During the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 114:104 win over the Utah Jazz, Wolves’ Anthony Edwards put Jazz’s John Collins on a nasty poster. In a fastbreak situation, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker dished a lovely pass to a cutting Edwards who climbed the ladder over Collins. Considering that Collins hit the floor after the contact, the impact of the dunk rang even louder. While social media was buzzing with the clips of the rip-roaring slam by Edwards, ESPN and Fox Sports also played the dunk over and over again.
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Both ESPN’s ‘First Take’ and FS1’s ‘Undisputed’ discussed this jam while giving the Timberwolves guard the highest of praises. On Skip Bayless’ Undisputed, Paul Pierce was impressed from the distance Anthony Edwards launched his dunk. While comparing the highlight dunks between Jalen Johnson and Anthony Edwards, Pierce pointed out why Edwards’ slam was more impressive,
“Edwards takes off from two feet which is harder to do from a further distance.”
.@paulpierce34 dubs Anthony Edwards’ poster over John Collins the Dunk of the Year
“We’re potentially looking at the face of the league.” pic.twitter.com/7rMXlUqSn9
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 19, 2024
For the Truth, this dunk screamed that Edwards is “potentially” the face of the league. On Stephen A. Smith’s First Take, JJ Redick also reasoned on similar lines and claimed that Edwards has ”got as good of a chance as any American player to be the face of the NBA.” Redick also listed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Wemby as the candidates.
“I think he’s got as good of a chance as any American player to be the face of the NBA.”
—@jj_redick on Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/lL5bEeudBN
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 19, 2024
For the ESPN analyst, during the 2024 playoffs, Shai and Edwards have a huge chance of nabbing the “face of the league” claim. Since Stephen Curry’s Warriors and LeBron James’ Lakers can miss out on a deep postseason run, the window for top teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder opens up further. Whether Edwards’ Wolves make it to at least WCF or not, he has been entertaining NBA fans throughout the season.
Anthony Edwards has stacked a ton of highlight reels
Since the beginning of the season, Anthony Edwards has been at the forefront of NBA highlights. During a heated game against Grizzles in January, Edwards threw a lob to himself. After a couple of between-the-leg moves to reach the free-throw line area, Edwards didn’t get the intended angle to shoot the ball.
Therefore, he threw a pass to the backboard and then caught the volley to finish a mean jam. This self-alley-oop was reminiscent of the ones pulled off by Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. On X, Bleacher Report posted the video of this rare gem.
ANT LOB TO HIMSELF pic.twitter.com/uJNW5RqVar
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 19, 2024
Considering the Timberwolves’ 47-21 record and a high chance of nabbing a top-three berth in the playoffs. They are title contenders and Edwards’ two-way production has aided their efforts. Therefore, the highlight-grabber is well on his way to becoming the face of the league.
Apart from that, his jovial demeanor and easy-going interviews make him likable. Earlier in March, Edwards lamented the lack of attention from the media towards Minnesota, however, the current events prove that the league is taking notice.
