Anthony Edwards

[Lipoli390]

I thought I'd start a series of threads on each of the top draft prospects. I'll start with the guy I consider the most talented player in the draft - Anthony Edwards.

I've spent a lot of time today watching everything I could find on Anthony Edwards. The best video I saw was the scouting analysis of Mike Schmitz. I think Mike is one of the best basketball scouts around. He takes you through a lot a video footage of Edwards dissecting his game clearly on both sides of the ball - good, bad and ugly. In addition, the countless videos I watched today also included an interview of Edwards by Taylor Rooks. I highly recommend both the Schmitz scouting analysis and the Taylor Rooks interview.

My main take-always from everything I watched today are these.

First, he's an incredible talent. Anthony Edwards has every bit as much talent as Victor Oladipo who was the top pick in his draft class and who became an allstar before his serious injury. In fact, I think he has more shot-creation skills than Oladipo had coming out of college as evidenced by Anthony's terrific step-back. I share Mike Schmitz' view that Anthony's low shooting percentages were primarily the result of poor shot selection and that's definitely correctable.

Second, he strikes me as a very likable and charismatic guy. I've come away convinced he has solid character and isn't a JR Rider type. I liked the way he interacted with Taylor Rooks. He was good humored and respectful. I learned a number of other things about him from that interview. The guy sitting next to him in the interview was identified as his personal trainer and mentor. Edwards referred to him as his big brother. At one point, Taylor Rooks asked Edwards to identify the biggest weakness in his own game. Anthony immediately turned to his trainer and his trainer said "staying engaged and focused the entire game." He went on to say that "it's not about what Anthony can or can't do on the court; it's about him doing things consistently for the entire 40 minutes. Edwards said he's right. I liked that he has a trainer who he considers like a brother who is willing to call Anthony out in an interview. To me that shows strength of character. Taylor asked him to name his favorite movie. He said "Matilda" because he loves strong, powerful women. When asked why he wanted to wear #5 he said because his mom and grandma both passed away on the 5th day of the month they died. They both raised him and he referred to them as the best people he's ever known. He talked about how hard they worked and how that motivates him to work hard.

Third, it's clear he loves the game and is a student of the game. He was asked to name his top starting five among current NBA players. He named Kyrie Irving at PG, Klay Thompson at SG, Kevin Durant at SF, LeBron at PF and Giannis at C. I thought that was an interesting answer. He said he chose Thompson over Harden at SG because Harden tended to shoot to much to blend with the other guys he chose. Listening to him talk, you could tell he loves the game of basketball.

Fourth, he seems to understand the importance of defense. When asked what will distinguish him from the other top players in the draft, he said defense. He said he has the ability to be a great defender and that it will be his defense that will distinguish him from the pack in the NBA. Of course, he's famous for defensive lapses in college and Taylor didn't challenge him on that in this very friendly interview. So maybe he was just saying what he knew NBA decision-makers wanted to hear. But I'm not going to totally dismiss the fact that he said it. And what he said about his defensive ability was exactly what Mike Schmitz said about him. He definitely has the size, strength and athleticism to be a really good defender on par with Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell. If he puts his mind to it and plays with the consistent defensive intensity of those two, I have no doubt he'll be a great NBA player.

Do I still have doubts about Edwards? Absolutely. I have a hard time totally dismissing his poor shooting percentages and his inconsistent effort, especially on the defensive end. But I feel a lot better about him now than I did earlier in the day.

So let the discussion begin. My next thread will be on LaMello Ball.

[Monster]

I thought I'd start a series of threads on each of the top draft prospects. I'll start with the guy I consider the most talented player in the draft - Anthony Edwards.

I've spent a lot of time today watching everything I could find on Anthony Edwards. The best video I saw was the scouting analysis of Mike Schmitz. I think Mike is one of the best basketball scouts around. He takes you through a lot a video footage of Edwards dissecting his game clearly on both sides of the ball - good, bad and ugly. In addition, the countless videos I watched today also included an interview of Edwards by Taylor Rooks. I highly recommend both the Schmitz scouting analysis and the Taylor Rooks interview.

My main take-always from everything I watched today are these.

First, he's an incredible talent. Anthony Edwards has every bit as much talent as Victor Oladipo who was the top pick in his draft class and who became an allstar before his serious injury. In fact, I think he has more shot-creation skills than Oladipo had coming out of college as evidenced by Anthony's terrific step-back. I share Mike Schmitz' view that Anthony's low shooting percentages were primarily the result of poor shot selection and that's definitely correctable.

