Wolves' Anthony Edwards favored by some to win Most Improved Player honors, has the means to win it
By Julian Basena
MINNEAPOLIS -- Anthony Edwards has the makings of a star. He's a showman. He once said he can do it all -- play any sport at a high level. Thankfully for the Timberwolves, basketball happened to be the one that he chose.
For a player of his skill, the accolades are bound to come along with his flashy play. The Most Improved Player award for the 2022-23 season could be his biggest to date.
According to several sportsbooks, Edwards has some of the best odds to take home most improved honors for just the second time in Timberwolves history, (Kevin Love in 2011 was the first). If he does, it will be a natural progression of his already terrific career.
Plenty of players have made their biggest overall improvements from year two to year three, and with Edwards set to be a ripe 21 years of age at the start of the NBA season, the room to grow is significant.
FanDuel, BetMGM, PointsBet and Caesars Sportsbook denoted Edwards as the favorite to win the award.
Rim-rattling posters and his playground exuberance on and off the NBA floor distinguish Edwards plenty as a character, but his burgeoning two-way qualities and his exceptional confidence place him perfectly on a path to athlete stardom.
From year one to year two Edwards went from being an inconsistent, but exciting, rookie to an unshakable number two scoring option on a playoff team. The dunks, three-point barrages came all the same in both years, the only difference, beyond his improved basketball IQ and shot selection, was the stability on the roster.
In Edwards' rookie campaign, the pandemic played a significant role in stagnating his growth and ability to play alongside his teammates, who endured COVID-19 protocols and inactivity on gameday lineups. Injuries that riddled the team in that 2020-21 season had a similar effect.
When things came together in 2021-22 and players became more available for the Wolves, it showed on his statsheet. In his sophomore season, Edwards eclipsed 20 points per game and doubled the amount of 30-point outings from the year prior while also becoming a significantly more efficient finisher and three-point shooter.
Additionally, with surrounding stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell playing some of the finest basketball of their career -- Towns playing the statistical best of his career -- and role players dutifully playing their parts to fill in the spaces, life got easier for Edwards.
With Rudy Gobert now in the fold thanks to a blockbuster trade orchestrated by newly assigned General Manager Tim Connelly things can get even sweeter for Edwards -- and it comes at the cost of losing none of the main starting core and relatively minimal role player help that has already been made up by the signings of Bryn Forbes, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince.
Health and availability is always a looming factor, but the pieces to maximize Edwards' success are certainly readily available and Gobert adds a brand new wrinkle to the Timberwolves and Edwards' development.
Having an automatic shot-swatter in Gobert covering his back will allow Edwards to gamble almost as much as he pleases. Pressing up scorers on the perimeter and jumping the passing lane should be free rein for the star-in-training as long as Gobert patrols the paint.
This will inevitably make defending easier for Edwards if he doesn't make a huge leap as a defender, allowing him to focus more on his showmanship on the offensive side of the court.
For example, something like Ja Morant's game winning layup in a decisive game five last postseason, likely doesn't happen on Gobert's watch. And Edwards' decision to go for the steal looks like less of a poor defensive choice and more of a smart or negligible maneuver if Morant is directed to Gobert at the rim.
Despite hanging around at the top of the charts for Most Improved honors, Edwards has plenty of competition due for their own career breakthroughs. RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson for the Knicks or Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers have a good chance to win the award as well.
For as long as basketball is Edwards' main profession, he can expect the fanfare and the honors that come with the tremendous development. And if he doesn't become the most improved player of next season, he's already positioned himself well to make serious money.
