying a playmaking load and competing defensively like never before. He appeared in a career-high 70 regular-season games, and, right at the end, he even took a few jump shots when opponents sagged off of him. Now all the Pelicans are asking of him is to produce like an MVP candidate for a full season while they continue trying to put together a roster that can surround him with the defenders and shooters they need to make a leap. — James Herbert
12. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Though he was once again unable to stay healthy in the playoffs, it’s easy to forget that Leonard was able to play in 68 games last season. For most of that time, he looked every bit like one of the best players in the league again at 23 PPG and better than a 62% true-shooting clip. He’s still one of the deadliest pull-up shooters with his ability to separate late, as evidenced by his 1.2 points per possession in isolation — the league’s most efficient mark among all players with better than a 15% isolation frequency. Over a two-month stretch from the turn of the calendar to the end of February, Leonard made 46% of his 3-pointers on almost five attempts per game. — Brad Botkin
11. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
At his best, Morant is one of the most exciting guards in the league thanks to his dazzling skills and daring creativity, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen him show that on the court. Between suspensions and injuries, the high-flier has only played 70 total games in the last two seasons. Whether or not Morant can return to an All-NBA level is one of the biggest storylines to watch this year. If he does, the Grizzlies could be a real threat in the Western Conference. –– Jack Maloney
10. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Booker has arguably become one of the most underrated players in the league and among the most efficient. He’s a killer in the mid-range, and if he gets hot, he’s liable to drop 40+ points on you, and he wouldn’t even have to take very many 3s. He’s the type of plug-and-play guy any championship-contending team would love to have, and last season, we finally saw Booker’s versatility after primarily playing point guard for a Suns team lacking in that department. It resulted in a career-high year in assists for Booker, showing that not only is he one of the best shooting guards in the league, but you can also put him among the best point guards, too. — Jasmyn Wimbish
9. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
After the All-Star break, Victor Wembanyama averaged 23.5 points, 12 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 4.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. I can’t imagine you’ll be surprised to hear no one has ever done that for a full season. No one has even come close. If you trim every one of those numbers by 10%, it’s still only been done once… by peak Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
As a reminder, Wembanyama was a rookie. He was playing on a team that was built to lose. We’re not just talking about the next great NBA player here. We’re talking about the sort of player this sport has never seen, the next step in its evolution. He is the ultimate marriage of size and skill, the culmination of everything this sport has been building toward for the past decade. What’s scariest about that absurd post-break stat line isn’t how great it is, but how underwhelming it’s going to look in comparison. In all likelihood, that’s the worst he’s going to be for a long, long time. It might be 15 years before we post another one of these lists that has him outside of the top 10. — Sam Quinn
8. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
The 2023-24 season was one of acceptance for Anthony Davis. Almost 75% of his shot attempts came in the paint. That’s the highest figure of his Lakers tenure, and there were years in which he barely cleared 50%. After averaging more than five mid-range attempts per game at his Lakers peak, Davis finished below three last season. He might still want to be a power forward, but he has finally seemed to embrace the fact that the Lakers need him to play like a center. Despite the physical toll the position might take on his body, the results spoke for themselves. Davis just had his best season since winning the 2020 championship, dominating the interior and singlehandedly keeping an otherwise miserable Laker defense afloat. — Sam Quinn
7. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards jumped from 22nd on this list last year to 10th this time around, which emphasizes his stunning ascension to stardom. He averaged career highs across the board last season, made his first All-NBA appearance and led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals, upsetting the defending champion Nuggets en route. Early in the Wolves’ playoff run, there were legitimate comparisons — at least aesthetically — to Michael Jordan. Over the summer, he reiterated his status as one of the game’s best by playing a leading role in Team USA’s gold medal campaign. — Jack Maloney
6. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
Durant remains pretty close to the height of his powers. Last season he averaged 27-6-5 on 41% 3-point shooting, and perhaps most importantly, he played in 75 games — by far his highest mark since leaving Golden State. The were rumors that he didn’t love the way he was being used by Frank Vogel. It will be interesting to see what kind of difference Mike Budenholzer makes in terms of Durant’s spots and shots and the way he receives the ball; i.e. in stationary positions or off more of his preferred pin-down screens. Either way, Durant was the best isolation scorer in basketball last season. — Brad Botkin
5. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James recently became the oldest player ever to win an MVP award in any competition featuring active NBA players when he was named the most valuable player of the 2024 Olympics. This breaks a record that he himself set during the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. Sure, it’s unreasonable to expect the impending quadragenarian to be the NBA’s best player over the course of an 82-game season anymore, but make no mistake, in a smaller sample, there still might not be a single player in all of basketball that inspires more fear in his opponents than James. It’s not clear how many MVP awards of any variety are still left in his aging body, but when he needs to, he can still summon all of the skill and ferocity that won him his first. — Sam Quinn
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry is still an offense unto himself with his inimitable movement and pure shot-making talent. At 36 years old, it’s hard to see where he’s declined at all offensively, but what we’ve seen is that even as great as an aging Curry remains, he needs better talent around him to make his way back into title contention. LeBron can relate. — Brad Botkin
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder
Last year’s MVP runner-up, Gilgeous-Alexander keeps ascending these rankings as his Thunder ascend the standings. The 26-year-old guard led the NBA in drives for the fourth straight season in 2023-24, and, with improved spacing around him, opponents had an even tougher time disrupting his funky rhythm. According to Cleaning The Glass, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 69% at the rim and 51% from midrange, both of which were career highs.
Defensively, while SGA doesn’t draw the toughest individual assignments, there are few superstars more engaged and disruptive on that end. Nobody recorded more steals than Gilgeous-Alexander last year, and only two players recorded more deflections. After adding one of those two players (Alex Caruso) and a center who will both protect the rim and operate as an offensive hub (Isaiah Hartenstein) this offseason, Oklahoma City projects to have a historically great defense and a more diverse offense, making the task in front of its franchise player extremely clear: lead the team to the place it hasn’t been since 2012. — James Herbert
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Even after six years in the league, it’s not uncommon to walk away from watching Doncic play and still think, “How is he doing this?” He plays at the pace of paint drying on a wall, and yet we saw in the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals that even the most elite defenders couldn’t stop him. Doncic will make you pay if you try to double team him, and if you switch a big on him out on the perimeter, he’ll likely drill a dramatic 3-pointer. He handles with finesse, bullies you in the paint and owns some of the best assists in NBA history. He’s coming off the best statistical year of his career after leading the league in scoring, and he’s still only 25 years old. — Jasmyn Wimbish
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
The only player on earth who can virtually guarantee his team a quality shot every possession, Jokic’s dominance occurs both in plain sight and on less visible margins. There is no matchup he can’t exploit, inside or out, whether as a scorer or facilitator. His defense has made great strides. The fact that he has zero interest in being recognized as the world’s best player is, in part, what actually makes him the world’s best player. Every play he makes is free of agenda and ego. Jokic is the purest embodiment of a basketball player. — Brad Botkin