Second, he strikes me as a very likable and charismatic guy. I've come away convinced he has solid character and isn't a JR Rider type. I liked the way he interacted with Taylor Rooks. He was good humored and respectful. I learned a number of other things about him from that interview. The guy sitting next to him in the interview was identified as his personal trainer and mentor. Edwards referred to him as his big brother. At one point, Taylor Rooks asked Edwards to identify the biggest weakness in his own game. Anthony immediately turned to his trainer and his trainer said "staying engaged and focused the entire game." He went on to say that "it's not about what Anthony can or can't do on the court; it's about him doing things consistently for the entire 40 minutes. Edwards said he's right. I liked that he has a trainer who he considers like a brother who is willing to call Anthony out in an interview. To me that shows strength of character. Taylor asked him to name his favorite movie. He said "Matilda" because he loves strong, powerful women. When asked why he wanted to wear #5 he said because his mom and grandma both passed away on the 5th day of the month they died. They both raised him and he referred to them as the best people he's ever known. He talked about how hard they worked and how that motivates him to work hard.

Third, it's clear he loves the game and is a student of the game. He was asked to name his top starting five among current NBA players. He named Kyrie Irving at PG, Klay Thompson at SG, Kevin Durant at SF, LeBron at PF and Giannis at C. I thought that was an interesting answer. He said he chose Thompson over Harden at SG because Harden tended to shoot to much to blend with the other guys he chose. Listening to him talk, you could tell he loves the game of basketball.

Fourth, he seems to understand the importance of defense. When asked what will distinguish him from the other top players in the draft, he said defense. He said he has the ability to be a great defender and that it will be his defense that will distinguish him from the pack in the NBA. Of course, he's famous for defensive lapses in college and Taylor didn't challenge him on that in this very friendly interview. So maybe he was just saying what he knew NBA decision-makers wanted to hear. But I'm not going to totally dismiss the fact that he said it. And what he said about his defensive ability was exactly what Mike Schmitz said about him. He definitely has the size, strength and athleticism to be a really good defender on par with Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell. If he puts his mind to it and plays with the consistent defensive intensity of those two, I have no doubt he'll be a great NBA player.

Do I still have doubts about Edwards? Absolutely. I have a hard time totally dismissing his poor shooting percentages and his inconsistent effort, especially on the defensive end. But I feel a lot better about him now than I did earlier in the day.

So let the discussion begin. My next thread will be on LaMello Ball.

That's a good write up Lip. Do you have the breakdown of where he shot from different spots on the floor? I ask that because he shot over 50% from 2 and since basically half of his shots (7.7 3's per game is pretty high volume) that's what knocked his overall shooting percentage down. But did he get most of those shots at the rim and only finish those at a decent percentage? I'll watch the 2 videos you suggested some time I like Generally Schmitz's takes and how he presents them even if I don't always agree with them 100%.

Edit: Lip what reasonably new information (Hypothetically speaking) would make you go all in on Edwards?

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Nice write up Lip.

The guys on the Dunc'd On podcast really didn't like Edwards and I don't quite get it. I usually think those guys are fairly good, but I found myself disagreeing with them on Edwards and Ball, whose passing seemed to win them over.

https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/anthony-edwards-scouting-report-coronavirus-daily/id986901174?i=1000470738451

To me, Edwards' shooting percentages are a concern, but his FT% suggests it'll improve.

I do think his shooting form needs to improve (in particular, his feet seem to drift a bit asymmetrically in the air), but the kid is able to get off step-backs from NBA range, which is a really crucial skill in today's NBA. Look at Harden, Luka, and other guys. The ability to pull up off the dribble for 3 really started to be a game changer with Curry, and now it seems like the step-back is the next evolution of that. Edwards looks like he's on his way to having a pretty good one.

He did have a lot of games where he didn't really score a ton of points (usually when he was missing his shots), but there were definite flashes where he looked like a superstar. And honestly, that's really what we need if we want to be a contender. A star. I really like some of the 3 & D guys in this draft like Vassell. I'm sure there's an important place for a guy like that on any NBA team, and they're typically undervalued and on good contracts. But I really think we need another star, and Edwards is more likely to pan out than Ball or Wiseman in my view. Now, there's a chance Wiseman pans out as a pretty unique star and Edwards just ends up being a thick, athletic Nick Young with a handle, a more athletic Eric Gordon with worse shooting, or (at worst) a bigger, more athletic Dion Waiters with more of a perimeter game, or just a more offensive-minded Dipo before he actually took a big step forward--in other words, a guy you can definitely play and probably start if the defense is there, but not really unique or any kind of a game changer. In that case, you might kick yourself. But that's the case with any draft, and I do think there are enough questions about Wiseman that Edwards looks more like a sure thing.

