Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come

In the bronze medal game at the FIBA World Cup, Anthony Edwards and Team USA suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Team Canada on Sunday. Their loss marked the first time since 1994 that the US has not medaled in back-to-back World Cups.

It was a disappointing ending to a rather frustrating international campaign for the US. While not all the best American players were competing, many still thought they had a chance at gold. But even despite their shortcomings, there is still much to be proud of for fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Anthony Edwards put up a virtuosic performance over the last few weeks for the United States. Not only did his inspired play draw comparisons to some NBA legends, but his newest accomplishment is one that undoubtedly bodes well for the future. When the FIBA World Cup announced their All-Star Five at the conclusion of the tournament, Edwards was among the five players honored.

Anthony Edwards was honored among the World Cup’s All-Star five

Alongside Edwards were four other NBA players on the All-Star five. Going into the tournament, many expected Ant to be the USA’s best player. But now that the work has been done and the World Cup finished, it is clear to see that those expectations were more than warranted.

From day one, this experience of representing the United States at the World Cup was a fantastic opportunity for Edwards to take on a leadership role and continue to grow his game. We can say with certainty that he accomplished both those tasks over the last several weeks with the US national team.

Edwards has spoken about how he was excited to compete with the US in part because of past players like his favorite competitor, Kevin Durant, who also embraced the challenge. Ant clearly took the mantle with pride and poured his heart and soul into being his best for the United States.

As such, he earned one of the highest individual honors possible, and set himself on an even better path going forward with the Timberwolves.

Ranking the 8 worst Timberwolves starters of the Karl-Anthony Towns era

Over the eight years Karl-Anthony Towns has been with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he has started alongside some less than desirable teammates.