Five years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 overall pick. While Edwards was the first overall pick, he was far from a consensus choice. On a recent episode of the Game Theory podcast, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon did a 2020 re-draft. Of course, Edwards still went No. 1 during this re-draft.
However, Vecenie noted that Edwards was originally ranked third on his big board a half-decade ago. During this segment, Vecenie read his original scouting report, which included that Edwards' future comes down to him and how much he is willing to work. Vecenie noted that there were some concerns about whether Edwards truly loved basketball, especially with his open passion for football.
Flash forward five years, and it's safe to say that Edwards has eased these concerns and then some. The Georgia product has led the Wolves to back-to-back conference finals appearances while establishing himself as a consensus top-10 player, perhaps even a top-five player in the league. Accomplishing this before turning 24 is incredibly impressive. Going back to one of the original concerns about Edwards, he plays with an unmatched passion and motor.
Edwards has consistently improved his game and shut down any concerns
While reading his scouting report, Vecenie listed team defense and shot selection as areas of growth. Sure, team defense is still an improvement for Ant, but it's certainly better than it was projected to be back in 2020. As for shot selection, Edwards still takes some difficult shots, but he is one of the best shot makers in the NBA and has become a highly efficient scorer.
Perhaps the most impressive area of growth for Ant has been his 3-point shooting. As a 29.4 percent 3-point shooter in college, becoming one of the NBA's best deep-range shooters seemed unfathomable. Even after four seasons in the league, Edwards was a respectable deep-range shooter, netting 35.3 percent of his outside shots on 7.4 attempts. However, last season Edwards became a deadly outside shooter, leading the league in total 3s (320) while knocking down 39.5 percent of his 10.3 3-point shots per game.
Each year, Edwards has continued to level up and rise up the ranks of the league's best stars. Edwards' growth as a shooter is the best example of his constant improvements and relentless work ethic. These strides might have seemed unlikely during the 2020 draft cycle, but Edwards has unquestionably flipped the perception about him en route to becoming a superstar. Look for Edwards to improve as a playmaker during his age-24 season.
With Edwards leading the way and Julius Randle being an elite second option, the Wolves are well-positioned to make a title run. Undoubtedly, Edwards' elite play and constantly improving skill set are central to the Wolves' success.