Timberwolves fans have a lot to look forward to in the 2025-26 season. Much of it stems from the greatness of Anthony Edwards. The first overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft has blasted off into the superstar stratosphere. Can Edwards take the mantle of being known as the top American player?
Anthony Edwards is already one of the best American players
On the Game Theory Podcast w/ Sam Vecenie, Vecenie and Bryce Simon discussed the most important players for the 2025-26 season. When Edwards’ name was brought up, Vecenie had this to say:
"Anthony Edwards is like kinda on the precipice right now I think I would argue…(he) has a chance to be the face of the league, has a chance to be a perennial MVP candidate, has a chance to be like the dude for like this era of American basketball."
At just 24 years old, Edwards has already added a lot of bullet points to his resume. He’s the undisputed best player of a Timberwolves team that reached the conference finals for just the second and third times in franchise history the last two years. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has finished seventh in MVP voting and made the All-NBA second team the last two seasons. He has been an All-Star the last three years and led the league in three-pointers made in 2024-25.
At his young age and still likely not at the apex of his career, it’s reasonable to believe that he should be in the MVP conversation yearly as well as arguably the top American player.
Vecenie mentions how other contenders for the top American, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, are out for the season. While Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James are still productive, they will be 37, 37, and 40 years old, respectively, when the 2025-26 season tips off. Other contenders for the top American include Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson.
MVP has been dominated by international players
For a long time, if an NBA player was considered the best American, that coincided with him also being the best overall player. That is no longer the case.
As a matter of fact, the last seven MVP winners were born outside the United States (Nikola Jokic three times, Giannis Antetokounmpo twice, Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once apiece). The last American to win MVP was James Harden with the Rockets in 2017-18.
Still, being considered the top American player is quite the honor. Another lengthy playoff run, with this one perhaps seeing Minnesota make its first NBA Finals, would make Edwards’ case that much stronger. At that point, the word American could possibly even be removed, and Ant-Man could be in the running for the best player, period.