Anthony Edwards led the way as the Minnesota Timberwolves shockingly swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. During Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns’ postgame press conference, the former claimed he still doesn’t view himself as a young star, but the latter was having none of that.
“He a young star, he over here talking like that s***,” Towns said. “He the face of the league. I’ve been saying that. He hate when I say it, but it’s true. Like I said, future’s so bright, I got to put the sunglasses on most of the time when I’m walking around with him.”
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Not only is the future bright, but the present isn’t all that shabby either. Edwards was incredible in Game 4 against the Suns, as he recorded 40 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Of those 40, 31 came in the second half as the 22-year-old helped the Timberwolves come away with a 122-116 win.
For the series, Edwards ended up averaging 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 51.2% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc as well. Edwards outperformed the likes of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to be the clear-cut best player on the court in the series, which is saying something.
There are some off-the-court concerns when it comes to Edwards but apart from that, he has all the makings of a future face of the NBA. The two-time All-Star is an incredibly gifted player, of course, but his personality is rather endearing as well.
Edwards also believes he will be the best player in the NBA in about two to three years. I think that might be a bit too soon, but he can make quite a statement in that regard in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Timberwolves are almost certainly going to face the Denver Nuggets, who are up 3-1 on the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round series, in the semifinals. If Edwards can help knock out Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, then he will be on his way to establishing himself as the best in the league.
Kevin Durant Praised Anthony Edwards
While some stars might not be too interested in praising an opponent after being swept by them, Kevin Durant does not fall into that category. Durant said Edwards is his favorite player to watch.
“So impressed with him. My favorite player to watch. Just grown so much since he came into the league. He’s 22. His love for the game, he shines bright, and that’s one of the reasons I like him the most, it’s because he loves basketball. He’s grateful to be in this position, he’s taken advantage of every opportunity he’s got.”
Durant added that he will be following Edwards’ career the rest of the way and it should be an incredible ride. These two are also going to be teammates very soon when Team USA heads off to France for the 2024 Olympics. Edwards revealed he is looking forward to it as he admires Durant and has a lot of respect for him, but added he will talk trash over this series. You wouldn’t expect anything else from him either.
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