As good as Anthony Edwards has been, he’s still just 24 years old. Becoming an even better player certainly isn’t out of the equation. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has finished seventh in MVP voting each of the last two years. Can he take a step forward and become a top contender for the award in 2025-26?
Along with team success, there’s a key area of growth needed to be seen from him, where he can then throw his name into the mix. Edwards' first chance to do so comes on October 22 in the regular season opener against the Trail Blazers.
Can Anthony Edwards win MVP?
On Tuesday’s episode of The Athletic NBA Daily podcast, they talked about their award predictions, including who will win MVP. Es Baraheni brought up Anthony Edwards’ name and outlined how he could potentially win the award.
" I think this could be a year where he ends up stepping up as a playmaker for the Timberwolves, Baraheni said. Everybody sort of counts out the Timberwolves too, so narrative-wise, it feels like if they end up as a top-3 seed in the West, people will point to Ant as the reason for that. Look, if he leads the league in scoring, he’s efficient, his assists go up, he’s still shooting the ball very well, the pull-up jumper is still there, there’s a pretty clear path for Ant to win MVP this season."
As good as Edwards was last season, he saw his assists decrease and his turnovers (barely) go up when compared to 2023-24. The five-year player went from averaging 5.1 to 4.5 assists and from 3.1 to 3.2 turnovers. He has shown more playmaking during the postseason when defenses focus even more of their energy on him. Edwards averaged 5.5 assists in last season’s playoffs and 6.5 the year before.
Last year’s scoring champion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, won MVP with a scoring average of 32.7 points. While Edwards finished fourth, he was more than five points behind at 27.6.
Edwards has the sixth-best MVP odds in 2025-26
According to most betting sportsbooks, there are three clear favorites to win MVP in 2025-26. They are Nikola Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic. DraftKings Sportsbook currently has its odds at +220, +275, and +380, respectively.
There is a fairly large drop after those three when it comes to their perceived chances of winning MVP. The next tier consists of three players, including Edwards. They are Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1100), Victor Wembanyama (+1500), and Edwards (+2000).
Minnesota getting off to a better start and not taking half a season to find its groove would benefit Edwards’ chances and lower his odds. The Timberwolves were 22-21 through 43 games last year before going 27-12 over their final 39 outings.