Many feel Anthony Edwards has the potential to become the next face of the NBA and American basketball. And that may very well have happened earlier this year had the Minnesota Timberwolves not run into the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
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Edwards, 24, has earned a “legend killer” reputation of sorts, having defeated all of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry in the playoffs over the last couple of seasons. But while facing stars of his generation — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams — Edwards has fallen short.
Off the grid after the loss to OKC in the playoffs, Edwards is looking to return stronger than ever. And, according to Jon Krawczynski, the coming season will see a more determined version of Edwards, as this is the first time in two years he didn’t have to focus on Team U.S.A. basketball over the summer break.
“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 [Doncic],” Krawczynski said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“I think he still came into the summer believing it was a little too easy to take him away from the game,” he added.
Edwards apparently has now worked on parts of his game that will take him to another level. The guard, according to a Timberwolves insider, spent a lot of time over the summer learning how to be more efficient against elite defenses.
To be fair, Edwards hasn’t experienced huge drop-offs in the Western Conference Finals in 2024 (against the Dallas Mavericks) or 2025, averaging around 24 points per game. But unlocking that ‘something extra’ means reaching a level where you’re considered one of the best in the league and a true nightmare for defenders to match up against.
That’s exactly where Edwards wants to be. Then there is this added dimension of assuming a more leadership role in the team ranks.
“He came into the summer believing it was a little too easy to take him away from the game.”@JonKrawczynski tells @TheJaxShow and @DarthAmin Anthony Edwards is putting in the work this offseason to become an even tougher player to defend. pic.twitter.com/YoXgim26Wo
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 14, 2025
“There are reports that he’s become a pretty vocal leader, and these guys focused on taking the final step after getting bounced, kind of embarrassingly, in the Western Conference Finals in the last two years,” Krawczynski added.
Minnesota lost in a gentleman’s sweep in both 2024 and 2025. That’s something the team will be looking to change heading into the 2025–26 season.
Edwards will once again be looked at as the main man. Considering how locked in he has been over the past few weeks, as evidenced by his absence from social media, it certainly looks like things are starting to change.
