Tag: Anthony Edwards

Report: Warriors ‘would likely’ draft Georgia’s Anthony Edwards if Timberwolves pass on him at No. 1

If the Minnesota Timberwolves pass on Georgia’s Anthony Edwards with the first pick, the Golden State Warriors “would likely” take him, according to Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle.

With the NBA draft less than two weeks away, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers are in the process of putting a bow on the Golden State Warriors plan for the No. 2 overall selection. As the 2020 draft season enters the final stage, a handful of prospects are beginning to emerge as potential picks for the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors will have the opportunity to land top prospects like James Wiseman out of Memphis, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Deni Avdija, Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton or Georgia’s Anthony Edwards.

However, before the Warriors are on the clock, the Minnesota Timberwolves will likely take one of Golden State’s potential targets off the board with the first overall pick. Depending on what the Timberwolves do at No. 1, one player could standout for the Warriors.

According to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors “would likely” select Edwards if the Timberwolves pass on him with the top overall pick in the draft.

Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

According to league sources, Golden State would likely take Edwards at No. 2 should Minnesota pass on him at No. 1.

On his way to earning the title of SEC Freshman of the Year, Edwards averaged 19.1 points per game on 40.2% shooting from the field with 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest for Tom Crean’s Georgia Bulldogs.

As he continues to develop, the 19-year-old could immediately slide in alongside Eric Paschall to form a dynamic second unit behind Golden State’s trio of former All-Stars. With his explosive athleticism and downhill scoring ability, Edwards could provide a new dynamic to Kerr’s offense.

Although his jumper has potential, Edwards could learn something from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson after shooting 29.4% on 7.7 attempts from beyond the arc last season.

If the Timberwolves opt for Wiseman or LaMelo Ball at No. 1, Edwards could be a name to watch on draft night.

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Report: Warriors would ‘likely’ take Anthony Edwards at No. 2 if available

Though the Warriors have been most commonly linked to James Wiseman, they may have another prospect on their radar in the NBA draft.

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Ahead of the NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors have been heavily linked to James Wiseman. The prevailing thought around the league is the Warriors would take the former Memphis Tigers center with the second overall pick but now, another prospect has entered the conversation.

According to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors would likely take Anthony Edwards at No. 2 should the Minnesota Timberwolves pass on him with the top pick. The Warriors recently watched Edwards work out and walked away impressed with the former Georgia guard.

The Warriors are believed to view Edwards as someone who can blossom into the face of a franchise and multi-time All-Star if put in the right situation. According to league sources, Golden State would likely take Edwards at No. 2 should Minnesota pass on him at No. 1.

Wiseman has been most commonly linked with the Warriors because of the fit. He projects to fit in well with the rest of the roster but the Warriors may believe Edwards could mesh just as well as Wiseman and they could take a long, hard look at him with the second overall pick.

Of course, the Warriors’ apparent interest in Edwards could be the byproduct of draft posturing or it could be that the organization is genuinely interested in his ability. Either way, the Warriors are not a lock to make a pick as they have been interested in trading down.

The top of the draft projects to be uncertain since there is no clear-cut choice for the No. 1 overall pick and both the Timberwolves and Warriors have been said to be interested in trading down. The situation will certainly be worth monitoring come Nov. 18.

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ESPN analysts pick LaMelo Ball over Anthony Edwards as best guard in 2020 NBA Draft

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz recently compared LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards in the 2020 NBA Draft.

In breaking down the 2020 NBA Draft, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Mike Schmitz and Jonathan Givony – the latter two of DraftExpress – recently looked at the guards in the draft class. In comparing them, each was picked to name the best guard of the class. Each of the trio picked Ball over Edwards as the best guard with Givony the most optimistic of the bunch.

“…I’m a believer in Ball’s talent and long-term outlook. His frame will need to continue to evolve, and whichever team picks him will certainly need to hand him the keys to the franchise over in order to maximize his strengths. Surely there will be growing pains early on in terms of turnovers, problematic shot selection and blown defensive assignments. I think the positives outweigh the negatives, but I understand why he’s divisive. Part of that is due to his father’s past antics, which I think are overblown by now.