Physically, he's ready now, and has the tools and showed flashes of being able to use them on the defensive end. This is a key knock on him and it's legit that his court awareness defensively is not great. But as I said in an earlier thread and as Lip saw in the Schmitz video too, he's smart and quick-witted, which is totally unlike Wiggins. I think he definitely has the ability to come around on that end. As the Nuggets are finding out right now, you need to have a star who can play both ways. Most champions in recent years have had that. He could be that.

Lip, I saw where you were coming from earlier about the celebrations thing, but I think your interpretation now resonates more for me. I do still think we should be careful not to draw too much of a conclusion about the mentality from a player based on how they react to a big play, but I actually kind of like how he is a bit showy. Yes, he should have gotten back on D faster a few times, but the kid looks like he just really loves to compete and make big plays. That to me is a sign he might enjoy the brighter spotlight in the NBA and work even harder to make highlight reels.

People on this board were disparaging his handles earlier, but I think they're not bad. Actually, I think this is partly where the Oladipo and Wiggins talk comes in. All three of those guys are a bit stiff physically as players. They are not fluid when they move, and it's most apparent when they dribble. Edwards is never going to look smooth as a ball handler. But that doesn't mean he's as terrible as Wiggins. Dipo is also a bit stiff when he dribbles, but he still has control over the ball and can get where he wants. That's the difference with Wiggins. I remember right when we got Wiggins I broke down every play he made in summer league and noticed he literally only dribbled the ball three times ONCE. That was a huge red flag early. Edwards will probably never be able to run the point, but his handles are more like Dipo or Jimmy Butler's. They're good enough, and those guys are physical enough to handle the ball and make things happen on their own. This is absolutely necessary unless you are an absolute marksman like Klay Thompson.

The last reason I'd lean toward Edwards (unless the right trade comes along), is that in addition to looking like the surest thing out of the possible star prospects (Ball and Wiseman being the other two), the NBA is just a much more perimeter-oriented league now. I don't think we're good enough to draft for fit. If I thought Wiseman was more of a sure thing to be a star, I'd probably take him even though it would obviously be a weird fit with KAT. Actually, in terms of fit, Edwards is not ideal, because we really need a 3-4 guy. But I do think you have to draft with a sense for where the league is going, and this league is clearly rewarding guys who can play on the perimeter and get to the rack and the foul-line. That's Edwards.

He doesn't have one skill that stands out as much as Ball's passing. But Ball has so many other red flags, particularly physically--even if he WANTED to play defense, could he? And Wiseman looks skilled for his length, but that skinny frame in the hips has me worried he can't play in the paint and it's not clear he can play on the perimeter either. I could still change my mind on Wiseman, and he could end up being great, but there are some real question marks there. Edwards would not be as unique as either of those guys, but he's less likely to bust, and he's definitely got the skills and size to fulfill an important role in the league. He'll definitely benefit from playing next to a real NBA guard like DLO offensively, because he won't have to handle the ball as much. And of course, with DLO, we could really use some physicality defensively.

He'll never be anything like Harden or Luka because he lacks the craftiness, passing, and in Luka's case, size. (I really wish he had better court vision and passing.) I also don't see him being as good as Mitchell or Murray are looking in that series right now because I don't see the handles being as good, or the presence of the midrange game or physical fluidity that they have. But there's a chance he could end up being something like the dude from the Michigan State game with good defense, strong enough to switch and defend bigger players. Dipo might actually be a fair comparison, but better offensively and probably weaker defensively. A more offensive Jimmy Butler with a more perimeter-oriented game? A more physical and skilled Jason Richardson? A smaller and more skilled Aaron Gordon with a stepback? Comps are always imperfect, but he could be a really good 2-3 in today's (and tomorrow's) NBA. I don't see the potential for a top 10-20 type of player there. In most drafts, I don't think he'd go #1. Maybe more like #3-5. But I do think it's more likely that he will pan out than Ball or Wiseman, and I could see him being one of the top 3 players on a real contender someday. In this draft, that's probably worth the #1 (though I'd still be listening to trade offers and looking for a good deal if it comes up).

[Lipoli390]

I thought I'd start a series of threads on each of the top draft prospects. I'll start with the guy I consider the most talented player in the draft - Anthony Edwards.

