The entire NBA is abuzz with Anthony Edwards heroics on Team USA

Ant-Man. Captain America. Thor, God of Thunder. The Incredible Hulk. Whatever Marvel Superhero you use to describe Minnesota Timberwolves star shooting guard Anthony Edwards’s heroics on Team USA is probably underselling his impact.

22-year-old NBA All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards has never had a shortage of confidence. From the moment that he was the first overall player selected in the 2020 NBA Draft, he has had comfort and calm in any game time situation, in every interview, in any post-game presser or wrap-up, that exuded confidence.

But he has never had the type of spotlight so far in his NBA career that truly captured his full arsenal of offense, defense, and basketball strategy. Until now, that is:

You could see the transformation from Timberwolves team player to team leader before your very eyes during the 2022-23 NBA season.  With veteran power forward Karl-Anthony Towns injured, and point guard D’Angelo Russell dissatisfied with his role on the team, Anthony Edwards was thrust into a leadership role.

Like learning to swim by being tossed into the deep end of a pool, Edwards had only two choices. He could allow the added weight and responsibilities forced upon him to drag him down and take the Minnesota Timberwolves down with him. Or, he could learn to handle the ever-larger role and lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to the promised land.

Anthony Edwards chose option number two.

The plot thickens

But nobody guessed just how extensive the transformation would be with the young NBA superstar. After all, his third season in the NBA was very impressive:

79 games | 36.0 MPG | 24.6 PPG | 36.9 3P% | 5.8 RPG | 4.4 AGP | 1.6 SPG | 0.7 BPG

But when Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs arrived, Anthony Edwards seemed to level up in front of everyone’s eyes:

5 games | 39.8 MPG | 31.6 PPG | 34.9 3P% | 5.0 RPG | 5.2 AGP | 1.8 SPG | 2.0 BPG

That’s quite an upgrade against the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, the performance ended in a best-of-seven series that found the Minnesota Timberwolves packing up and going home after falling to the Nuggets 4-1.

That forced Timberwolves fans to leave the 2022-23 NBA season a bit too hungry. Initially, it seemed as though fans would need to be patient until the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. But, along came . . .

Team USA and the 2023 FIBA World Cup competition

The Timberwolves’ young shooting guard was peaking at just the right time to play a significant role for Team USA in their quest for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. After all, only 32 international teams have the opportunity to compete for the World Cup, and Team USA had qualified to do so.

But Anthony Edwards is not the only player from the Minnesota Timberwolves roster who has discovered international competition. In fact, nine members of the Minnesota Timberwolves have done so in 2023, which makes the entire 2023 FIBA WC competition compelling viewing for Timberwolves fans around the globe.

So far, Team USA has played five exhibition games, and it is about to enter Round 1 of the competition beginning on August 26, 2023. So how has Anthony Edwards performed so far?  Well, we’ve compiled his stats (as well as we could) over the five exhibition games so far.

• Date           Opponent              Min     Pts    Reb   FG%      3P%    Ast    Stl    Blk    +/-
• Aug 7         Puerto Rico            22       15       2      53.8%  25.0%   4        4      1       +18
• Aug 12       Slovenia                              15       4                                 1                          + 16
• Aug 13       Spain                                      9       7                                 1                          + 11
• Aug 18       Greece                    17        21       4      50.0%  66.7%   1        1       0     + 19
• Aug 20       Germany               34        34       6      61.9%  50.0%   2        0       2     + 37
• Exhibition Average                 24       18.8    4.6                46.6%  1.8     1      0.6  + 20
  
• Aug 26       Team New Zealand – Round 1
• Aug 28       Team Greece – Round 1
• Aug 30        Team Jordan – Round 1

As you can see, he has been playing very well. And he has been getting better with each game. So it should come as no surprise to learn that he carried Team USA in a come-from-behind win over Team Germany in the fifth and final exhibition game.

What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a’ happening . . .

At one point in the fifth and final exhibition game against Team Germany, Team USA trailed by 16 points. But Team USA closed the gap in the third quarter, setting up Anthony Edwards and his game-winning heroics.

It’s the type of game that transforms a very good player, perhaps even an elite NBA player, into a standard bearer for the future. And it’s the type of performance that makes the NBA sit up and take notice:

And there is more. NBA pundits, insiders, and analysts could not help but notice and were swiftly typing out their excitement on social media afterward.

But it did not stop there. Even NBA players sat up and took notice like this social media shout-out by LeBron James over Edwards’s performance:

As did the Associated Press NBA writer Tim Reynolds:

That’s a lot of praise for the Timberwolves All-Star shooting guard. But you may need to sit down for the next endorsement. The Great One speaks to Minnesota Timberwolves fans, and you will definitely want to read what he has to say:

The Great One speaks

But nothing is written in stone until The Great One, Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Garnett, weighs into the conversation. Greatness recognizes greatness, and the truth is that while Kevin Garnett was always in a position to perform at an elite level in the NBA, he pushed himself to do more. It was his resolve that carried him to the NBA Championships, albeit for another NBA team.

Now, the sage legend himself recognizes those qualities in a young Timberwolves player. And in one social media message, he has anointed Anthony Edwards to be destined for great things in the NBA:

Social media is abuzz about the incredible performance of Anthony Edwards, a young 22-year-old who placed the fortune of Team USA and the outcome of the game on his back.

More than a shot-chucker, Ant-Man can defend as well

And deservedly so. Not only did Anthony Edwards put up a ton of points, but he was vital in defending Germany’s best player:

Right now, Anthony Edwards is standing smack dab in center stage under a huge spotlight. And that is not just very good news for Edwards but is excellent news for the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves future.

With his stock rising rapidly, Edwards’s reputation among NBA players could serve to attract future free agents to the Timberwolves roster down the road. After all, who wouldn’t want to hitch their wagon to an NBA rising star?

Ant-Man. Captain America. Thor, God of Thunder. The Incredible Hulk. Whatever Marvel Superhero you use to describe Minnesota Timberwolves star shooting guard Anthony Edwards’s heroics on Team USA is probably underselling his impact. But don’t take my word for it . . .

Just ask LeBron James.