Ball is not only the top guard in the class, he’s the top overall talent, and it’s not particularly close in my mind.”

Schmitz and Pelton each offered comparisons to players in the NBA, Schmitz making the case for a Trae Young comparison.

“While not the same caliber shooter, he reminds me a little bit of a 6-foot-7 Trae Young — another confident, high-usage guard who faced questions about whether his style would translate to the NBA. Like Young, you have to build around Ball completely and live with some wild shots to get to his genius, but he’s special enough to do it if surrounded by shooting and athletic defenders.”

Pelton, meanwhile, compared him to Kyrie Irving, but not necessarily as a professional player. Instead, he compared Ball’s abbreviated season to Irving’s abbreviated season with Duke in 2010.

To some extent, I’d compare Ball’s season to Kyrie Irving’s one campaign at Duke, which saw him play just 11 games due to injury. Despite that limited sample, Irving still shot near the top of my projections because of his high usage rate (27% of Duke’s plays) and assist rate (7.5 per 100 plays).

In much the same way, Ball’s usage (28.5%) and assist (9.2 per 100 plays) stood out in the National Basketball League. Unlike Irving, Ball wasn’t competing against other top prospects aside from two meetings with fellow possible lottery pick RJ Hampton. At the same time, Ball was playing against much older and more experienced fringe NBA players such as Bryce Cotton and Casper Ware, who have improved from their college days.

It’s interesting that each of the three feels Ball is the best guard in the draft, yet Ball is not considered the clear-cut choice over Edwards to be taken with the No. 1 pick by the Timberwolves. Part of it is Ball’s fit next to Russell, but given his talent, it seems like he should be the easy choice for the No. 1 pick.

Rich Paul shares heartfelt message about importance of Klutch Pro Day

Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul has been the target of anonymous attacks but he feels great about what he is doing for his players.

Klutch Sports Group CEO and founder Rich Paul has been the subject of a lot of unwarranted attacks published in print, as well as just general resentment around the league because of his friendship with LeBron James and the success of Klutch Sports. After putting together another unprecedented event, the Klutch Pro Day, for projected first-rounders Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey, Paul wanted to share a message of encouragement and support for someone who aspires to be the next Rich Paul.

In the message, Paul included a shot at all the anonymous agents taking shots at him over the past few weeks and also shared that being discouraged is ultimately the thing that kills dreams more than people saying what they say with a photo of the Klutch players who came to the Pro Day in Los Angeles.

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LeBron James also sounded off in the comments, showing support for his longtime friend and agent.

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LeBron James defends Rich Paul after Klutch Sports’ ESPN Pro Day

LeBron let them have it.

NBA agents were very much so in their feelings after Rich Paul hosted an Pro Day for Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey as they prepare for the NBA draft.

Because it was broadcast on ESPN 2, they felt like Paul was giving his prospects “unwarranted attention” and that the NBA should’ve stopped it. This was just the latest in a series of anonymous complaints about Rich Paul and Klutch.

LeBron James has had enough of those complaints.

He came to the defense of his agent and close friend in his Instagram story on Friday night. He sent a message to those anonymous agents and, uh, it was not pleasant.

*Warning: There is some NSFW language in this post*

He also commented on one of Paul’s Instagram posts defending him and what he’s doing.

“FACTS!!!!! Say it again and louder or the people in the back. You know what, no need to repeat yourself!!!!” 

Translation: Get with it or get lost, agents. Plain and simple. Good on LeBron for defending his guy.

Dwyane Wade reacts to Anthony Edwards choosing him as NBA comparison

Georgia guard Anthony Edwards said on Thursday that he could potentially one day be even better than Wade.

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Projected top-five pick, and former Georgia guard, Anthony Edwards has been compared to quite a few players during the pre-draft process, including Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, but if you ask him, he’ll name someone else.