I've spent a lot of time today watching everything I could find on Anthony Edwards. The best video I saw was the scouting analysis of Mike Schmitz. I think Mike is one of the best basketball scouts around. He takes you through a lot a video footage of Edwards dissecting his game clearly on both sides of the ball - good, bad and ugly. In addition, the countless videos I watched today also included an interview of Edwards by Taylor Rooks. I highly recommend both the Schmitz scouting analysis and the Taylor Rooks interview.

My main take-always from everything I watched today are these.

First, he's an incredible talent. Anthony Edwards has every bit as much talent as Victor Oladipo who was the top pick in his draft class and who became an allstar before his serious injury. In fact, I think he has more shot-creation skills than Oladipo had coming out of college as evidenced by Anthony's terrific step-back. I share Mike Schmitz' view that Anthony's low shooting percentages were primarily the result of poor shot selection and that's definitely correctable.

Second, he strikes me as a very likable and charismatic guy. I've come away convinced he has solid character and isn't a JR Rider type. I liked the way he interacted with Taylor Rooks. He was good humored and respectful. I learned a number of other things about him from that interview. The guy sitting next to him in the interview was identified as his personal trainer and mentor. Edwards referred to him as his big brother. At one point, Taylor Rooks asked Edwards to identify the biggest weakness in his own game. Anthony immediately turned to his trainer and his trainer said "staying engaged and focused the entire game." He went on to say that "it's not about what Anthony can or can't do on the court; it's about him doing things consistently for the entire 40 minutes. Edwards said he's right. I liked that he has a trainer who he considers like a brother who is willing to call Anthony out in an interview. To me that shows strength of character. Taylor asked him to name his favorite movie. He said "Matilda" because he loves strong, powerful women. When asked why he wanted to wear #5 he said because his mom and grandma both passed away on the 5th day of the month they died. They both raised him and he referred to them as the best people he's ever known. He talked about how hard they worked and how that motivates him to work hard.

Third, it's clear he loves the game and is a student of the game. He was asked to name his top starting five among current NBA players. He named Kyrie Irving at PG, Klay Thompson at SG, Kevin Durant at SF, LeBron at PF and Giannis at C. I thought that was an interesting answer. He said he chose Thompson over Harden at SG because Harden tended to shoot to much to blend with the other guys he chose. Listening to him talk, you could tell he loves the game of basketball.

Fourth, he seems to understand the importance of defense. When asked what will distinguish him from the other top players in the draft, he said defense. He said he has the ability to be a great defender and that it will be his defense that will distinguish him from the pack in the NBA. Of course, he's famous for defensive lapses in college and Taylor didn't challenge him on that in this very friendly interview. So maybe he was just saying what he knew NBA decision-makers wanted to hear. But I'm not going to totally dismiss the fact that he said it. And what he said about his defensive ability was exactly what Mike Schmitz said about him. He definitely has the size, strength and athleticism to be a really good defender on par with Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell. If he puts his mind to it and plays with the consistent defensive intensity of those two, I have no doubt he'll be a great NBA player.

Do I still have doubts about Edwards? Absolutely. I have a hard time totally dismissing his poor shooting percentages and his inconsistent effort, especially on the defensive end. But I feel a lot better about him now than I did earlier in the day.

So let the discussion begin. My next thread will be on LaMello Ball.

That's a good write up Lip. Do you have the breakdown of where he shot from different spots on the floor? I ask that because he shot over 50% from 2 and since basically half of his shots (7.7 3's per game is pretty high volume) that's what knocked his overall shooting percentage down. But did he get most of those shots at the rim and only finish those at a decent percentage? I'll watch the 2 videos you suggested some time I like Generally Schmitz's takes and how he presents them even if I don't always agree with them 100%.

Edit: Lip what reasonably new information (Hypothetically speaking) would make you go all in on Edwards?

Monster - I don't have his shot breakdown. I'll probably look into that. The fact that he hit over 50% of his 2-point shots is encouraging. I suspect that included a lot of layups and dunks. For now, I trust the observation of Mike Schmitz that Anthony's low 3-point shooting percentage was due mainly to poor shot selection. Note also that he was double teamed most of the time. I think his shooting percentages go up simply as a result of him playing with DLO and KAT in the more widely-spaced NBA game. DLO and KAT can space the floor and will make it hard for opposing teams to double Edwards. I'm only slightly worried about his offensive. I remain far more concerned about his defensive effort. He has the physical attributes to be a really good Oladipo/Donovan Mitchell type defender in the NBA. The question is whether he has the mentality to put those physical talents to work consistently. Does he have a high rev motor in him? I don't know. I don't think Ball does. And I'm not sure whether Wiseman does.

