Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Town on Monday offered high praise for Anthony Edwards, and the veteran wanted his message to be heard loud and clear: Edwards is the Rookie of the Year.
The declaration came after Towns scored 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Edwards scored 19 points to help lead the Timberwolves to a 116-106 win over the Sacramento Kings. Minnesota also got a team-high 25 points from D’Angelo Russell, who returned after a 26-game absence following knee surgery.
The performance by Edwards continued a strong run for the No. 1 pick.
Edwards averaged 24.2 points per game during the month of March, which ranked third-most in history by a teenager. Unsurprisingly, he was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March following his performances, something that impressed Towns.
“He’s the Rookie of the Year,” Towns said on Monday. “I don’t know what else to say. He has proven it in the history books, he has proven it to his teammates and he has proven it to this league, I believe, why he was picked No. 1.
“He is the most special talent in that draft class and it’s not close, in my opinion. He’s the best of the best and has shown it night in and night out. I think what is even scarier for the league is every single game you just see him getting better because the game is slowing down.”
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Of course, with LaMelo Ball sidelined for the foreseeable future with a wrist injury, the race to win Rookie of the Year is seemingly wide open. Edwards has now emerged as the favorite to win, and his recent run has likely only helped his case.
While there are still two months left to play in the season, the race is far from over but Edwards is certainly making a compelling statement to those awards voters.
As it stands now, though, Towns appears to be his biggest fan.
“He is just blossoming into something more special and that was without a Summer League and a true preseason,” Towns said. “Imagine if he would have had that, we wouldn’t even be trying to make a narrative for someone else.”
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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