Givony's Post-pick Analysis from ESPN

[Lipoli390]

I think the narrative with the passion for the game with Edwards has been blown out of proportion. I get the scare amongst wolves fans with our history of Wig, Edwards personality on the court in terms of just showing emotion and his physicality isn't even in the same ball park as Wig. His skill level, advanced footwork, ability to dribble and jump shot are so far ahead of Wig in my mind also.


The stance that Wiseman was the for sure slam dunk pick by some of the more knowledgeable posters on here has me a little dumbfounded, we'll see. I'd take wing over a big all things equal every time.

I agree with you on the differences between Edwards and Wiggins. Edwards shows more emotion on the court in his demeanor, and much stronger than Wiggins physically. I'll add that Edwards is also a significantly better ball-handler than Wiggins. So I totally get why Edwards is a highly attractive prospect and there are meaningful differences between him and Wiggins.

My concern with Edwards is that, while outwardly more animated on the court than Wiggins, he's no more motivated that Wiggins to be great and is equally lacking the inner competitive fire. Draft reviews of Edwards and Wiggins were identical in noting their tendency to disappear from games and general disinterest in defense. Watching Edwards in Georgia's Maui Classic game against Michigan State was telling. It was probably his best game of the season. Yes, it scored 37 points, but he was completely absent from the game, even though he was on the court, until 6 minutes into the second half when his team was down 26 points. That's mind-boggling for someone with his physical gifts. The fact that he then scored 37 points the rest of the game shows you what he can do. But the fact that he didn't do ANYTHING for 26 minutes before that is a huge red flag. And remember, this was his best game of the season. In the prior Maui Classic game, Edwards was absent the entire time, ending up with 6 points.

So while Edwards' outward appearance is different from Wiggins and although he has a better skill set than Wiggins, he has the same core deficiencies that almost always foretell a prospect's failure to reach his potential and often result in profound disappointment. I think Edwards resembles JR Rider more than Wiggins. Like Edwards, JR was a very charismatic, personable guy who was physically gifted and often showed exuberant emotion on the court. But like Edwards, JR was known for disappearing from games in college and had multiple analysis and GMs questioning whether he had the competitive drive and will to become great. The rest is history.

I certainly hope I"m wrong about Edwards and I remain in awe of his physical gifts. But gambling on prospects with the red flags associated with Edwards, no matter how talented, almost always turns out to be a bad bet.

[Monster]

I think the narrative with the passion for the game with Edwards has been blown out of proportion. I get the scare amongst wolves fans with our history of Wig, Edwards personality on the court in terms of just showing emotion and his physicality isn't even in the same ball park as Wig. His skill level, advanced footwork, ability to dribble and jump shot are so far ahead of Wig in my mind also.


The stance that Wiseman was the for sure slam dunk pick by some of the more knowledgeable posters on here has me a little dumbfounded, we'll see. I'd take wing over a big all things equal every time.

I agree with you on the differences between Edwards and Wiggins. Edwards shows more emotion on the court in his demeanor, and much stronger than Wiggins physically. I'll add that Edwards is also a significantly better ball-handler than Wiggins. So I totally get why Edwards is a highly attractive prospect and there are meaningful differences between him and Wiggins.

My concern with Edwards is that, while outwardly more animated on the court than Wiggins, he's no more motivated that Wiggins to be great and is equally lacking the inner competitive fire. Draft reviews of Edwards and Wiggins were identical in noting their tendency to disappear from games and general disinterest in defense. Watching Edwards in Georgia's Maui Classic game against Michigan State was telling. It was probably his best game of the season. Yes, it scored 37 points, but he was completely absent from the game, even though he was on the court, until 6 minutes into the second half when his team was down 26 points. That's mind-boggling for someone with his physical gifts. The fact that he then scored 37 points the rest of the game shows you what he can do. But the fact that he didn't do ANYTHING for 26 minutes before that is a huge red flag. And remember, this was his best game of the season. In the prior Maui Classic game, Edwards was absent the entire time, ending up with 6 points.

So while Edwards' outward appearance is different from Wiggins and although he has a better skill set than Wiggins, he has the same core deficiencies that almost always foretell a prospect's failure to reach his potential and often result in profound disappointment. I think Edwards resembles JR Rider more than Wiggins. Like Edwards, JR was a very charismatic, personable guy who was physically gifted and often showed exuberant emotion on the court. But like Edwards, JR was known for disappearing from games in college and had multiple analysis and GMs questioning whether he had the competitive drive and will to become great. The rest is history.

I certainly hope I"m wrong about Edwards and I remain in awe of his physical gifts. But gambling on prospects with the red flags associated with Edwards, no matter how talented, almost always turns out to be a bad bet.

There are different types of red flags. Edwards seems like a good kid at least. I STILL can't believe Josh Jackson went #4 in that draft.

