Anthony Edwards is enjoying a career-best season in year six with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 24-year-old superstar is averaging a career-high 28.7 points and has blossomed as a mid-range scorer. However, one of his most notable areas of growth over the past few years has been his leadership. During a sit-down interview with Shams Charania, Edwards discussed how playing on Team USA, and Steph Curry specifically, helped him as a leader.
"I think probably being with the USA team, just seeing, like, you know, everybody got their own way of leading, Edwards said. "You gotta learn how to talk to everybody. Some guys you can be super hard on. Some guys, you gotta pull to the side and talk to them one-on-one. So just learning that."
Edwards went on to specifically praise Curry when asked about moments from Team USA that stood out.
"Probably Curry, no matter what, he always stuck with the work, Edwards recalled. "And I think that's what opened my mind to, like, never, never go against the work. Every day after practice, he was always doing the same routine."
Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards for ESPN-ABC NBA Christmas Day:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 24, 2025
- "I would go in the house with my momma and cry all the time. She's like, Man, you got to figure it out"
- Adding to game because of OKC
- Leadership
- Phone on the bench to photograph Steph Curry
- XMas prediction pic.twitter.com/qSi0HcBTTn
Team USA and Curry changed Edwards
Edwards' growth leadership has been evident, as he seems to praise teammates after every game, and during the games, he can be seen talking to his teammates on the court or on the sidelines. This uplifting style of leadership has been a key reason for the Wolves' recent success. Edwards' comment about tailoring his leadership to different players really stood out to me.
In the media, Edwards is giving more thoughtful responses, which also highlight his growth as a leader. My favorite part of Edwards' leadership is that he stays true to his personality. He still has plenty of humor and charisma in his media responses, but it's clear he's thinking about the game and his teammates on a different level.
Undoubtedly, being around other great players on Team USA has helped elevate Edwards' leadership. His leadership started to shine after this Team USA experience. Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant are the three greatest players of this generation. Simply being around these all-time greats helped Edwards.
Edwards' mention of Curry is an interesting one. I don't think it's a coincidence that Ant became one of the league's best shooters after being around Curry for the summer of 2024. In the 2023-24 season, Edwards shot 35.7 percent on 6.7 3-pointers per game; the following year, he netted 39.5 percent on 10.3 3s. Notably, Edwards led the league in 3-point makes and attempts last season.
As Edwards said, seeing Curry's consistency and routine helped Ant reach another level. Even from a distance, it's easy to see the impact Team USA had on Edwards in 2024.