Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has had an impressive career so far, and he has earned the respect of one of the franchise greats who came before him.
As the NBA regular season winds down, the Minnesota Timberwolves look poised for a playoff push, and though he has missed the team’s last four games, a lot of Minnesota’s success can be credited to the play of Anthony Edwards.
In his sixth NBA season, Edwards is averaging a career-high 29.5 points per game while shooting 40.2% from 3-point range. He is also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists along with 1.4 steals. His level of play has made him one of the best young players in the league, and he recently received praise from another franchise legend: Kevin Garnett.
Praising Edwards
In an exclusive interview with the Timberwolves, Garnett touched on multiple topics and eventually landed on talking about Edwards.
“I like young fella,” Garnett said. “Young fella is a throwback. Young fella could have played in our time. You know, just because you have to be that type of dude.”
Garnett played for the Timberwolves from 1995-2007 before departing for the Boston Celtics. He would end up returning to Minnesota to finish his career via a trade from the Brooklyn Nets in 2015. Across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 season, Garnett appeared in 43 games for the Timberwolves.
Garnett’s career was highly decorated with numerous accolades. He was a former Most Valuable Player Award winner, a 15-time All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA selection, an NBA Champion and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. His resume speaks for itself, and he compared Edwards to some of the greats he played among.
“Matter of fact, Anthony Edwards reminds me of a lot of guys,” Garnett said. "Gary Payton, A.I., Steph. Everybody who you would name has an attitude like that.”
The Right Attitude
To Garnett, Edwards possesses the winning attitude that the aforementioned names harnessed. He also talked about the types of players who worked tirelessly in the gym through multiple daily workouts — putting them in a different echelon of dedication.
“Anthony Edwards has a yesteryear attitude when it comes to competing,” Garnett added. " I say this with respect to today's game, because today's game is a lot more faster, a lot more technical.”
Garnett also emphasized that a player’s desire to prioritize celebrity status over their craft can be a problem, and that playing with an edge and remaining in the gym is what needs to be done.
According to Garnett, Edwards is the type of player a team needs to win, and he was blunt in saying that the next step for Edwards may be uncomfortable in a leadership sense.
The Next Step
“The next steps I see him taking is going to be very uncomfortable for him because it's going to be sometimes he's going to have to say things that are, you know, don't sound right or, you know, don't feel right,” Garnett said. Or just, you know, in the heat of the moment, you know, it comes off how it comes on. But it goes back to that relationship. It goes back to that bond.”
Last season, Edwards led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, where they would end up losing in five games to the soon-to-be NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. With that experience and level of advancement in the playoffs on their resume, Garnett knows they are unafraid of the moment.
“Now,” Garnett said. “You just got to keep adding on to it and just let this whole ball of fire just grow.”