There has been much recent discussion about Anthony Edwards and whether he will finish his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But regardless of that future outcome, the fact remains that he is one of the top young players in the league today.
At just 22 years old, Edwards is already one of the top shooting guards in the game with a decent amount of room for improvement as well. Austin Rivers, who was on the Timberwolves’ roster last season, recently went on popular NBA analyst Bill Simmons’ podcast and shared some of his experiences playing with Edwards.
Rivers and Simmons talked about Anthony Edwards’ game, and both echoed Erik Spoelstra’s bold comparison between him and Dwyane Wade. But perhaps the most interesting part of their discussion came when Rivers shared a mildly hot take: he does not believe Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns work out together enough.
Rivers’ take came at the point in the discussion where the two were going over Ant’s teammates and talking about what kind of players fit best next to him. He explained that it was something he had shared with Edwards privately as well.
Austin Rivers says Ant and KAT do not work out together enough
It is easy to misunderstand Rivers’ words, but I believe he did not intend to make a direct callout towards Edwards and Towns. Rather, he was directing at his two former teammates a larger criticism he has for star teammates around the league.
One way Rivers backed up his argument was by pointing out the fact that we as viewers of the game typically see workout videos throughout the offseason and even during the season. But rarely do we see film of two marquee stars putting in work together and growing alongside each other.
As someone who has played with the superstar tandem in Denver that just took home the NBA championship, Austin Rivers also used Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic as an example. He explained that their top notch chemistry is part of what makes them so effective.
“Have you seen what (Murray) and (Jokic) have going on?” asked Rivers. “That is so fun to watch because they’re so good together. If Karl and Ant could tap in to that to where they start trusting and trying to help each other, they’ll both be better.”
This is certainly an interesting perspective from a current player who has seen the winning strategies of champions and wants to see his former Timberwolves teammates adopt them as well.