Who is Anthony Edwards? Timberwolves No. 1 pick out of Georgia expected to bring a new level of athleticism to the team
Minneapolis (BVM) — With having the top pick in the draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves weighing their options up until the last minute. Unlike drafts in the past, there was no guaranteed superstar in the mix.
Per sources around the league, the Wolves considered four options:
Trade their top pick for an All-Star, select James Wiseman and have a roster with two dominant centers, or go with LaMelo Ball despite the fact that he played no basketball games in 2020.
Lastly, they could pick Anthony Edwards, the one-and-done star out of Georgia. Edwards’s pre-draft message to team’s was simple,
“I promise you I’m going to give y’all all I got.”
Of course, the Wolves selected Edwards. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 19.1 points in his lone season with the Bulldogs. Georgia didn’t have a great year despite having a top ranked NBA prospect. Their roster had five freshmen and not much depth or talent. Edwards also skipped his senior year of high school to play for Georgia, making him a year younger than his teammates.
Edwards was a star football player before he picked up a basketball and shifted his focus to it his freshman year of high school. After Edwards made the switch to basketball, it became clear that he had a future in the sport. He became a five-star recruit out of high school and was ranked number one overall by 247Sports.
Despite not having a stellar freshman season, ending with a 16-16 record, Wolves president of basketball operations, Gersson Rosas, saw something in Edwards.
About Edwards’s season at Georgia, Rosas told The Ringer,
“You have to take his freshman season into context. Would we have loved if he had dominated? Absolutely,” said Rosas. “But you’re talking about a guy who should have been a [high school] senior and changed sports in high school.”
Sean Hayes, who coached Edwards at Georgia, told ESPN that the only other players that he has trained who have comparable athleticism skills are Terrell Owens and Jason Peters.
“I’m looking at him doing alley-oops off the backboard, windmills and tomahawk dunks. Most people are dragging themselves off the court after an intense practice, just looking for a drink of water, and he’s over there smiling and having a dunk contest with himself.” Hayes told ESPN.
What made Edwards stand out to the Timberwolves was not only his explosive athleticism, but also his ability to create his own shots, and his impressive playmaking skill.
“His physical and athletic tools for that position and that profile in the NBA are just freakish,” Rosas told The Ringer.
Edwards will likely fit well into Minnesota’s current roster, and head coach Ryan Saunders plans to capitalize on this. Being surrounded by All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russel will make Edwards’s workload a fraction of what it was at Georgia. Having teammates able to stop defenders will give Edwards more open looks as well as more opportunities to utilize his explosive athleticism to drive to the basket.
Minnesota doesn’t need to rely on Edwards either. Along with having Towns and Russel, the Wolves have reunited with beloved veteran, Ricky Rubio, and have re-signed Malik Beasley who had success during his short time with the Timberwolves after last year’s trade deadline.
Edwards is ready for his new chapter, telling reporters,
“I’ve proved myself in high school and the college level, but I feel like I’ve got a lot more to prove when it comes to the NBA.”
Fans won’t have to wait long to see Edwards in action. The Timberwolves will take on the Memphis Grizzlies in their first preseason game on December 12th at the Target Center.
