"He's walking the walk, talking the talk": 8x All-Star 'comfortable' to put Anthony Edwards among NBA's superstars

Anthony Edwards has been playing like the franchise cornerstone the Minnesota Timberwolves have been hoping he’d become. The Timberwolves picked him No. 1 in the 2020 NBA draft. Some analysts questioned whether they should have grabbed LaMelo Ball, a point guard with the best playmaking credentials among the newcomers. The rumblings only got louder when Ball won Rookie of the Year over Minnesota’s explosive shooting guard.

Minnesota’s decision to draft Edwards over anyone else may be turning out to be the right one after all. Even with Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup, the Timberwolves went to him in last season’s playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. “Ant-Man” was unquestionably the best player for the Timberwolves in that series.

Paul George, in his podcast, noted how Anthony Edwards has continued his strong play. He had this to say about “Ant-Man’s” status:

(37:05 mark)

“He’s [Edwards] been playing great. First one of his career and definitely many more for him in his future. I like what I’ve seen from Ant-Man. He’s taking the jump. He’s taking it to the next level. He is a superstar. I know people don’t talk much about it from a superstar level but it’s safe to say and comfortable to put him in that superstar category now. He’s doing it. He’s walking the walk, he’s talking the talk.

“The Timberwolves team understands that they’re only gonna go as far as he can take them. He’s been phenomenal.”

Anthony Edwards is averaging a career-high 26.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is hitting 46.7% of his shots, including 38.8% from behind the arc, career-best numbers.

More importantly, the All-Star guard has been money in crunch-time situations on both ends of the floor. The overtime win against the previously unbeaten Boston Celtics on Nov. 6 was one such example.

Edwards took on Boston’s superstar forward Jayson Tatum on defense and made the biggest shots on the other end. “Ant-Man” was the biggest reason they won that game and handed the Celtics their first loss of the season.

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Anthony Edwards is on track to make his second straight All-Star appearance

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a net rating of 6.3, which is fourth-best in the NBA. Anthony Edwards is the man behind that enviable number. He is unquestionably their driving force on offense and arguably their best defender. Rudy Gobert is Minnesota’s alpha rim protector, but Edwards often guards the opposing team’s most potent perimeter threat.

Edwards’ impact on both ends of the floor for the Timberwolves is turning heads. Besides his masterpiece against the Boston Celtics, he was also crucial in back-to-back wins against the Golden State Warriors. He is proving to be a big-time player.

With the way he has been going, Anthony Edwards is almost a cinch to earn an All-Star nod. He was selected to the team last season as a replacement. “Ant-Man” is making a strong case for becoming a starter for next year’s edition.