Anthony Edwards has only been in the league for three years, but he is validating why the Minnesota Timberwolves took him as their No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has seen his numbers improve in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in each of his three seasons, and has seen his efficiency dramatically go up.
All of that led to a new five-year, $260 million extension and an invitation to represent Team USA at the 2023 World Cup.
The ultimate goal was obvious to Edwards. “It’s to win,” Edwards told HoopsHype on Day 3. “But also to get better and be ready for the season.”
But things were not easy for Edwards and his teammates at the start of camp. On Day 2, the Select Team, which included players like Cade Cunningham, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Duren, upset the National Team in two 10-minute scrimmages that were open to the media.
However, on Day 3, the scrimmages were different. The National Team came out more decisive and controlled both scrimmages against the Select Team.
“It’s pretty good here,” Edwards said after Day 3, which also coincided with his birthday. “We got the win today, so I think that answers it all. I feel like we’re sharing the ball a lot more. We want to see each other succeed.”
Edwards will most likely be tasked as the team’s No. 1 offensive go-to option as Team USA makes its way through the World Cup in the next couple of weeks. Since Edwards is most dominant when he has the ball in his hands, one of the biggest challenges for Edwards will be figuring out how he can be impactful in sharing the ball. As he mentioned, the team really started to gel once they started moving the ball side to side, looking for the open shooter.
France will likely be one of the teams that stands in the Americans’ way of winning the World Cup. After all, it was France who beat the USA in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, ending a 25-game Olympic winning streak for the red, white, and blue.
Edwards’ Timberwolves teammate, Rudy Gobert, is one of the pillars of the French team that bested the USA. Earlier this summer, Edwards had told the Star-Tribune that he planned to train with Gobert in France. He provided an update about that on his birthday.
“I didn’t get time to go out there because when I was supposed to go out there with Rudy, I had like a week and a half,” Edwards told HoopsHype. “I had to come here so it was just like man, I’m not worried about you.”
The Timberwolves were also able to resign Naz Reid, who was on the Select Team, and one of Edwards’ best friends in Minnesota. Edwards admitted the front office talked to him before Reid resigned from the club.
“I loved it, that’s my dog,” Edwards said about Reid’s new deal. “I love every bit of it.”
Mike Conley’s addition to the team added a jolt to their starting lineup, especially Gobert’s production. Conley’s ability to play within himself and not turn the ball over too much is also something Edwards has been learning.
“Mike Conley was great,” Edwards said about his teammates’ impact. “He’s a great catch-and-shoot guy [for us]. He’s just a vet man, so we just needed that presence.”
D’Angelo Russell maybe provided a higher ceiling on a game-to-game basis, but Conley was the veteran who knew his role and was not going to lose games for his team with his 4.3 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranked No. 6 amongst all NBA players last season.
For the upcoming Timberwolves season, Edwards expects the team to achieve more than what they’ve done the past two years of losing in the first round. “I expect us to be hungrier, play with a little bit more grit. Play harder, go out there, and give it our all, that’s the main thing.”
The team will see Karl-Anthony Towns back in the fold after missing 51 games with his right calf injury this past season. A lot of reservations have been brought up about Towns’ fit with Gobert, but Edwards doesn’t seem too worried.
“I think if we get KAT for a whole season, we’ll be alright.”