Official Anthony Edwards Thread

[UnFadeable21]

Everyone knows I wanted Ball but I hope Edwards balls out for us.

[Neeva]

No surprise Rosas had him as his number one,his explosiveness is super star material just needs to workhard, play hard every time, improve his three point shot.

[UnFadeable21]

Ant Man Scouting Report

ESPN+ Draft Express

6-3 measured - 6’5 in shoes
225lbs

Strengths

- Powerful guard with elite length and explosiveness. Tough to contain, especially in transition. Strong first step and bouncy off one or two feet in space. Embraces contact in the paint.

- Three-level scorer who can function on or off the ball. Capable shooter with his feet set but most intriguing with the ball in his hands. Made 42 pull-up jumpers in 32 games, regularly elevating over the top of defenders with ease. Can splash a pull-up 3 if the defense goes under, rise up in midrange spots or use his strength and explosiveness to get all the way to the rim in a straight line. Shows potential as a facilitator, particularly in the open court.

- Strength, length and quickness to be a lockdown defender who can check three positions at the NBA level. Doesn't always buy in on that end but has shown glimpses. Can sit down and slide. Has the tools to make plays off the ball.

Improvement areas

- Still learning how to play on both ends. Decision-making is a work in progress. Tends to settle for contested jumpers rather than using his physicality to get all the way to the rim. Still learning how to play with elite players. Reputation for inconsistency in his production.

- Streaky perimeter shooter. Shot 29.1% from 3 on 237 attempts at Georgia.

- Undisciplined defender who isn't always engaged. Motor and intensity on that end fluctuates. Completely upright in his stance at times.

Projected role: Star scoring guard

--Mike Schmitz

Post-Draft Analysis
The Timberwolves went through a long and odious journey in researching every detail under the sun with at least a half dozen prospects before electing to make this pick, leaving no stone unturned in the process. They kept their intentions perfectly masked from their colleagues in the NBA, fans and media alike, in a way we haven't seen since Anthony Bennett went No. 1 in the 2013 NBA draft, which they hope this No. 1 pick doesn't share many more parallels with in terms of bust potential.

In the end, they decided to play it "safe" and make the pick that made the most sense from a positional standpoint in Anthony Edwards. This helped avoid any potential tension with incumbent primary ball handler D'Angelo Russell and, by extension, Russell's good friend Karl-Anthony Towns. Edwards brings both explosive scoring instincts and ideal physical tools.

The Timberwolves will need to surround him with the right type of talent and coaching staff to develop his immense talent and ensure he reaches his full potential. -- Jonathan Givony

[Baseline81]

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[Baseline81]

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[theGreatRC]

This edit is dope:

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Also, this picture makes me incredibly sad. No one should have to lose their mom that young & he lost both of his mother figures...go be great Ant Man!

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[Neeva]

It is sad and yet he was the only player in first round that didn’t burst into tears (it seemed like). I can’t wait to see him play.

[D1SGRUNTL3D]

Let’s get it. This dude has amazing form on his shot. He’s got some mid air kick thing that I believe will be corrected but other than that, it’s smooth as butter. I hope With playmakers like Ricky and DLO along with KAT, he’ll be able to get off quality open 3s or drive to the basket with ease...and not resort to contested ugly shots because he was the only player other teams had to focus on at UGA.

[LibertyPrime]

He's gonna be good. But is he Josh Richardson good or Dwayne Wade good?

[Rookie-Mistake]

Give him the #5. Bye bye Malik.

[GopherIt!]

rosas drafted the two guys with the most screws loose.

[Rookie-Mistake]

Who's the other?

rosas drafted the two guys with the most screws loose.

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[theGreatRC]

Two underrated mentors in all of this; David Vanterpool and Prigioni

Dame and CJ gave DV a ton of props on their development...especially Dame who said DV taught him how to be a leader from day 1.

DLO gave Pablo a ton of props for being in his ear all the time in Brooklyn

[urinesane]

I hope my pre-draft thoughts on him were wrong.

I do like the situation, if we needed a savior/franchise player with this pick I wouldn't like it at all. Now that they have Ricky to be the leader/balancing force with KAT & DLo, he has to step up his game to be on their levels and won't have anything given to him (unlike most #1s that get starter level playing time no matter what they do their rookie year).

If they truly think Edwards is the best player in the draft, I really hope that him not having to be the man and having this much talent around him will drive him to fulfill his potential.

Honestly though, they could have drafted this Anthony Edwards:



and after hearing that Rubio is coming back I'd still be psyched.

Looking forward to eating a bucket of crow when Edwards turns out to be awesome.

[King Malta]

I hope my pre-draft thoughts on him were wrong.

I do like the situation, if we needed a savior/franchise player with this pick I wouldn't like it at all. Now that they have Ricky to be the leader/balancing force with KAT & DLo, he has to step up his game to be on their levels and won't have anything given to him (unlike most #1s that get starter level playing time no matter what they do their rookie year).

If they truly think Edwards is the best player in the draft, I really hope that him not having to be the man and having this much talent around him will drive him to fulfill his potential.

Honestly though, they could have drafted this Anthony Edwards:



and after hearing that Rubio is coming back I'd still be psyched.

Looking forward to eating a bucket of crow when Edwards turns out to be awesome.

I'm hopeful the situation will allow him to work on improving the little (or less immediately talked about) areas of his game given the lack of expectation on him to carry the team.

With KAT, DLo and Rubio doing the heavy lifting hopefully we see Edwards focus on things like defence, getting to the line, cutting, catch and shoot plays etc. We've all heard the narratives around him making poor decisions due to the nature of his talent in comparison to the teams he's always been on, well that shouldn't be a problem here.

If the team also see it that way and take their time with him, maybe he can truly hit that high ceiling he has.

[FinnTheHuman]

Think we got the best player in the draft. And we got an athlete on the wing who’s strong, that’s refreshing after Wiggins.

[Jedzz]

No surprise Rosas had him as his number one,his explosiveness is super star material just needs to workhard, play hard every time, improve his three point shot.

His three has to instantly rise to near 36% or I would rather they don't let him shoot until it is. cut slash and drive or gtfo

Still thinking they are going to move him plus for Simmons or Harden or someone. When they started adding more picks they made me think they are stacking bodies to include in a deal. At least we don't have long before the season starts and we can see how ugly or great this all looks.

[Jedzz]

and after hearing that Rubio is coming back I'd still be psyched.

If Rosas and crew have proven nothing else, they have at least shown they had a pulse on the fans and how to cover their backs. This move was a good bandaid for me to see. Would have rathered they traded for him by being a part of the original Suns/OKC trade or right after and before this draft and dumping 17 tho.

I would have liked to have seen a forward that is known to shoot well taken at 17 after the Edwards choice at 1. They did grab McDaniels later though and that kid can shoot and more.

[Midw35t]

No surprise Rosas had him as his number one,his explosiveness is super star material just needs to workhard, play hard every time, improve his three point shot.

I hate the idea of taking any player where the caveat is that they need to work hard and play hard.

Not to mention his lackluster 3 point chucking.

Wiseman should have been the choice. We just created a problem with GSW.

[KGdaBom]

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That's what Rosas is claiming. It doesn't seem to fit with our strong efforts to trade the #1 pick though.