Why Timberwolves Anthony Edwards All-Star nod is crucial

Watch out for the little guy is one of the early catchphrases that has already made it to social media from Marvel’s third and final Ant-Man movie: Quatumania. But that also can be said of the NBA’s Ant-Man, Minnesota Timberwolves’ young shooting guard Anthony Edwards. After all, the Minnesota Timberwolves 2022-23 NBA season has not exactly stuck to the script so far.

But one player has suited up for each game, has tried his best to fulfill whatever head coach Chris Finch has asked of him, and has led the team both at offense and at times on defense. Yes, I’m talking about Timberwolves star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, a young man who is surging to the NBA spotlight while not having turned 22 years old yet.

And he is about to be honored as an NBA All-Star:

Overdue honor? It’s hard to argue that with such a young player. But perhaps it was a bit of frustration in the fact that, while Edwards put up very impressive numbers this season, he was not one of the originally selected players. In fact, his was one of the most glaring omissions from the NBA All-Star roster.

Fates decided what the NBA could not

But in the end, the Fates ensured that Edwards would indeed appear in the game.

So what will Ant-Man do with his first opportunity?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are not your typical NBA roster. While many teams are either heavily invested in veterans to win now, or invested in younger players to develop and groom their roster to win later, the Timberwolves have taken the rare approach of stocking their roster with both seasoned veterans as well as younger future NBA stars.

And Anthony Edwards, while he plays with the confidence of a seasoned veteran, is one of the brightest future stars in the NBA today.

But he plays for a small market team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. That means that he does not get the same level of national exposure as the bigger market teams like the Brooklyn Nets or the LA Lakers. And that means that Anthony Edwards has to work harder, play better, and surprise more often than his contemporaries just to get noticed.

Well, he is getting noticed now.

It’s not just a good thing for the player, but for the team’s future as well. NBA players love to play for winners, and as long as Anthony Edwards maintains some of that NBA spotlight shining on him, those future free agents will notice the way the Timberwolves play cohesively together. For a small market team, Ant-Man making the NBA All-Stars this season is about as good of a PR moment as they come.

Of course, the team has to get hot and make a run in the NBA Playoffs. But it starts here, with Anthony Edwards ascending into the ranks of NBA All-Stars. Now that he is among the best in the NBA, other players should take notice.