Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves' shooting guard, entered the NBA at a young age. Edwards was only 19 when he was picked in 2020. Even before his college days started, he was an outstanding player in high school for Therrell High School in Atlanta. Edwards was a four-star recruit at the age of 15.
Edwards was averaging 29 points and 9 rebounds per game by his final year of high school. He was now a five-star recruit, ranking fourth in the ESPN 100. Edwards picked Georgia over Kansas, Florida State, Kentucky, and North Carolina after receiving many offers.
Edwards coached his team to a 16-16 record as a freshman, finishing 13th in the SEC. The shooting guard averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists as a freshman, playing with Rayshaun Hammonds. However, it was his in-game performances that drew the attention of scouts more than his numbers.
Ant-Man displayed exceptional athleticism throughout his game, with an amazing vertical leap and a quick first step that made him nearly impossible to guard in one-on-one scenarios. Edwards had 37 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in a game versus Michigan State, his best college basketball performance. He was named SEC Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
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Edwards declared for the 2020 NBA Draft by the end of his freshman year. Anthony declared for the draft in March 2020, but the draft was moved to November of that year owing to the epidemic. Anthony Edwards could have played another year for the Bulldogs, but as one of the most highly touted prospects in the draft, he decided to take his talents to the next level.
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Edwards became the first Georgia freshman since Jacky Dorsey in 1975 to score at least 37 points in a game. In the tournament's final game, he led all scorers with 24 points and hit the game-winning shot against NCAA Division II Chaminade.
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Edwards led his team and all freshmen in scoring nationally. Edwards was named SEC Freshman of the Week four times in his rookie season, the most in program history. He was also a finalist for the Jerry West Award, which honors the best college shooting guard.
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If Ant-Man had played his second year at Georgia, there is no doubt that he would have dominated while averaging higher stats than his freshman year. In any case, his choice wasn't so bad after all. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him as the first overall pick in his draft class.
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Edwards exceeded the organization's expectations in his debut year, putting up big numbers, and his game would only get better from there. Edwards averaged 30+ points each game in the playoffs while being only 21 years old. Edwards scored 36 points in a 120-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs on April 21. He shared the second-most 30-point NBA playoff games with Kobe Bryant before turning 22.
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Edwards scored 41 points in Game 2 of the Timberwolves' first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, but the Timberwolves lost 122-113. His 41 points also broke Sam Cassell's previous Timberwolves franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game. Anthony Edwards is the Timberwolves' future, and he'll aim to lead his team to the playoffs once more.
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