Entering his sixth season in the league, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards feels poised to take a step up. While Ant has established himself as a clear top-10 player and superstar, he still has another level to reach. Many people believe Edwards will make All-NBA first team for the first time in his career and perhaps even win MVP.
Recently, The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski discussed this possibility.
"Yeah, I think that's what the plan is, Krawczynski said when discussing if this is the year Edwards will have real MVP buzz. I do think we do have to be fair when you're going up against Jokić and Shai. To really be a part of that conversation, it's a high, high bar to clear. Just the numbers that they put up it makes it really tough to crack into the conversation."
Krawczynski did go on to mention that with ample improvements as a playmaker, finisher, mid-range shooter, and defender, along with team success, Edwards could find himself in the MVP mix. Regardless, as Krawczynski noted, it's a tough path.
Winning MVP is an uphill battle, but not impossible for Edwards
Throughout most of the 2020s, Nikola Jokić has dominated the MVP award, winning it three times and finishing within the top two for five straight years. Jokić has averaged nearly a 25-point triple-double over the past five seasons. This season, Jokić has a strong chance to become just the third player in league history to finish in the top two of MVP voting in six straight seasons. With arguably the best roster of his career, who is to say that Jokić won't outright win his fourth MVP?
Then there's Shai, who is the reigning MVP and Finals MVP on a Thunder team that won just shy of 70 wins last season. SGA's 32.7 ppg led the NBA last season. If the Thunder repeat their success from last season, Shai will be in prime position to win back-to-back MVPs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo can never be counted out, and he is set to post mind-boggling numbers on a Milwaukee Bucks squad that lacks surrounding talent. He's not a frontrunner MVP like Jokić or Shai, but if Giannis drags the Bucks to a top-five seed, he could be in play with this award.
Even Luka Dončić could have a rock-solid MVP case if it's paired with team success. The point is that the competition is steep for Edwards. Even if Edwards doesn't win the award, it's fair to expect him to finish higher than he ever has before.
Despite Edwards being seemingly a notch below the tier of Jokić and Shai, it's not impossible that he breaks into legit MVP conversations. To accomplish this lofty goal, Edwards will have to take strides, most notably as a playmaker, and the Wolves will likely need to be a top-three seed.
Overall, while Edwards is facing a challenging field and shouldn't be a clear MVP frontrunner as of now, he may crash the party.