Tag: Anthony Edwards

On Friday, rookie Anthony Edwards earned his first career start in the NBA as the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, the change in the starting unit didn’t offer much resistance against Joel Embiid & Co.

Edwards earned the start on Friday with the Timberwolves down centers Karl-Anthony Towns (health and safety protocols) and Naz Reid (wrist). With both big men out, Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders opted to go smaller and gave Edwards his first start.

The No. 1 overall pick produced 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes of work during the 118-94 loss. The effort by Edwards was his fourth straight game with at least 15 points, and the 10th of the season, which leads all rookie players.

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Overall, Edwards continued to struggle shooting, hitting 5-of-13 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Despite the inefficiency this season, Edwards has proven a dynamic scorer, easily capable of taking over games.

The rebuilding Timberwolves will likely continue to be up and down this season in terms of on-court product, but the development of Edwards will certainly be worth monitoring throughout the year.

Note: This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards recently called out the referees after complaining that he didn’t receive many foul calls on his drives to the basket.

On Saturday, that changed a bit for the rookie.

The No. 1 overall pick helped lead the Timberwolves to a 120-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans with 18 points off the bench, his seventh game of the season with at least 15 points. He went 5-of-14 from the field, but, perhaps most encouraging, shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

He enjoyed the benefit of earning the whistle during the win.

“I was happy,” Edwards said after the game. “I was extremely happy because I can get myself going.”

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Edwards throughout the season has struggled to shoot at times, converting on just 34.7% from the field and 27.2% from 3-point range.

He mentioned that driving to the rim, drawing contact and getting to the line can help him get going, but he still hasn’t earned that respect from the officials as other players have.

The 19-year-old has proven to be a tough assignment to cover when he can get it going early. He scored 11 points alone in the first half, which helped set the tone for the rest of the game. When he is engaged and knocking down shots off the bench, the Timberwolves have played much better as a group.

Edwards still has plenty of room to grow, but has shown glimpses of being a key contributor with the Timberwolves. The organization has high hopes for him and he figures to have a bright future.

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The saying goes in the NBA that the star players often get the benefit of the whistle and earn foul calls perhaps easier than a rookie or a role player off the bench.

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards would certainly agree with that statement.

The No. 1 overall pick recently went through a two-game slump, in which he totaled just two points on 1-of-14 shooting from the field. He broke out of that slump a bit on Monday, recording 12 points and five rebounds on 5-of-16 shooting from the field in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Players often will get involved in other aspects of the game to contribute, and some even try to force the issue to draw contact and get to the free-throw line. That method may work with some players, but apparently not with Edwards.

As he explained, he has tried that approach but has been unsuccessful.

“I feel like every time I go to the rim, I get fouled so, therefore, I could get it going through the free-throw line but I don’t get any foul calls,” Edwards said on Monday. “As far as knocking down jump shots, it’s going to come. I never really press about stuff like that.”

The 19-year-old through 12 games is averaging 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.2 minutes. Edwards leads all rookies in scoring average but ranks 11th in free-throw attempts with 1.8 per game. In fact, only 10.7% of his points have come from the line, which is 19th among rookies averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

Prior to Monday, Edwards had 74 drives to the basket on the season, which was sixth among rookies. In those situations, Edwards was tied for the most free-throw attempts with 12, according to Second Spectrum.

Despite the apparent disparity in attempts in his mind, Edwards doesn’t say much to the referees about it.

“I don’t really do too much complaining to the refs,” Edwards said. “I just be surprised that they don’t call it, but the stuff that they do call be crazy so I just live with it and keep playing.”

Regardless if Edwards gets the benefit of the whistle or not, the rookie has proven to be a dynamic scorer at times this season. His blend of strength and athleticism has been difficult to guard in stretches and that should only improve the more he plays with the Timberwolves.

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No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards recorded a career-high 26 points on Thursday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Portland Trail Blazers, 135-117.

Edwards finished by connecting on 9-of-21 shots from the field, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range. He added four rebounds and two steals in a season-high 31 minutes off the bench as the Timberwolves have now dropped six straight games.

The 19-year-old became just the eighth Timberwolves rookie to score at least 26 points in a game off the bench and the fifth rookie in team history to do so in the first eight games of a season. His 26 points are the most scored in a game by a rookie in the NBA this season.

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With his performance on Thursday, Edwards has now scored at least 10 points in every game but one. He has proven to be a dynamic scorer and that should continue as he gets more comfortable and becomes more efficient from the field.

The early result of the season certainly isn’t what the Timberwolves (2-6) had hoped for but the emergence of Edwards has to be among the bright spots for the organization.

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