[Coolbreeze44]

I like the JR Rider comparison. That's what I see too. Just hope Edwards is a bit more intelligent.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I like the JR Rider comparison. That's what I see too. Just hope Edwards is a bit more intelligent.

The first time Edwards misses practice because of frozen pipes... or kicks a pregnant lady... I'm out though.

[Lipoli390]

I think the narrative with the passion for the game with Edwards has been blown out of proportion. I get the scare amongst wolves fans with our history of Wig, Edwards personality on the court in terms of just showing emotion and his physicality isn't even in the same ball park as Wig. His skill level, advanced footwork, ability to dribble and jump shot are so far ahead of Wig in my mind also.


The stance that Wiseman was the for sure slam dunk pick by some of the more knowledgeable posters on here has me a little dumbfounded, we'll see. I'd take wing over a big all things equal every time.

I agree with you on the differences between Edwards and Wiggins. Edwards shows more emotion on the court in his demeanor, and much stronger than Wiggins physically. I'll add that Edwards is also a significantly better ball-handler than Wiggins. So I totally get why Edwards is a highly attractive prospect and there are meaningful differences between him and Wiggins.

My concern with Edwards is that, while outwardly more animated on the court than Wiggins, he's no more motivated that Wiggins to be great and is equally lacking the inner competitive fire. Draft reviews of Edwards and Wiggins were identical in noting their tendency to disappear from games and general disinterest in defense. Watching Edwards in Georgia's Maui Classic game against Michigan State was telling. It was probably his best game of the season. Yes, it scored 37 points, but he was completely absent from the game, even though he was on the court, until 6 minutes into the second half when his team was down 26 points. That's mind-boggling for someone with his physical gifts. The fact that he then scored 37 points the rest of the game shows you what he can do. But the fact that he didn't do ANYTHING for 26 minutes before that is a huge red flag. And remember, this was his best game of the season. In the prior Maui Classic game, Edwards was absent the entire time, ending up with 6 points.

So while Edwards' outward appearance is different from Wiggins and although he has a better skill set than Wiggins, he has the same core deficiencies that almost always foretell a prospect's failure to reach his potential and often result in profound disappointment. I think Edwards resembles JR Rider more than Wiggins. Like Edwards, JR was a very charismatic, personable guy who was physically gifted and often showed exuberant emotion on the court. But like Edwards, JR was known for disappearing from games in college and had multiple analysis and GMs questioning whether he had the competitive drive and will to become great. The rest is history.

I certainly hope I"m wrong about Edwards and I remain in awe of his physical gifts. But gambling on prospects with the red flags associated with Edwards, no matter how talented, almost always turns out to be a bad bet.

There are different types of red flags. Edwards seems like a good kid at least. I STILL can't believe Josh Jackson went #4 in that draft.

I agree there are different types of red flags. Wiggins seems like a really good guy. He was always a good teammate and very professional. I'm not sure about Edwards. I think he's a good guy, but he also seems to be more interested in the show than the substance of the game. He's a guy who would rather play football than basketball because he could spike the ball and do end-zone dances. He appears to get pumped up after he dunks, but his teams have always been losers and he stood around giving no effort for more than half of the Michigan State game while his team was getting crushed. That's the JR Rider quality. Even though Edwards has a much better handle than Wiggins, he usually settles for jumpers in lieu of attacking the rim. That's suggests a passivity or laziness that doesn't bode well. And that's in addition to his widely known disinterest on the defensive end. If you don't have an insatiable desire to compete and win, you won't amount to much of anything in the NBA no matter how talented you are. That's the big red flag associated with Edwards. And that's why I'm so down about this pick.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Said it before, but really wish Edwards would have ended up at a program like Kentucky or Duke where the culture and coaching would have been tougher on him and expected more defensively and with shot selection. That's not to say they would completely change his stripes, but at least the Wolves wouldn't have to be the first situation in his life where he is held accountable in these areas. I can envision all sorts of behind-the-scenes drama and fireworks now. Georgia did us no favors!

[Lipoli390]

Said it before, but really wish Edwards would have ended up at a program like Kentucky or Duke where the culture and coaching would have been tougher on him and expected more defensively and with shot selection. That's not to say they would completely change his stripes, but at least the Wolves wouldn't have to be the first situation in his life where he is held accountable in these areas. I can envision all sorts of behind-the-scenes drama and fireworks now. Georgia did us no favors!

It's interesting that Edwards didn't choose Kentucky. He said he preferred to stay close to home. Maybe that's true. Or maybe it's not or only partially true and he didn't want the pressure, competition for minutes and accountability that comes with playing for John C.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Said it before, but really wish Edwards would have ended up at a program like Kentucky or Duke where the culture and coaching would have been tougher on him and expected more defensively and with shot selection. That's not to say they would completely change his stripes, but at least the Wolves wouldn't have to be the first situation in his life where he is held accountable in these areas. I can envision all sorts of behind-the-scenes drama and fireworks now. Georgia did us no favors!