[Monster]

I thought I'd start a series of threads on each of the top draft prospects. I'll start with the guy I consider the most talented player in the draft - Anthony Edwards.

I've spent a lot of time today watching everything I could find on Anthony Edwards. The best video I saw was the scouting analysis of Mike Schmitz. I think Mike is one of the best basketball scouts around. He takes you through a lot a video footage of Edwards dissecting his game clearly on both sides of the ball - good, bad and ugly. In addition, the countless videos I watched today also included an interview of Edwards by Taylor Rooks. I highly recommend both the Schmitz scouting analysis and the Taylor Rooks interview.

My main take-always from everything I watched today are these.

First, he's an incredible talent. Anthony Edwards has every bit as much talent as Victor Oladipo who was the top pick in his draft class and who became an allstar before his serious injury. In fact, I think he has more shot-creation skills than Oladipo had coming out of college as evidenced by Anthony's terrific step-back. I share Mike Schmitz' view that Anthony's low shooting percentages were primarily the result of poor shot selection and that's definitely correctable.

Second, he strikes me as a very likable and charismatic guy. I've come away convinced he has solid character and isn't a JR Rider type. I liked the way he interacted with Taylor Rooks. He was good humored and respectful. I learned a number of other things about him from that interview. The guy sitting next to him in the interview was identified as his personal trainer and mentor. Edwards referred to him as his big brother. At one point, Taylor Rooks asked Edwards to identify the biggest weakness in his own game. Anthony immediately turned to his trainer and his trainer said "staying engaged and focused the entire game." He went on to say that "it's not about what Anthony can or can't do on the court; it's about him doing things consistently for the entire 40 minutes. Edwards said he's right. I liked that he has a trainer who he considers like a brother who is willing to call Anthony out in an interview. To me that shows strength of character. Taylor asked him to name his favorite movie. He said "Matilda" because he loves strong, powerful women. When asked why he wanted to wear #5 he said because his mom and grandma both passed away on the 5th day of the month they died. They both raised him and he referred to them as the best people he's ever known. He talked about how hard they worked and how that motivates him to work hard.

Third, it's clear he loves the game and is a student of the game. He was asked to name his top starting five among current NBA players. He named Kyrie Irving at PG, Klay Thompson at SG, Kevin Durant at SF, LeBron at PF and Giannis at C. I thought that was an interesting answer. He said he chose Thompson over Harden at SG because Harden tended to shoot to much to blend with the other guys he chose. Listening to him talk, you could tell he loves the game of basketball.

Fourth, he seems to understand the importance of defense. When asked what will distinguish him from the other top players in the draft, he said defense. He said he has the ability to be a great defender and that it will be his defense that will distinguish him from the pack in the NBA. Of course, he's famous for defensive lapses in college and Taylor didn't challenge him on that in this very friendly interview. So maybe he was just saying what he knew NBA decision-makers wanted to hear. But I'm not going to totally dismiss the fact that he said it. And what he said about his defensive ability was exactly what Mike Schmitz said about him. He definitely has the size, strength and athleticism to be a really good defender on par with Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell. If he puts his mind to it and plays with the consistent defensive intensity of those two, I have no doubt he'll be a great NBA player.

Do I still have doubts about Edwards? Absolutely. I have a hard time totally dismissing his poor shooting percentages and his inconsistent effort, especially on the defensive end. But I feel a lot better about him now than I did earlier in the day.

So let the discussion begin. My next thread will be on LaMello Ball.

That's a good write up Lip. Do you have the breakdown of where he shot from different spots on the floor? I ask that because he shot over 50% from 2 and since basically half of his shots (7.7 3's per game is pretty high volume) that's what knocked his overall shooting percentage down. But did he get most of those shots at the rim and only finish those at a decent percentage? I'll watch the 2 videos you suggested some time I like Generally Schmitz's takes and how he presents them even if I don't always agree with them 100%.

Edit: Lip what reasonably new information (Hypothetically speaking) would make you go all in on Edwards?

Monster - I don't have his shot breakdown. I'll probably look into that. The fact that he hit over 50% of his 2-point shots is encouraging. I suspect that included a lot of layups and dunks. For now, I trust the observation of Mike Schmitz that Anthony's low 3-point shooting percentage was due mainly to poor shot selection. Note also that he was double teamed most of the time. I think his shooting percentages go up simply as a result of him playing with DLO and KAT in the more widely-spaced NBA game. DLO and KAT can space the floor and will make it hard for opposing teams to double Edwards. I'm only slightly worried about his offensive. I remain far more concerned about his defensive effort. He has the physical attributes to be a really good Oladipo/Donovan Mitchell type defender in the NBA. The question is whether he has the mentality to put those physical talents to work consistently. Does he have a high rev motor in him? I don't know. I don't think Ball does. And I'm not sure whether Wiseman does.

