This was Anthony Edwards’ first time playing basketball in 103 days, so bear with me as I try my best not to overreact to a preliminary game in early August.
Monday night was our first look at Team USA as they prepare for the 2023 World Cup, which will be kicking off in late August. The United States won their first preliminary game 117-74 over Puerto Rico. We’ve been spoiled over the years with USA’s star-heavy lineups, so big wins aren’t unsurprising. However, with a relatively young USA roster this time around, the individual performances can be a toss-up – especially in the club’s first game together.
Regardless of any speculation, Team USA was still able to handle business against Puerto Rico. Who was the man leading the charge? You guessed it, Anthony Edwards.
Edwards opened the game with a very passive yet effective approach. It was obvious from tip-off that letting the offense flow and making the right read was on top of Ant’s priority list. Through the first quarter, Edwards didn’t look like someone who turned 22 years old on August 5th. Rather, he provided the young USA team with some much-needed calming presence.
The talk of the summer in Wolves Land has been whether Edwards can take an almost MVP-level leap and lead his team to a deep post-season run. Most Timberwolves fans, myself included, envision him dominating opponents with a fleury of Ant dunks, step-back threes, and turnaround mid-range jumpers. However, if Ant can possess the same level-headedness and control that we saw Monday night, it will open up his offense and the team around him.
As he became more comfortable with his new teammates, Edwards’ control of the game became more apparent. Ant started slowly but made winning plays. Then he came out of the halftime break and exploded for 11 points in the third quarter – leading USA to a 23-point lead heading into the final frame.
Again, this may have just been a preliminary World Cup game, but we were still able to get a sneak peek into what to expect from Edwards this season – a cool, calm, and collected approach with the ability to hit timely buckets and take over when his team most needs him to. Now, if you were to say that to Ant at this point in time, he would tell you the only thing on his mind right now is going for gold with Team USA, which is exactly what Brian Windhorst believes Edwards will do.
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