The Ascendance of Anthony Edwards

[Q-is-here]

So, this post began a 2-game losing streak! But then ANT played a really good game to lead the Wolves over the Clippers.

Has anyone noticed a recent addition to ANT's game? He would always drive to the hoop, leaning on bully ball, and zing by the rim as he put it off the glass. Lately we have seen him not seeking out as much contact, but actually slow up and put the ball in off the glass with much more control. It's been a nice addition. Maybe it will help ward off injuries. KAT could take some lessons!

I'll reiterate what I said before. We do need more consistency overall. I think that will simply come with time. At his best he's a top 5 player and even MVP candidate. But to reach that top step you need far more elite games then stinkers. Guys like Jokic are very consistent. SGA has been very consistent, but again he's older. Ant is still only 22 so I think his trajectory is right on.

Also more assists and less turnovers. I love his ability to score from anywhere. Though his shot was flat from 3P last game. Maybe tired legs.

Agreed, the consistency is what's needed. There's time for that to develop still. Fun as hell watching him when he has the cape on and gets on a roll.

[Q-is-here]

Ant has the best deceleration move in the association. Seems like he always makes a bucket - either by laying it up when the D thinks he’s pulling up for a floater by keeping his footing and stepping around them or doing the little one handed fade/floater if they don’t bite on it and give him space.

He might be the best slasher in the league (scoring-wise that is, play making is getting better too though).

I think you and Tim are highlighting the same thing. He has such great footwork and body control that he can sometimes be hard for the other team to foul!

[Wolvesfan21]

So, this post began a 2-game losing streak! But then ANT played a really good game to lead the Wolves over the Clippers.

Has anyone noticed a recent addition to ANT's game? He would always drive to the hoop, leaning on bully ball, and zing by the rim as he put it off the glass. Lately we have seen him not seeking out as much contact, but actually slow up and put the ball in off the glass with much more control. It's been a nice addition. Maybe it will help ward off injuries. KAT could take some lessons!

I'll reiterate what I said before. We do need more consistency overall. I think that will simply come with time. At his best he's a top 5 player and even MVP candidate. But to reach that top step you need far more elite games then stinkers. Guys like Jokic are very consistent. SGA has been very consistent, but again he's older. Ant is still only 22 so I think his trajectory is right on.

Also more assists and less turnovers. I love his ability to score from anywhere. Though his shot was flat from 3P last game. Maybe tired legs.

I think something that will help him get to the next level is diet and conditioning. He's not anywhere near his best in terms of taking care of his body. It's not something you can really do during the season, he has to dedicate himself in the offseason to develop the best version of himself. I'm not sure he has or will ever get that drive, but we can hope.

IDK what he eats now. I don't follow his social media at all. I know before he talked about eating fried chicken as a Rook and that shit. Really really bad if you want to be an top athlete, just bad all around for anyone really. I would think with how much he gets paid he'd have his own chef and dietician.

If he has the motives anyways like you say to be the best. You for sure need to eat right. Most "food" is trash that will ruin someones ability to perform at an elite level. Not to mention avoiding the other poisons like Alcohol, etc.. Physical energy, inflammation, recovery, power, and mental focus/energy all get effected a lot. I would guess he is eating better now considering how well he playing but IDK. He's young so he could just maybe get away with eating crap for a while. But never good, especially longterm.

[Lipoli390]

I'll reiterate what I said before. We do need more consistency overall. I think that will simply come with time. At his best he's a top 5 player and even MVP candidate. But to reach that top step you need far more elite games then stinkers. Guys like Jokic are very consistent. SGA has been very consistent, but again he's older. Ant is still only 22 so I think his trajectory is right on.

Also more assists and less turnovers. I love his ability to score from anywhere. Though his shot was flat from 3P last game. Maybe tired legs.

I think something that will help him get to the next level is diet and conditioning. He's not anywhere near his best in terms of taking care of his body. It's not something you can really do during the season, he has to dedicate himself in the offseason to develop the best version of himself. I'm not sure he has or will ever get that drive, but we can hope.

IDK what he eats now. I don't follow his social media at all. I know before he talked about eating fried chicken as a Rook and that shit. Really really bad if you want to be an top athlete, just bad all around for anyone really. I would think with how much he gets paid he'd have his own chef and dietician.

If he has the motives anyways like you say to be the best. You for sure need to eat right. Most "food" is trash that will ruin someones ability to perform at an elite level. Not to mention avoiding the other poisons like Alcohol, etc.. Physical energy, inflammation, recovery, power, and mental focus/energy all get effected a lot. I would guess he is eating better now considering how well he playing but IDK. He's young so he could just maybe get away with eating crap for a while. But never good, especially longterm.

Ant clearly showed up out of shape the beginning of last season after admittedly spending a summer indulging bad eating habits. But I haven’t seen any evidence of conditioning issues this season. His body doesn’t look soft the way it did the beginning of last season. He reportedly came to camp this season is excellent condition and he’s been an iron man all season playing huge minutes nearly every game and never looking winded or lethargic.

Ant’s issues are decision making, carelessness and ball-handling. He too often makes poor decisions or gets careless with the ball. He has a good handle, but it’s not as tight as it needs to be to be a ball-dominant superstar a la MJ or Kobe. None of those things are surprising deficiencies in a 22 year old and I find it hard to bet against him improving in those areas given his consistent significant improvement each year since he was drafted.

