There is just over one month remianing in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves may be close to peaking at the right time. They have won three games in a row as of this writing, and have been playing some of their best basketball of the season since Julius Randle returned to the lineup.
When we look at NBA season awards and those leading the race for those accolades, not a lot of Timberwolves players are prominent in the discussions. Rudy Gobert might have an outside chance of snatching a second straight Defensive Player of the Year award, but even that possibility seems extremely slim.
The player on Minnesota's roster that is most relevant in any major season award is probably Anthony Edwards. He is not a leading candidate to contend for MVP by any stretch, largely due to team performance. However, he is still a part of the conversation. Edwards came in at number 10 on the NBA's official MVP tracker this week.
NBA MVP ladder as of 3/7
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Nikola Jokic
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Jayson Tatum
5. LeBron James
6. Jalen Brunson
7. Donovan Mitchell
8. Stephen Curry
9. Cade Cunningham
10. Anthony Edwards
This placement admittedly feels a bit low. These rankings are obviously subjective, and always determined by the personal bias of whoever creates them. But it feels hard to say Edwards should be this low considering the season he has had.
Ant has stepped up massively as a three-point shooter. Confronted with serious spacing issues and a frustrating offensive problem to solve early in the season, he has taken his game to a new level since the start of 2025, and has become arguably the most prolific shooter from beyond the arc in the association. His growth has been notable, and he is doing it while defenses are keyed in on him more than ever, too.
Then there is the aspect of how valuable each of these guys on the MVP ladder are to their team. This of course assumes we are actually judging this award in terms of a player's level of value to their team - to be fair, the definition of the award changes depending on which way the wind blows. But Edwards' play is of supreme value to his team, without question.
The Timberwolves would likely be firmly out of the playoff picture without his services. Tenth place in the ladder feels a little bit disrespectful. But we all know that Ant is not concerned with individual accolades. So no matter where he finishes on this ladder, he just wants to take Minnesota as deep in the playoffs as possible.