Good point on spacing. I think I mentioned this a while ago but Georgia was a bad 3 point shooting team at 30% which was 327th in the nation according to BBreference.

I just watched the 2 videos you mentioned. I had seen Schmitz's video before. The Rooks interview was a fun format that I think tries to get people to be themselves a little bit. Honestly I can't decide what to take from it. I can't decide if Edwards is like able and chill or to some extent a little guarded. She didn't ask him about playing with the Wolves...not a big deal but wasn't that kinda weird? Maybe when she did this the Wolves hadn't dropped into being terrible yet or something. I know a lot of the elite guys do have connections with NBA players but I thought it was interesting he was close with Dipo and Wade. Those seems like pretty good dudes to know. He wanted to stay home which is cool. I'd like to know more about his trainer but I didn't find a ton of info about him when I searched.

What has been reported is that Rosas is a guy that's always looking for the next star. I'd guess that if Rosas and his group thinks Edwards (Or another guy) has Star potential they are going to take them at #1. We also know Gupta is there and will look to maximize assets if there is something that presents itself. Keep in mind Sam Hinkie basically said Gupta was the guy that was behind a bunch of his moves. Maximizing assets can help you land a star too. Edwards has elements in his game that would fit the way the Wolves want to play. Schmitz mentioned his transition game as a big strength. That fits with the Wolves. Edwards took a pretty high volume of 3's At 7.7 a game which was a third of the 3s Georgia took last year. He certainly fits the basic idea of playing position less basketball. He looks plenty strong enough to give some physical resistance of he got switched onto various players. He basically said a couple times he can play the 1. As Schmitz broke down he isn't there yet but it seems like there are enough skills to hope his scoring ability leads to getting guys looks. I wonder how many catch and shoot shots he even took.

[Lipoli390]

Monster -

I'm glad you mentioned Edwards' decision to stay close to home. I was going to highlight that fact. It tells me he's pretty grounded and not looking for the spotlight. Interesting to hear him mention that he almost went to Kentucky. He obviously had his choice of a lot of elite programs. Now the flip slide is that perhaps his decision to go to Georgia tells us he's not super competitive and that he's not focused on winning. That take-away would fit with the rap on him as a great talent whose teams never won through high school and beyond.

I also thought it was interesting that he said he doesn't like the idea of players leaving their current teams to become part of a super team. He said that's the one thing he didn't like about Kevin Durant, who he considers to be the best player in the NBA. He explanation was that, if you're really good, you should believe in your ability to turn your own team into a winner. That's a rare attitude these days and says something positive about his character and competitiveness in my view.

Like you, I was impressed by NBA stars he's connected with. If you can judge someone by the company he they keep, then it's a definite positive that the two close NBA connections Edwards has are Oladipo and Wade. He mentioned that Wade as his favorite player based on the way Wade played. I consider that a positive as well.

I hadn't see the reports you're referring to about Rosas always looking for the next star. But that doesn't surprise me. In his post-lottery interview, I recall him saying something to the effect that "this is a League of stars" when explaining why the Wolves would take the best player available in the draft rather than the best fit. I'd love to ask Rosas what he means by best player available. Does he mean more talented/highest upside? Or does he mean, as I do, some combination of a player's upside (athleticism, size for position, skill set, feel for the game/basketball IQ) and the likelihood of that player reaching his full potential. The latter turns on character or certain intrinsic characteristics -- work ethic/motor/competitiveness/love for the game. That second half of my definition is the hard part. And that's where I worry about Edwards, as well as Ball and Wiseman. Imagine infusing Okoro's or Deni's reputed character traits into Edwards. Then there would be absolutely no doubt about him being the first pick in this year's draft.

[Monster]

Monster -

I'm glad you mentioned Edwards' decision to stay close to home. I was going to highlight that fact. It tells me he's pretty grounded and not looking for the spotlight. Interesting to hear him mention that he almost went to Kentucky. He obviously had his choice of a lot of elite programs. Now the flip slide is that perhaps his decision to go to Georgia tells us he's not super competitive and that he's not focused on winning. That take-away would fit with the rap on him as a great talent whose teams never won through high school and beyond.

I also thought it was interesting that he said he doesn't like the idea of players leaving their current teams to become part of a super team. He said that's the one thing he didn't like about Kevin Durant, who he considers to be the best player in the NBA. He explanation was that, if you're really good, you should believe in your ability to turn your own team into a winner. That's a rare attitude these days and says something positive about his character and competitiveness in my view.

