Anthony Edwards came into the league last season as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Picked ahead of players like James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, Edwards was more than ready to take on the league and he averaged 19.3 points per game in his first full season in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unsurprisingly, experience has improved Edwards, and he has bumped his production up by nearly 3.5 points in his sophomore season.
Edwards had a stellar night against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, recording 40 points and grabbing 9 boards to go along with 3 steals and 3 blocks in a win. 14 of those points came in the 4th quarter as Minnesota completed a second-half comeback to win the game by a score of 109-107. And Edwards was feeling himself after the game, setting some loft ambitions for next season.
Anthony Edwards when asked about what's next: "I'm going for MVP next year."
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 26, 2022
“I’m going for MVP next year.”
The Timberwolves star will have to improve a lot if he wishes to challenge for the MVP. Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are on a completely different level, while Edwards is arguably not even the best player on his team yet. Even so, setting a goal like that can be a good thing for a player, as it shows that Edwards won’t settle for less than the best in his NBA career.
A large aspect of winning the MVP is being on a team that is doing well and the Timberwolves have been a lottery team for a while now. Their 24-23 record after beating Portland is enough to keep them in the 7th seed spot for now, but they will need to be more consistent if they want to catch Denver or Dallas who are ahead of them in the Western Conference. If they make the playoffs this season, that will provide a good springboard for Edwards if he’s serious about winning MVP next season.
