Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson or Tyrese Maxey? Our Toughest NBA Top 100 Debates

September 10, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The NBA's Hardest Debates: Edwards vs. Brunson vs. Maxey, and More

On Locked On NBA Daily, Wes Goldberg, Matt Moore, and Hayes tackled some of the thorniest decisions in their annual top 100 player rankings. The conversation revealed how differently analysts weigh the same evidence—and how much context, recent memory, and positional philosophy shape where players land.

The Three-Way Guard Debate

The most heated exchange came over the trio of Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Maxey. Goldberg started by pitting Edwards against Brunson, noting that Brunson's championship and Finals MVP gave him a slight edge—but only after acknowledging that Edwards would have been "clearly above" Brunson before this postseason.

Hayes pushed back hard, arguing that Maxey belongs in the conversation above both. "I will take Tyrese Maxey over both of them," he said flatly. His reasoning: Maxey's combination of scoring volume and efficiency. "Maxey last season scored more points and was more efficient. He was more efficient while scoring more. And I don't know how you get around that given their roles."

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What you'll learn

1 (02:09) **Anthony Edwards vs. Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Maxey** - The panel opens with a three-way debate on which young guard belongs highest in the top-100 rankings.
2 (07:58) **Cade Cunningham vs. Jayson Tatum** - The panel debates whether Cade’s offensive engine or Tatum’s broader skill set ranks higher.
3 (10:15) **OG Anunoby & Obi Toppin vs. LeBron James** - A debate on whether LeBron’s declining creation outweighs OG’s elite complementary skills.
4 (13:20) **Segment Transition: Revisiting the Jazz Trades** - The show pivots to evaluate whether Utah won the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades years later.
5 (16:55) **Win-Loss Judgment on Trades** - The panel debates how to properly evaluate trade winners years after the fact.
6 (24:38) **Best & Worst NBA Jerseys** - The panel shares their picks for the league’s top and bottom uniforms.
7 Mentioned Resources

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Wes Goldberg Matt Moore

Show Notes

The NBA Top 100 debates are getting difficult. Wes Goldberg, Matt Moore and Haize work through some of their toughest player-ranking decisions, including Anthony Edwards vs. Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant vs. Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell vs. Cade Cunningham and — somehow — OG Anunoby vs. LeBron James.

Then, did the Utah Jazz actually win the blockbuster trades that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland and Rudy Gobert to Minnesota? With Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Utah’s young talent forming a promising core, the guys revisit both deals and ask whether “winning a trade” even matters if both sides got what they needed.

Finally, it’s Peak Offseason Content: Nike has unveiled its new Spectar uniforms, so it’s time to judge them — and pick the absolute best and worst jerseys in the NBA.

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