Like you, I was impressed by NBA stars he's connected with. If you can judge someone by the company he they keep, then it's a definite positive that the two close NBA connections Edwards has are Oladipo and Wade. He mentioned that Wade as his favorite player based on the way Wade played. I consider that a positive as well.

I hadn't see the reports you're referring to about Rosas always looking for the next star. But that doesn't surprise me. In his post-lottery interview, I recall him saying something to the effect that "this is a League of stars" when explaining why the Wolves would take the best player available in the draft rather than the best fit. I'd love to ask Rosas what he means by best player available. Does he mean more talented/highest upside? Or does he mean, as I do, some combination of a player's upside (athleticism, size for position, skill set, feel for the game/basketball IQ) and the likelihood of that player reaching his full potential. The latter turns on character or certain intrinsic characteristics -- work ethic/motor/competitiveness/love for the game. That second half of my definition is the hard part. And that's where I worry about Edwards, as well as Ball and Wiseman. Imagine infusing Okoro's or Deni's reputed character traits into Edwards. Then there would be absolutely no doubt about him being the first pick in this year's draft.

A few ways of looking at him going to Georgia over UK

1. Kentucky is basically a super team.
2. Maybe he wanted to put up a bunch of stats on a bad team.
3. Maybe Tom Crean won him over voting he was a legit college coach and him coming to Georgia would start something.

PersonallyI think the basic idea that a player can make a team a winner is flawed. How many championship teams won without at least 2 HOFers? I get that what people are really saying is you work hard to make your own team win but someone suggesting they can carry a team...honestly COULD be a negative suggesting someone has delusions of how good they are. Even Jordon wasn't actually able to do that. I'm not saying that's Edwards...just posing a possible different view to how that could be read. Like ai said I'm not sure I got any better read on him as a person watching that except learning about his family. I feel comfortable saying he values that aspect of his life and I gather that is a positive for him.

Mostly what I'm referring to in terms of reports is Jon K is always saying Rosas is a star chaser in the mold of Morey. I'm not sure I buy into that 100% but I think it's mostly true. Part of what I mean is I don't think Morey Actually goes head over heels all in on stars all the time. You don't take every chance you can get...but Morey goes HARD after the opportunities he sees.

I doubt Rosas is going to just swing on upside unless he basically is super convinced and that means he probably feels good about some of the other things You mentioned. I mentioned some things in terms of fit for Edwards partly because the idea is that he is an iso guy that's a ball stopper but he has some run and gun abilities already that does fit what they seem to be trying to do. I don't think they are going to look for fit although I think they are going to have to be blown away with Wiseman's abilities to pick him. One of the reasons they don't have to look at fit is really the only spots nailed down are Towns and Russell and those guys have position flexibility.

My vision for Edwards if they picked him and he wasn't just awesome right away is bring the guy off the bench let him earn his way to the starting lineup and let him do stuff on the 2nd unit bring him along sorta like Harden. I could see some interesting lineups with a backup PG and maybe Culver with 3 guys that can all make some plays with the ball at some level. Hopefully the PG and some other guys on the floor can shoot but obviously some of those minutes could involve a starter too. Picking a perimeter player would make resigning Beasley even more interesting.

Edwards seems to consider himself a guard. I wonder if he would be fine playing the SF position if that meant he wasn't just standing around without the ball etc. He may not be a SF as a permanent position but he seems to have enough physical attributes to play the position to get him on the floor on a team trying to figure things out.

[TheFuture]

I thought I'd start a series of threads on each of the top draft prospects. I'll start with the guy I consider the most talented player in the draft - Anthony Edwards.

I've spent a lot of time today watching everything I could find on Anthony Edwards. The best video I saw was the scouting analysis of Mike Schmitz. I think Mike is one of the best basketball scouts around. He takes you through a lot a video footage of Edwards dissecting his game clearly on both sides of the ball - good, bad and ugly. In addition, the countless videos I watched today also included an interview of Edwards by Taylor Rooks. I highly recommend both the Schmitz scouting analysis and the Taylor Rooks interview.

My main take-always from everything I watched today are these.

First, he's an incredible talent. Anthony Edwards has every bit as much talent as Victor Oladipo who was the top pick in his draft class and who became an allstar before his serious injury. In fact, I think he has more shot-creation skills than Oladipo had coming out of college as evidenced by Anthony's terrific step-back. I share Mike Schmitz' view that Anthony's low shooting percentages were primarily the result of poor shot selection and that's definitely correctable.

