Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards could be Most Improved Player

Anthony Edwards is one of the most promising young stars in the NBA – and the Minnesota Timberwolves seemingly did well when they selected him with the first overall pick in 2020.

One of the biggest questions for the long-term of the Timberwolves franchise is of just how good Anthony Edwards can be. This past season, he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, averaging 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game on shooting splits of 42/34/78 – pretty good for a 20-year-old wing player.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards could be Most Improved Player in 21-22

Edwards will undeniably get better over the course of his career, but he seems determined to become a more impactful player – and quickly too.

Anthony Edwards could very well be in the running for Most Improved Player next season, especially if his perimeter defense and overall efficiency jumps from his year-long averages this past season.

Averaging 19 points per game as a rookie, it may be hard for Edwards to get noticeably better than he was last season from a statistical standpoint, and that may give him a disadvantage when it comes to being in the conversation for Most Improved Player. That doesn’t make it impossible, though.

Just last season (2020-21), Julius Randle went from 20 points per game to 25 points per game with a major leap in efficiency. He, as we all know, went on to win the award. That said, most players that win MIP generally go from being high-level role players to All-Star caliber guys – think Pascal Siakam in 2018-19, Victor Oladipo the year before that, and CJ McCollum in 2015-16.

Again, that is not to say that Edwards can’t win the award – he could. It will just be tougher for him, and could depend on who he is competing with, as well.

Anthony Edwards is a great core building block of the Timberwolves future, and it will be interesting to see what the trio of he, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell can do in the future.