These last few games have Minnesota Timberwolves fans (myself included) questioning a lot of things. But as a collective, we can all agree that Anthony Edwards is as big a reason as any to have hope in this team and where it's going.
He's been a clear top-five player in the league this season (in my opinion), and on some nights, he looks like the most unstoppable player in the sport. We've seen them hit their stride in the playoffs two years in a row on Edwards' back, and while the circumstances this year are a little more frustrating, I'm not ruling it out that it can happen again.
Anthony Edwards is in the midst of a career year
The trend that Anthony Edwards has gotten better each year of his career has stayed true this year. He's currently averaging 29.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He's averaging career-high numbers while also shooting career highs from the field and from 3-point range.
To add to this, he's also a favorite to win the Clutch Player of the Year award. In the past, he had struggled with late-game situations, often forcing himself to play hero-ball, and leading to bad shots, turnovers, or grenade passes to teammates.
This year, though, he's been unguardable in the clutch, and he's bailed out the Wolves numerous times with incredible shotmaking and the kind of complete game takeover you usually only see in NBA2K.
Why Ant can single handedly give Timberwolves fans hope
Anthony Edwards is one of the few players in the league where you say, "As long as he is on your roster, you have a chance." We've seen him go blow-for-blow with MVPs like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, and all-time greats like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
While this year has been frustrating in terms of roster construction and coaching, Anthony Edwards has not been one of those frustrations. He's playing the best basketball of his career at the perfect time -- winning a championship takes a lot of skill, hard work, and resiliency, but also a little luck.
In recent years, Edwards has had a trend of getting revenge on the team or player that eliminated him in the year prior. Last year, it was Luka Doncic, and the year before it was the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. Who's to say there isn't a possibility of that happening again this year if the Wolves rematch with the Oklahoma City Thunder?
It's been a rocky couple of games at a rather inconvenient time, but if history tells me anything, I'm betting on Anthony Edwards every time, and Timberwolves fans would be wise to hold out hope and do the same.