Ben Simmons was a one and done at LSU, a lesser sec school and some laziness issues so i don't know if these reports about him will translate poorly to the NBA.

[Monster]

I think the narrative with the passion for the game with Edwards has been blown out of proportion. I get the scare amongst wolves fans with our history of Wig, Edwards personality on the court in terms of just showing emotion and his physicality isn't even in the same ball park as Wig. His skill level, advanced footwork, ability to dribble and jump shot are so far ahead of Wig in my mind also.


The stance that Wiseman was the for sure slam dunk pick by some of the more knowledgeable posters on here has me a little dumbfounded, we'll see. I'd take wing over a big all things equal every time.

I agree with you on the differences between Edwards and Wiggins. Edwards shows more emotion on the court in his demeanor, and much stronger than Wiggins physically. I'll add that Edwards is also a significantly better ball-handler than Wiggins. So I totally get why Edwards is a highly attractive prospect and there are meaningful differences between him and Wiggins.

My concern with Edwards is that, while outwardly more animated on the court than Wiggins, he's no more motivated that Wiggins to be great and is equally lacking the inner competitive fire. Draft reviews of Edwards and Wiggins were identical in noting their tendency to disappear from games and general disinterest in defense. Watching Edwards in Georgia's Maui Classic game against Michigan State was telling. It was probably his best game of the season. Yes, it scored 37 points, but he was completely absent from the game, even though he was on the court, until 6 minutes into the second half when his team was down 26 points. That's mind-boggling for someone with his physical gifts. The fact that he then scored 37 points the rest of the game shows you what he can do. But the fact that he didn't do ANYTHING for 26 minutes before that is a huge red flag. And remember, this was his best game of the season. In the prior Maui Classic game, Edwards was absent the entire time, ending up with 6 points.

So while Edwards' outward appearance is different from Wiggins and although he has a better skill set than Wiggins, he has the same core deficiencies that almost always foretell a prospect's failure to reach his potential and often result in profound disappointment. I think Edwards resembles JR Rider more than Wiggins. Like Edwards, JR was a very charismatic, personable guy who was physically gifted and often showed exuberant emotion on the court. But like Edwards, JR was known for disappearing from games in college and had multiple analysis and GMs questioning whether he had the competitive drive and will to become great. The rest is history.

I certainly hope I"m wrong about Edwards and I remain in awe of his physical gifts. But gambling on prospects with the red flags associated with Edwards, no matter how talented, almost always turns out to be a bad bet.

There are different types of red flags. Edwards seems like a good kid at least. I STILL can't believe Josh Jackson went #4 in that draft.

I agree there are different types of red flags. Wiggins seems like a really good guy. He was always a good teammate and very professional. I'm not sure about Edwards. I think he's a good guy, but he also seems to be more interested in the show than the substance of the game. He's a guy who would rather play football than basketball because he could spike the ball and do end-zone dances. He appears to get pumped up after he dunks, but his teams have always been losers and he stood around giving no effort for more than half of the Michigan State game while his team was getting crushed. That's the JR Rider quality. Even though Edwards has a much better handle than Wiggins, he usually settles for jumpers in lieu of attacking the rim. That's suggests a passivity or laziness that doesn't bode well. And that's in addition to his widely known disinterest on the defensive end. If you don't have an insatiable desire to compete and win, you won't amount to much of anything in the NBA no matter how talented you are. That's the big red flag associated with Edwards. And that's why I'm so down about this pick.

Honestly if Edwards turned into a JR Ryder type without the off court problems...We would probably have a pretty worthwhile player and one that would also likely have quite a bit of trade value. There was more than basketball reasons why he wasn't more than he was and considered a more valuable guy to teams around the league. I'm not saying I would want a guy like but the talent and some actual production is there it wouldn't be horrible. Of course Edwards may have other problems we don't know but I haven't seen any evidence of that.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Said it before, but really wish Edwards would have ended up at a program like Kentucky or Duke where the culture and coaching would have been tougher on him and expected more defensively and with shot selection. That's not to say they would completely change his stripes, but at least the Wolves wouldn't have to be the first situation in his life where he is held accountable in these areas. I can envision all sorts of behind-the-scenes drama and fireworks now. Georgia did us no favors!

Ben Simmons was a one and done at LSU, a lesser sec school and some laziness issues so i don't know if these reports about him will translate poorly to the NBA.

Yes, he's come up before when we've talked about Edwards. Ben Simmons also had a totally different upbringing than Edwards. Also, he absolutely killed it at LSU in terms of individual stats - more so than what Edwards did at Georgia.

I will say one thing in Edwards' favor is how damn young he is. He just turned 19 a couple months ago. The wildcard is that we are relying on the Wolves organization to help this kid grow up.