[Wolvesfan21]

I think something that will help him get to the next level is diet and conditioning. He's not anywhere near his best in terms of taking care of his body. It's not something you can really do during the season, he has to dedicate himself in the offseason to develop the best version of himself. I'm not sure he has or will ever get that drive, but we can hope.

IDK what he eats now. I don't follow his social media at all. I know before he talked about eating fried chicken as a Rook and that shit. Really really bad if you want to be an top athlete, just bad all around for anyone really. I would think with how much he gets paid he'd have his own chef and dietician.

If he has the motives anyways like you say to be the best. You for sure need to eat right. Most "food" is trash that will ruin someones ability to perform at an elite level. Not to mention avoiding the other poisons like Alcohol, etc.. Physical energy, inflammation, recovery, power, and mental focus/energy all get effected a lot. I would guess he is eating better now considering how well he playing but IDK. He's young so he could just maybe get away with eating crap for a while. But never good, especially longterm.

Ant clearly showed up out of shape the beginning of last season after admittedly spending a summer indulging bad eating habits. But I haven’t seen any evidence of conditioning issues this season. His body doesn’t look soft the way it did the beginning of last season. He reportedly came to camp this season is excellent condition and he’s been an iron man all season playing huge minutes nearly every game and never looking winded or lethargic.

Ant’s issues are decision making, carelessness and ball-handling. He too often makes poor decisions or gets careless with the ball. He has a good handle, but it’s not as tight as it needs to be to be a ball-dominant superstar a la MJ or Kobe. None of those things are surprising deficiencies in a 22 year old and I find it hard to bet against him improving in those areas given his consistent significant improvement each year since he was drafted.

I agree. He does look a lot better for sure and seems to have very good energy late into games. I would also guess he is eating better. Ever since he made that comment plus coming into seasons looking soft like you say I've wondered if he's been disciplined enough to eat well. If anyone has the means to eat well while traveling he does. He doesn't need to get fast food or even most restaurant food can be shitty also. I know I've seen guys like Jimmy Butler have his own chef and stuff. It's smart.

[Coolbreeze44]

You guys must have missed his 2 game hiatus last week. He looked nothing but lethargic in losses to Cleveland and the Lakers. It proved he wasn't in great shape after his big game vs Indiana. There is a difference between being in shape, being in NBA shape, and being in superstar shape. His conditioning can go up at least a couple octaves. He's not even close to the level of Steph, Kawhi, Shae, and any member of the Miami Heat.

[60WinTim]

You guys must have missed his 2 game hiatus last week. He looked nothing but lethargic in losses to Cleveland and the Lakers. It proved he wasn't in great shape after his big game vs Indiana. There is a difference between being in shape, being in NBA shape, and being in superstar shape. His conditioning can go up at least a couple octaves. He's not even close to the level of Steph, Kawhi, Shae, and any member of the Miami Heat.

I don’t know, remember he rolled his ankle at the beginning of the Pacers game and played the next night at Cleveland. He was clearly hampered by the ankle as Foster decided he wouldn’t let the Wolves win that game. And the Lakers game was far more affected by the lack of SloMo and Gobert than anything ANT did.

I am sure ANT can do a lot of things to get better, which is what he has done thus far in his career.

Oh wait!! I see what you’re doing. A bit of reverse psychology since your original post fell flat on its face!

[Coolbreeze44]

You guys must have missed his 2 game hiatus last week. He looked nothing but lethargic in losses to Cleveland and the Lakers. It proved he wasn't in great shape after his big game vs Indiana. There is a difference between being in shape, being in NBA shape, and being in superstar shape. His conditioning can go up at least a couple octaves. He's not even close to the level of Steph, Kawhi, Shae, and any member of the Miami Heat.

I don’t know, remember he rolled his ankle at the beginning of the Pacers game and played the next night at Cleveland. He was clearly hampered by the ankle as Foster decided he wouldn’t let the Wolves win that game. And the Lakers game was far more affected by the lack of SloMo and Gobert than anything ANT did.

I am sure ANT can do a lot of things to get better, which is what he has done thus far in his career.

Oh wait!! I see what you’re doing. A bit of reverse psychology since your original post fell flat on its face!

I'm just saying he hasn't taken his conditioning serious enough so far in his career. He has so many natural gifts, but a true superstar will get the most out of what he has.

[Lipoli390]

You guys must have missed his 2 game hiatus last week. He looked nothing but lethargic in losses to Cleveland and the Lakers. It proved he wasn't in great shape after his big game vs Indiana. There is a difference between being in shape, being in NBA shape, and being in superstar shape. His conditioning can go up at least a couple octaves. He's not even close to the level of Steph, Kawhi, Shae, and any member of the Miami Heat.

That’s a bit of hyperbole, Cool. Ant has averaged over 27 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.6 steals in the last 10 games. His shooting was off during that stretch, but he was logging major minutes, playing both sides of the ball and producing. He’s logged a lot of minutes this season and carried the team offensively almost on his own most of the way. I’ve seen no evidence that he has a conditioning issue or isn’t taking care of his body. I’ve seen evidence of poor decision making and a handle that needs tightening.

[thedoper]

I dont get the sense that Ant is psycho about his body at this point. I think it's fair to point nutrition and overall fitness out as a potential area for his growth and development in addition to his decision making and ball handle. It must be hard being so naturally physically gifted and then be able to see that you can still push your development in that area. He is still amazing because he is the elite of elite in terms of natural genetics, but there are improvements around the edges that can vault him from where he is now into the highest level.