Second, he strikes me as a very likable and charismatic guy. I've come away convinced he has solid character and isn't a JR Rider type. I liked the way he interacted with Taylor Rooks. He was good humored and respectful. I learned a number of other things about him from that interview. The guy sitting next to him in the interview was identified as his personal trainer and mentor. Edwards referred to him as his big brother. At one point, Taylor Rooks asked Edwards to identify the biggest weakness in his own game. Anthony immediately turned to his trainer and his trainer said "staying engaged and focused the entire game." He went on to say that "it's not about what Anthony can or can't do on the court; it's about him doing things consistently for the entire 40 minutes. Edwards said he's right. I liked that he has a trainer who he considers like a brother who is willing to call Anthony out in an interview. To me that shows strength of character. Taylor asked him to name his favorite movie. He said "Matilda" because he loves strong, powerful women. When asked why he wanted to wear #5 he said because his mom and grandma both passed away on the 5th day of the month they died. They both raised him and he referred to them as the best people he's ever known. He talked about how hard they worked and how that motivates him to work hard.

Third, it's clear he loves the game and is a student of the game. He was asked to name his top starting five among current NBA players. He named Kyrie Irving at PG, Klay Thompson at SG, Kevin Durant at SF, LeBron at PF and Giannis at C. I thought that was an interesting answer. He said he chose Thompson over Harden at SG because Harden tended to shoot to much to blend with the other guys he chose. Listening to him talk, you could tell he loves the game of basketball.

Fourth, he seems to understand the importance of defense. When asked what will distinguish him from the other top players in the draft, he said defense. He said he has the ability to be a great defender and that it will be his defense that will distinguish him from the pack in the NBA. Of course, he's famous for defensive lapses in college and Taylor didn't challenge him on that in this very friendly interview. So maybe he was just saying what he knew NBA decision-makers wanted to hear. But I'm not going to totally dismiss the fact that he said it. And what he said about his defensive ability was exactly what Mike Schmitz said about him. He definitely has the size, strength and athleticism to be a really good defender on par with Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell. If he puts his mind to it and plays with the consistent defensive intensity of those two, I have no doubt he'll be a great NBA player.

Do I still have doubts about Edwards? Absolutely. I have a hard time totally dismissing his poor shooting percentages and his inconsistent effort, especially on the defensive end. But I feel a lot better about him now than I did earlier in the day.

So let the discussion begin. My next thread will be on LaMello Ball.

You cannot teach motor. Don't care what him nor his trainer say in an interview.

It is there or it is not.

He quit on his team multiple times on both ends.

I absolutely do not want to go down that road again at this juncture.

Maybe he ends up the best player. I dont trust that that will happen within our franchise.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I didn't watch much of Edwards. So I can only take what I know from stats... and the experts. And history.

1. His team sucked balls.

2. He was inefficient. A lot of this seems to be from poor decision-making... and settling for shots.

3. Talking about defense is nice (I see you KAT!)... Trying on defense is altogether different. From what I read from other draft guys is that Edwards rarely put in the effort on that end. To assume he will in the NBA is a guessing game. But I did see the Oladio comparison. That guy was known for effort and defense in college. He showed it. Meanwhile, a guy like Wiggins went in and out with effort and his motor was questioned. It's a crapshoot.

4. He has the body. And the skills. And it would be ironic if he (1) was simply the next Wiggins type player... or (2) broke free from that mold and helped this franchise turn the corner by finally nailing the pick.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I didn't watch much of Edwards. So I can only take what I know from stats... and the experts. And history.

1. His team sucked balls.

2. He was inefficient. A lot of this seems to be from poor decision-making... and settling for shots.

3. Talking about defense is nice (I see you KAT!)... Trying on defense is altogether different. From what I read from other draft guys is that Edwards rarely put in the effort on that end. To assume he will in the NBA is a guessing game. But I did see the Oladio comparison. That guy was known for effort and defense in college. He showed it. Meanwhile, a guy like Wiggins went in and out with effort and his motor was questioned. It's a crapshoot.

4. He has the body. And the skills. And it would be ironic if he (1) was simply the next Wiggins type player... or (2) broke free from that mold and helped this franchise turn the corner by finally nailing the pick.

Every time a weakness is spotted with a prospect from their NCAA or Euro days, that weakness translates 5-fold to the Wolves Every. Single. Time. I have zero faith that Anthony Edwards will magically become a good decision-making two-way wing. At least it won't happen in a Wolves uniform. We aren't the franchise to break bad habits.