Anthony Edwards has captivated Minnesota Timberwolves fans ever since his rookie campaign. His likable nature and ability to occasionally score at will have turned him into a fan favorite. Ant was more than capable of putting up 20+ a night early in his career. However, Edwards has needed more time to acclimate to almost every other aspect of basketball.
When looking at some of the all-time greats like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they all have one thing in common – being a well-rounded threat every night. In no way am I comparing Edwards to these Hall of Fame players. However, for Ant to reach the next level, he’ll need mastery of all aspects of the game – something he’s been showing in recent games.
There wasn’t a consensus first overall pick back in 2020. Experts projected LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Edwards to go first in the draft. While Ball may have been able to bring more immediate hype around the Timberwolves, former GM Gersson Rosas took Ant with the first overall pick.
Before the draft, a quote of Ant saying he wasn’t really into basketball started to form on social media. Timberwolves fans soon became concerned that they had another Andrew Wiggins on their hands.
“I’m still not really into it,” Edwards told ESPN’s Alex Scarborough. “I love basketball, yeah… basketball is my heart, but football is where I started, so I’ll never forget about that. But don’t get me wrong, basketball is my No. 1 because I feel like it’s going to get me through a lot of the stuff I need to get through.”
Despite the predraft drama surrounding Edwards, it is evident from the onset that he had a God-given ability to perform at an NBA level, and it seemed as if he was really enjoying himself. Through 72 games as a rookie, Ant would average 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 41.7% from the floor and 32.9% from deep.
Despite his impressive numbers, Ant fell short of winning Rookie of the Year; the media chose No. 2 pick overall LaMelo Ball over him. Edwards didn’t seem to care, though. He had his sights set on something more significant.
“I don’t care about that,” Edwards told NBA.com’s Mark Medina when asked his views on not being named ROTY. “I’m happy ‘Melo got it. They were saying our Draft class wasn’t going to be good, anyway. So, it didn’t bother me that I didn’t get it. I’m trying to be MVP; I’m not really worried about Rookie of the Year.”
Despite an all-around good season, Edwards didn’t take that big jump that some people had hoped for him in his second year as he averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 44.1% from the floor and 35.7% from deep last season. The 2021-22 season should have been Ant’s rookie year based on his age, so asking him to take a Ja Morant-type leap in his second year is foolish. However, Edwards looks like a much more complete player in recent games. He may be on pace to be selected for his first All-Star game this season.
Ant’s 23.2 points per game this season may not be all too eye-catching from a guy who we all know can put up numbers in a hurry. However, everything else Edwards is doing is putting him on the cusp of superstardom.
Edwards has been putting up great numbers all year. However, his all-around play since Karl-Anthony Towns went down is incredible. Through the last 12 games, Ant is putting up 24.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 45.9% from the floor and 38.9% from deep – getting really close to recording his first career triple-double.
Last week, the Wolves had a back-to-back set against the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. During the Chicago game, D’Angelo Russell was the story early on. However, Ant came to the party in the 2nd half, and he finished with 37 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds on 13/24 (54.2%) from the floor and 4 of 10 from deep.
Ant followed that stellar performance by dropping 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists on the Mavericks in what was one of Edwards’ best all-around games of his career.
Edwards was only one assist shy from that illusive triple-double with less than a minute left in the game, and the Target Center faithful was holding their breath as the seconds ticked by. Finch would end all hopes as he called timeout, with Edwards playfully throwing the ball at Finch as he headed to the bench for the final time that night.
Being a 6’4” guard and weighing 225 pounds, Ant has all the tools to be a big-time player in this league. However, he won’t be able to reach that next level without consistently grabbing 6+ boards and finding his teammates 5+ times a night – something he’s been doing recently.
Edwards has been knocking at the door of his first triple-double, and while he hasn’t been able to achieve that quite yet – he will have plenty more opportunities if he keeps up his all-around dominant play. That will lead him reach the next level of his game and potential superstardom.
