1. Anthony Edwards
While they play completely different positions, the only two occasions in Minnesota Timberwolves franchise history when a rookie arrived on the Timberwolves roster and subsequently appeared in the NBA Playoffs the next two seasons was PF Kevin Garnett and now SG Anthony Edwards.
While we cannot compare the two, we can track their similarities. In both cases, their rookie season was just an appetizer for the robust NBA production that would follow. Both Edwards and Garnett are intense, old-school focused players who rise to the challenge of competition. Both players love to play stifling defense. But perhaps most of all, both players can change the outcome of games almost single-handedly.
Anthony Edwards, also known as Ant-Man, was the first overall player selected in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he has never looked back. He started 55 of the 72 games played in 2020, and his numbers looked like he had played in the NBA for years.
72 games | 32.1 MPG | 19.3 PPG | 4.7 RPG | 2.9 APG | 1.1 SPG | 0.5 BPG | 41.7 FG % | 32. 9 3P%
While the team boasts two first-overall selected players on this roster, it’s clear that the team has pivoted from Karl-Anthony Towns to Anthony Edwards going forward. And that’s fine with the 6-foot-4 225-pound Edwards. Unlike Towns, Edwards’ forte is a tough defensive mindset that also delivers points and covers all aspects of the basketball game.
While some of the knocks against Towns are that he becomes too emotional, gets lost in arguing lost causes to the referees, and has a number of bad habits (like tripping) that get called far too often, Anthony Edwards moves on quickly and does not dwell on calls. Best of all, Edwards loves to surround himself with similarly-minded players.
That’s our Top 15 Minnesota Timberwolves rookies of All-Time. Let me know who you would have included, or not included in this list by commenting in our Facebook page comments section. Thanks for reading this one through to the end.