As we continue with our top 25 rankings, we arrive at Anthony Edwards. The dynamic Minnesota Timberwolves star shot up the rankings after a stellar season and impressive postseason run. Let’s analyze Edwards’ game and his spot on the list.
Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 7 – Anthony Edwards
A Rising Superstar
At 23-years-old Edwards is a rising superstar and future face of the league. Edwards is one of the league’s best athletes and has a walking highlight reel with stunning posterizing dunks. He pairs this with elite isolation scoring and lockdown defense. This skill set makes Edwards one of the NBA’s best two-way stars. Edwards also has a rare, unshakeable confidence and is already one of the best leaders in basketball. In his young career, Edwards has had an impressive amount of success, culminating in an incredible 2023-24 campaign.
Season Recap
This past season, Edwards led the Timberwolves to a surprise 3-seed far exceeding their preseason projection of 44.5 wins. Edwards averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 46.1/35.7/83.6 shooting splits. Impressively, Edwards ranked in the 93rd percentile for offensive plus/minus and the 95th percentile for overall plus/minus. Notably, Edwards was named to second-team All-NBA and finished seventh in MVP voting. His season consisted of several highlight dunks, including an absurd poster over John Collins.
Edwards’ play is especially impressive, considering the lack of secondary creation on Minnesota’s roster. Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid off the bench were the only consistent scorers next to Edwards. However, Edwards truly shined this season in the playoffs, posting averages of 27.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists on 48.1/40/81.4 shooting splits. Edwards led the Timberwolves to a surprising first-round sweep over the Phoenix Suns, taking down stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the process. Edwards had some truly incredible moments in this series including a 40-point close-out game, a highlight dunk, over KD, and an iconic celebration.
He followed this up by taking down the defending champion Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Edwards had two more 40-plus point performances in this series and led the Timberwolves to a surprising comeback in Game 7. While the Timberwolves lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals, Edwards’ playoffs were memorable and highly impressive.
Most 40-point playoff games before turning 23:
5 — Luka Doncic
4 — Anthony Edwards
3 — Kevin Durant
3 — LeBron James
3 — Amar’e Stoudemire pic.twitter.com/pwgie6jBIS— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 13, 2024
Season Outlook
The Timberwolves made a shocking trade by trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. While Randle doesn’t offer the same floor spacing as Towns, he is still a high-quality second option and prolific scorer. DiVincenzo provides extra floor spacing and shot creation off the bench. Entering his fifth season, it’s fair to expect Edwards to make another jump. Whether that jump involves a raw scoring jump or subtle improvements as a playmaker or defender remains to be seen. The Timberwolves project to be a top-three seed in the West. If they can challenge the ultra-talented Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed, Edwards could be a legitimate MVP candidate.
The Last Word
Some may argue that seven is too high for Ant. However, his incredible playoff run, paired with the lack of offensive talent around him, justifies his ranking. Yes, Minnesota had the league’s best defense, which certainly helped them beat the Suns and Nuggets. But make no mistake, Edwards was the main reason the Wolves made it to the conference finals, and his ranking needs to be elevated because of this. Ultimately, what Edwards has accomplished at his young age and his ability to lead an offense is truly remarkable he will only continue to rise in the rankings.
Keep up with our top 25 list here.