Edwards participated in the Klutch Sports Group Pro Day on Thursday, which was televised on ESPN2, and said afterward on SportsCenter that he doesn’t believe anyone in the NBA currently plays like him. Instead, Edwards named future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade as his comparison.

The 19-year-old even said that he could potentially one day be better than Wade. His brutally honest answer eventually made it back to Wade and the three-time NBA champion absolutely loved it and agreed with Edwards.

Of course, Tom Crean coached Wade at Marquette and, now, Edwards at Georgia. Edwards has said in the past that Wade was one of his favorite players growing up and a big reason why he chose to play last season with the Bulldogs.

Edwards will have a long way to go before potentially topping Wade but the young man certainly doesn’t lack any confidence in his abilities. His confidence level and his skill set on the court are two reasons why he is in the conversation to be the No. 1 overall pick on Nov. 18.

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NBA agents are mad at Rich Paul for hosting a Pro Day for his rookies

Here we go again.

Another week, another complaint about how Rich Paul and Klutch Sports are conducting their business.

Klutch Sports hosted a live Pro Day for Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey — two players they’re representing in this upcoming NBA draft.

The Pro Day was nationally televised live on ESPN 2 Thursday night. Other Klutch clients including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Trae Young and Draymond Green were all in attendance to watch the workout.

That, apparently, is a problem according to other NBA agents.

Other agents are taking issue with some “unwarranted exposure” being given to Edwards and Maxey, according to reporting from the New York Post’s Marc Berman.

According to a source, some agents were unhappy with the setup, feeling it was unwarranted exposure for Paul’s clients, but the NBA let it go on.

That’s the complaint? Give me a break. It sounds like agents are complaining just to complain at this point.

Look, this workout very clearly skirts the rules passed down by the NBA on how teams are supposed to do their pre-draft scouting process. Per the Athletic’s Shams Charania, players are supposed to conduct in-market pre-draft workouts with the NBA market closest to them.

They’ll record a 45-minute workout video, go through medical, strength and agility testing and then get to interview with teams virtually later on.

So this workout broadcast nationally on ESPN gives teams a bit of extra tape on both Edwards and Maxey. That is absolutely an advantage. But there’s also nothing in the NBA’s rules that says this is wrong.

There are better complaints to make here than “unwarranted exposure.” You could argue that certain teams with players in the building (looking at you, Warriors) might be getting an eye on these guys early. Still wouldn’t quite buy that as a problem, but you can argue it.

But unwarranted exposure? That’s a complaint just to complain. And it’s what agents just keep doing with Rich Paul and Klutch.

Just last week an agent anonymously complained in The Athletic about Paul’s relationship with LeBron James. This week, another is complaining about how Paul has clients working out on ESPN 2. Next week, who knows?

This reads as jealousy, as Stephen A. Smith pointed out last week.

The bottom line is that Paul is just the best agent in the game right now. He has the leverage, power and connections to pull off things that have never been done before. And, rightfully, he’s using it.

Instead of complaining about it, other agents should find a way to replicate it.

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LeBron, others attended Klutch Sports’ Pro Day with Edwards, Maxey

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were among the NBA players in attendance at the Klutch Sports Pro Day with Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey.

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Lakers teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis were among the NBA players in attendance on Thursday to watch the Klutch Sports Group Pro Day featuring Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey at the Sports Academy in Los Angeles, California.

In addition to James and Davis, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and rapper Quavo were also on hand to watch the two projected first-round picks perform various drills in front of teams, scouts and executives.

The event was televised on ESPN2 as the footage gave the basketball community its first look at Edwards and Maxey since they last played in March. The two players were able to show off their overall games and improvements in various on-court drills.

The drills and sets run during pro days are often heavily controlled by agents but the event can provide some information on any improvements or tweaks made by the player. The most important facet of a pro day is the ability to meet individually with a player so teams likely wanted to take advantage ahead of the NBA draft on Nov. 18.

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2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.