Even though he just turned 24, Anthony Edwards already has a few phenomenal seasons in the Association behind him.
He has led the Minnesota Timberwolves to back-to-back Western Conference finals, which was their first appearance at that stage of the postseason after 20 years and the Kevin Garnett era.
On top of that, he had a rough summer in 2023 with Team USA where he didn't win the gold during the FIBA World Cup (USA finished fourth), but he made up for it by going all the way at the 2024 Olympics.
Although he is still young enough not to face heavy expectations, back-to-back losses in the WCF, as The Athletic insider Jon Krawczynski reveals, have impacted the way the public looks at Ant today.
"He has been off the social media grid and working on his game. He hasn't had any international play this summer for the first time in a couple of years, which I think has allowed him to buckle down," Krawczynski said .
"He was pretty forthright after the loss to the Thunder in the Western Conference finals that he's still got a big step to make to get to the level of a Shai, or a Luka. I think he still came into the summer believing it was a little too easy to take him away from the game," he stated.
Although Ant often positions himself in statements as if he is already the best player in the league, it's clear that he has also realized that if he wants to reach the level of superstars like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , he will have to fully dedicate himself to his game and remove all off-court distractions.
Edwards is already extremely committed, with constant progress season after season on both ends of the floor, it's obvious that in order to battle with the biggest rivals he still has to work on certain details. Iman Shumpert implored Edwards to add one key aspect to his game so he can become truly unstoppable .
"I just need him to learn how to play back-to-the-basket so he can get to the playoffs. He'll understand how important that is," said Shumpert.
The impression really is that players like Luka and Shai don't have weaknesses in their game offensively and their impact, where they absolutely do everything for their team and the whole system is built around them, lifts their squads to the highest level.
But it's also important to remember that Anthony just turned 24 and he is already considered one of the best players in the league, which clearly suggests he has an enormous ceiling.
He is also seen as the new face of the new wave of U.S. players and although over the years there have been other great names like Ja Morant and Zion Williamson, none of them have shown the same commitment to the game as Edwards, who truly has that something extra in him.
The very fact that he stepped away from everything that could distract him this summer is proof enough that he is ready for the highest goals.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
