Anthony Edwards is quietly moving up the ranks of shooting guards in the NBA this season. He’s averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 Rebs, and 5.3 assists per game. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 31-13 and tied for 1st in the West. Anthony Edwards has been a big part of their early success. But how did we get to this point? Where did Edwards get his start? This is the come-up story of Anthony Edwards.
Anthony Edwards – Early Life and High School Basketball
The story of Anthony Edwards starts on August 5th, 2001, in Atlanta, Georgia. Edwards had a rough childhood as his grandmother and mother died from cancer early in his 8th-grade year in 2015. After that, he was raised mostly by his brother and sister. He was always an athlete growing up and he started his basketball journey at Therrell High School. Edwards wears the number 5 to honor his grandmother and mother because they both passed away on the fifth of the month.
Once Edwards started to see success, he transferred to Holy Spirit Prep School. By the end of Edward’s senior season, he averaged 29 points, nine rebounds, and two assists per game. Edwards was a consensus 5-star recruit, 4th on the ESPN top 100, a McDonald’s American, USA Today All USA first team, and a member of the Jordan brand classic. Scouts were drooling at his high levels of athleticism and shotmaking. As a result, he was offered by most blue blood schools, such as Kentucky and UNC.
He also received offers from Florida St. and Kansas, but Edwards decided to sign with the Georgia Bulldogs for a few reasons. One, it was close to home; two, he wanted to play for head coach Tom Crean, who coached two of his favorite players: Victor Oladipo and Dwayne Wade. It was an easy decision for Edwards.
College Basketball at Georgia
In his freshman season at Georgia, Edwards lived up to the hype. In 32 games, he averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He scored 24 points during his debut, grabbed 9 boards, and had 4 steals. His 24 points were the most scored in a debut game at Georgia since Dominique Wilkins.
At the Maui Invitational against 3rd ranked Michigan State, Edwards posted 37 points, including 33 in the second half, 6 boards, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in a close loss. He scored 30 points three times that season and was the leader in the entire SEC in field goal attempts with 505. Unfortunately for Edwards and all college basketball athletes that year, the NCAA tournament was canceled, so he was not able to show his skills on the biggest stage.
When his freshman season was all said and done, Edwards was awarded the SEC Rookie of the Year, was second team all SEC, and was a finalist for the Jerry West Award, which is given to the best shooting guard in the nation. He was a consensus top 2 pick in the NBA draft and decided to declare for the draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves made him the first player from Georgia to be selected number 1 overall in the NBA draft.
NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves
In Minnesota, Edwards was given the starting role very early in his career, but in his debut, he had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 25 mins of action. After his rookie season, everyone could see the potential. He scored a career-high 42 points against the Phoenix Suns and averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 boards, and 2.9 assists for the season. This was good enough to earn him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. Edwards, unfortunately, came up just short of the ROY Award, which was given to Lamelo Ball.
In his second season, Edwards improved his numbers with averages of 21.3 points, 4.8 boards, and 3.8 assists per game. It was in the playoffs when he started to show that he was, indeed, that guy. In his first-ever playoff game, Edwards scored 36 points. This allowed him to tie for 4th all-time in points scored in a first playoff game. He is tied for the youngest player on that list with Derrick Rose. Although the Wolves lost in 6 games to the Grizzlies, Edwards had himself a great series. He averaged 25.1 points, 4.2 boards, and 3.0 assists per game and shot 40.4 percent from deep, putting the rest of the league on notice.
Last season, Edwards made the leap and was named an NBA All-Star. He increased his numbers with averages of 24.6 points, 5.8 boards, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He scored a season-high 44 points against the Rockets and scored 30 or more 24 times this season. This put him amongst the top scorers in the league. Edwards once again upped his level of play in the playoffs against the Nuggets. He averaged 31.6 points, 5.2 boards, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 2 blocks a game.
Anthony Edward’s Future is Bright
There is no reason why Edwards won’t continue to improve his numbers and become a perennial all-star for years to come. He should be talked about as either the top SG or in the top 3 SGs in the Western Conference or the league in a few years.