Anthony Edwards

[Lipoli390]

We had threads this summer devoted to Rudy Gobert, Josh Minott, Wendell Moore, DLO and McDaniels. But we haven't have a thread devoted solely to the team's most talented player, Anthony Edwards. I wasn't thinking about starting and Edwards thread until I saw the following comment by Ant in a Bleacher Report article:

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards believes he will be among the NBA's best players by the time next season ends.

Zion Olojede of Complex asked the ex-Georgia star where he thought he ranked "amongst the best players in the league" and whether he felt he needed more time to join the league's elite tier of players.

"Yeah, for sure," Edwards said. "I need another year. After this year, I think I'll be in the [best player] conversation."

I thought that comment was really interesting. I would have expected Ant to say he expects to be ranked among the best well before the end of next season. It struck me as a revealing moment of Ant's self-awareness - not just awareness of his own abilities but awareness of the surrounding context and the gap between the time a player performs at an elite level and the time he's actually widely considered to be among the elite.

I just hope Ant is truly committed to being great - that he has the requisite passion for basketball and competitiveness to drive him and the work ethic to do what it takes to become great. Those are the things I thought he might lack when we drafted him. But his two years in the League suggest so far that I was wrong. I still have some lingering doubt, but only a little. Perhaps the best thing that happened to him was having Pat Beverley as s teammate for a season. I wish he could have had Pat Bev for another season. But the passion and drive are either in Ant or they're not. I think they are, in which case, we have a future MVP candidate on our roster.

[Monster]

Edwards is a unique guy. He is Uber confident but also seems to be very coachable and as you have noted from this quote has some self awareness. I also to some extent doesn't take himself too seriously but also is clearly highly competitive. Kee in mind this guy who clearly approached life with a great deal of joy lost his Mother and Grandma as a teenager. To some extent he has faced adversity already in his life.

Now having said that Edwards is crossing over to a place very few people in the world end up. Edwards not only could be one of the best players in his sport someday but he could be one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. He has that presence about him few guys have. Will that trip him up a bit? Idk I hope not but the sky is pretty much he limit right now in terms of marketability for him. He has already been in a movie and the commercials etc have already started. What shoe company signed him and for how long? When will he get a massive shoe deal? I see Edwards possibly being a transformational worldwide athlete. It may not happen but I see the potential there. I have no idea what is like. It's not easy despite all the great things that come with it.

[Q-is-here]

If you could create the perfectly designed physical, emotional, and athletic profile of an alpha dog perimeter player in today's NBA, something very close to Anthony Edwards is what might emerge from the lab. He's got strength, speed, explosiveness, quickness, size, can use either hand, and is absolutely fearless.

He needs more work on the mental IQ side of the game for sure (off ball defensive awareness, making faster reads offensively). And to your point Lip, is he mentally wired for the grind and discipline required to become great? He's still a young guy earning a ton of money. We don't know yet if he has that competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. I think he can be a perennial all-star without even reaching his full potential. But if he wants to win an MVP some day, then we have yet to see if he truly has what it takes.

[Wolvesfan21]

I like that he is self aware of his need to continue to grow and get better. You won't improve unless you continue to try and get better and acknowledge where you are realistically at currently. That's where I've continued to have issues with KAT when he complains over nearly every call. We can all see you fouled the guy. It's obvious. No need to whine about it relentlessly. The refs won't respect you when you cry at every call or non call.

Which also reminds me of a Wiggins quote recently, like a couple weeks ago. He said something like "hey I can rebound the basketball more then 4 a game" after he did so during the finals. Like dude, you have made a couple hundred million dollars and just figured out that rebounding is important? That you could do it if you tried? What a fucking clown.

One thing I've liked in the past was that during a postgame presser Ant was looking at plus minus and mentioning it as a stat for I believe McDaniels who was +25 or something that game. It shows me that he is not just interested in just scoring points. But impacting the game every way possible and he recognizes it in some deeper metrics.

Playing great defense and efficient offense will improve a stat like that. Outscoring your opponent is the name of the game.

(Yes I know plus minus isn't a perfect stat either as the other team can get hot or cold while you are on or off the court in the short term even if you played really well or poorly.)

[Lipoli390]

If you could create the perfectly designed physical, emotional, and athletic profile of an alpha dog perimeter player in today's NBA, something very close to Anthony Edwards is what might emerge from the lab. He's got strength, speed, explosiveness, quickness, size, can use either hand, and is absolutely fearless.

He needs more work on the mental IQ side of the game for sure (off ball defensive awareness, making faster reads offensively). And to your point Lip, is he mentally wired for the grind and discipline required to become great? He's still a young guy earning a ton of money. We don't know yet if he has that competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. I think he can be a perennial all-star without even reaching his full potential. But if he wants to win an MVP some day, then we have yet to see if he truly has what it takes.

Q - You captured my thinking wondering whether Edwards has the "competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. So far he's given us no reason to believe he doesn't. But that sort of mentality is really rare even among the best players in the League. Right now we no he's super talented and has a lot of fun playing the game. Those characteristics alone should make him a perennial all-star for many years. But it's the competitive zeal and singular focus that separates the truly great players - MJ, Kobe, Magic, Bird, Curry, Durant, etc. - from the rest of the all-stars in the League.

