The “MVP!” chant has become a staple across most NBA arenas, but you don’t often hear it in Minnesota unless it’s for a visiting player. That’s about to change. Anthony Edwards has come out guns blazing this year, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who handed the Boston Celtics their first defeat of the season on Monday, look like the real deal.
“I love that,” Edwards said of the Target Center MVP chants during his on-court postgame interview. “I love that, I love that.”
What’s not to love? Edwards put up 38 points on Boston, including eight in overtime, as the Wolves, after a shaky start to the season, improved to 4-2 with a 114-109 victory.
Minnesota, beginning with a win over Denver last Wednesday, has now won three straight games, largely on the strength of Edwards and the league’s top-ranked defense, which held the Celtics, the best shooting and overall offensive team in the league, to 39% shooting, including 28% from three-point land.
Edwards, who has been steadily climbing into the ranks of the elite, laid the foundation for this superstar ascension with an alpha showing with Team USA at the World Cup over the summer. He’s carried that over, and it’s more than just the numbers.
He knows the Wolves are now his team.
We know about Edwards’ elite, forceful athleticism. He can create a shot against any defender pretty much on call. His defense has been spectacular this season. Two things were holding him back from being a true MVP level player. The first was his shooting, which has been inefficient through his first three years.
Ironically, he’s been lights out this season from the most inefficient spot on the floor: 54% from the long mid-range prior to Monday, per Cleaning the Glass. Add in his 47% 3-point mark (he was well over 50% until a 2-for-8 night on Monday), and you’ve got an absolute lethal scorer on your hands.
Also, he’s becoming an impact playmaker. He’s recorded at least six assists in four of his six games so far, and, again, more than the numbers, the way he’s using his scoring as a threat…
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