Robert Horry didn’t shy away from making a tough call when he played “Start, Bench, Cut” with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Anthony Edwards on the latest episode of his Big Shot Bob Podcast.
His answer put Gilgeous-Alexander first, Doncic second, and Edwards on the outside.
“I have to start SGA because he’s the only one that won a chip,” Horry said. “… I’m gonna have to put Luka on the bench because he plays for the Lakers and I cover the Lakers. So, Ant-Man… I don’t want to cut you, but because I have to talk about Luka, you got to get cut.”
That Lakers connection matters here. Horry works as a Lakers commentator on Spectrum SportsNet, and that was the reason Doncic stayed off the cut list. It also made for a notable choice, given how hard Horry has come down on Doncic in the past.
Last offseason, Horry said Doncic would never make his top five players of all time, pointing to the Slovenian’s defense. He has also gone after Doncic’s shot selection, his selfishness, and the foul-baiting, even though Gilgeous-Alexander draws those kinds of whistles as well.
Still, Horry’s choice to start Gilgeous-Alexander was easy to explain. The Oklahoma City Thunder star led the team to the NBA title in 2025 and took home Finals MVP.
He’s also the reigning back-to-back MVP and added another layer to his résumé in 2025-26, when he averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He also won the scoring title in 2025.
Doncic has his own trophy case, even if the championship piece is missing. He owns two scoring titles and came closest to a title when he carried the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, where they fell to the Boston Celtics in five games.
Now with the Lakers, the six-time All-Star is chasing the next step after averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2025-26 to win his second scoring title. Gilbert Arenas believes Doncic will win it again in 2026-27.
Edwards rounds out the group as the one without a championship or scoring title, though his rise has been steady. The Minnesota Timberwolves star has made four All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams in six NBA seasons. He averaged 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26, and at 25, he’s still just entering the heart of his prime.
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