Anthony Edwards finally gets his respect in The Ringer's Top 100 rankings

For years, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been looked at as pretenders, even when they had a real, playoff-level squad. The team's irrelevancy for the better part of two decades led many around league circles to brand them as unserious, a viewpoint that was propagated by competitors like Draymond Green.

But at this point, their relevancy is undeniable. The Wolves were knocking on the door in the 2022-23 season, but they were still low enough in the rankings for doubters to have a foothold. Now, they have shown that their process is conducive to a true championship-level team, and their 56-win season followed by a run to the Western Conference Finals proved that.

With their increased success has come more and more believers and less doubters, which probably feels like a foreign concept for many fans in Minnesota. Along with that comes more recognition for not just the team as a whole, but also for individual players and their respective talents. Anthony Edwards would be the most obvious example of this phenomenon.

Recently, The Ringer updated their popular ranking of the Top 100 NBA players. In it, Edwards rose to enter the top ten at number eight.

Anthony Edwards achieved a top 10 ranking on The Ringer's list

Recognizing Ant as a top 10 player in this league is a huge moment as the Timberwolves' train continues to gain speed. Edwards is of course the team's top offensive talent, and he has matured so much in his approach, doing so for the last season and a half alongside the guidance of the elder statesman, Mike Conley.

It is clear that while Wolves fans always knew he deserved this type of recognition earlier, he has also come a long way from the raw, talented youngster that entered the league back in 2020. Just 16 months ago in February of 2023, The Ringer had Ant ranked at number 28, which even at that point felt like a bit of a snub.

As Minnesota continues achieving more and legitimizing themselves as true championship contenders, national media outlets and their rankings will only continue to give Edwards and his teammates the respect they are due.