Your description of Ant's profile - physique, athleticism, skill set, emotional maturity - is spot on. And that's exciting. Edwards is Dwayne Wade with more physical strength, more explosiveness and a better three-point shot. If things go right for the Wolves over the next couple years, Edwards will emerge as our Michael Jordan and McDaniels will emerge as our Scottie Pippen. OK, Edwards will likely be a notch below MJ and McDaniels a notch below Pippen. But the Bulls back then didn't have anyone comparable to Towns or Gobert.

[Q-is-here]

If you could create the perfectly designed physical, emotional, and athletic profile of an alpha dog perimeter player in today's NBA, something very close to Anthony Edwards is what might emerge from the lab. He's got strength, speed, explosiveness, quickness, size, can use either hand, and is absolutely fearless.

He needs more work on the mental IQ side of the game for sure (off ball defensive awareness, making faster reads offensively). And to your point Lip, is he mentally wired for the grind and discipline required to become great? He's still a young guy earning a ton of money. We don't know yet if he has that competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. I think he can be a perennial all-star without even reaching his full potential. But if he wants to win an MVP some day, then we have yet to see if he truly has what it takes.

Q - You captured my thinking wondering whether Edwards has the "competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. So far he's given us no reason to believe he doesn't. But that sort of mentality is really rare even among the best players in the League. Right now we no he's super talented and has a lot of fun playing the game. Those characteristics alone should make him a perennial all-star for many years. But it's the competitive zeal and singular focus that separates the truly great players - MJ, Kobe, Magic, Bird, Curry, Durant, etc. - from the rest of the all-stars in the League.

Your description of Ant's profile - physique, athleticism, skill set, emotional maturity - is spot on. And that's exciting. Edwards is Dwayne Wade with more physical strength, more explosiveness and a better three-point shot. If things go right for the Wolves over the next couple years, Edwards will emerge as our Michael Jordan and McDaniels will emerge as our Scottie Pippen. OK, Edwards will likely be a notch below MJ and McDaniels a notch below Pippen. But the Bulls back then didn't have anyone comparable to Towns or Gobert.

I'd add Giannis to your list of greats. To be that raw coming into the NBA, not having the full modern-day AAU experience, and then just forging himself into a dominant force....amazing. Not to mention he's a great leader. He's certainly more of a leader than Durant!

Yeah, it will be tough to join that list, but Ant has the physical and emotional makeup to get there eventually. It's all about the mentality and discipline.

[Lipoli390]

If you could create the perfectly designed physical, emotional, and athletic profile of an alpha dog perimeter player in today's NBA, something very close to Anthony Edwards is what might emerge from the lab. He's got strength, speed, explosiveness, quickness, size, can use either hand, and is absolutely fearless.

He needs more work on the mental IQ side of the game for sure (off ball defensive awareness, making faster reads offensively). And to your point Lip, is he mentally wired for the grind and discipline required to become great? He's still a young guy earning a ton of money. We don't know yet if he has that competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. I think he can be a perennial all-star without even reaching his full potential. But if he wants to win an MVP some day, then we have yet to see if he truly has what it takes.

Q - You captured my thinking wondering whether Edwards has the "competitive zeal and singular focus to be truly great. So far he's given us no reason to believe he doesn't. But that sort of mentality is really rare even among the best players in the League. Right now we no he's super talented and has a lot of fun playing the game. Those characteristics alone should make him a perennial all-star for many years. But it's the competitive zeal and singular focus that separates the truly great players - MJ, Kobe, Magic, Bird, Curry, Durant, etc. - from the rest of the all-stars in the League.

Your description of Ant's profile - physique, athleticism, skill set, emotional maturity - is spot on. And that's exciting. Edwards is Dwayne Wade with more physical strength, more explosiveness and a better three-point shot. If things go right for the Wolves over the next couple years, Edwards will emerge as our Michael Jordan and McDaniels will emerge as our Scottie Pippen. OK, Edwards will likely be a notch below MJ and McDaniels a notch below Pippen. But the Bulls back then didn't have anyone comparable to Towns or Gobert.

I'd add Giannis to your list of greats. To be that raw coming into the NBA, not having the full modern-day AAU experience, and then just forging himself into a dominant force....amazing. Not to mention he's a great leader. He's certainly more of a leader than Durant!

Yeah, it will be tough to join that list, but Ant has the physical and emotional makeup to get there eventually. It's all about the mentality and discipline.

Can't believe I didn't include Giannis in my list. He's my favorite player in the game today. He's also the player I'd pick to start an NBA franchise. Superstar and great leader.

I actually hesitated before including Durant in my list. He's such a whiny wimp. But he's got the mental and physical attributes you have to have to be great. And there's no doubt he's a great, elite player. Nevertheless, as you noted, he's a terrible leader.

[Q-is-here]

Listened to the latest Jon K. podcast......he's been talking to various folks in the Wolves organization and apparently the word is that Ant was really locked in this summer and has looked extremely impressive. Physically in great shape too.

[Monster]

Listened to the latest Jon K. podcast......he's been talking to various folks in the Wolves organization and apparently the word is that Ant was really locked in this summer and has looked extremely impressive. Physically in great shape too.

Yeah I remember listening to that podcast a few days ago. I remember Jon quoting someone who said "Just wait till you see him Jon..."

[thedoper]

If Edwards becomes truly elite Id give Rosas a statue.