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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns on multiple occasions this season directly stated that teammate Anthony Edwards should be named the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year.
Unfortunately, the proclamation by Towns did not come to fruition.
On Wednesday, the NBA crowned Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball the Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He finished second in scoring average to Edwards while he led all rookies in assists and steals.
Edwards, who was named one of three finalists for the award, averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He produced 36 games with at least 20 points, while Ball, who finished with the second-most 20-point games, had 17 this season.
Towns laughed off the results of the voting after the news surfaced.
😂😂😂
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) June 16, 2021
Ball received 84 out of a possible 99 first-place votes in the final results as Edwards registered the other 15. He finished with 465 total points in the voting while Edwards received 309 and Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton had 114.
The Hornets guard started off the season hot but eventually missed 21 games with a wrist injury. When Ball was sidelined, Edwards turned up his production, averaging 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 36 games after the All-Star break.
Edwards turned in a rather historic performance in March. He averaged 24.2 points per game during the month, which ranked third-most in history by a teenager. He also eventually joined LeBron James as the only teenagers in history with multiple 40-point games.
He reacted to the news of Ball winning the award on social media.
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) June 16, 2021
Edwards may have ultimately lost out on winning the award, but he turned in an incredible stretch to close out the season. In the process of that run, he earned the respect of his teammates and coaches and that should only help him flourish on the court.
As Edwards hinted on social media, the snub will likely only fuel him to work harder and prove those voters and doubters wrong, which could be trouble for the rest of the league.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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