Anthony Edwards Reminded NBA World vs Grizzlies That He is the Future

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Credit: Photo: Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards is sending shockwaves around the league this season, having guided the Minnesota Timberwolves to 30 victories, making them the fastest Western Conference team to reach that milestone this season.

Related: Chris Finch, Timberwolves Believe They Have Their Mojo Back

But Ant grabbed the attention of the entire NBA world during the 2nd half of Tuesday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, which was broadcast nationally on TNT and even had legendary, yet familiar voice, Kevin Harlan, calling the shots.

Edwards had a rough first half, totalling only 2 points through the first two quarters. Losing to a very short-handed Grizzlies team, a team many are calling the “G League Grizzlies”, given most of their starters are out with injuries. But Kyle Anderson got in Edwards’ face at halftime and challenged him to prove he’s the superstar he thinks he is.

Anthony Edwards Erupts in 2nd Half

So, that’s exactly what Ant did. He flipped the switch and dropped 26 points, 4 assists and snagged a steal. The Wolves pulled away in the 4th quarter and Edwards had a handful of highlights that left everyone watching, both in the stadium and on TV, in utter astonishment. The Grizz hung tough, but even on a night where they didn’t play well, Minnesota was able to give the ball to Ant late and let him cook, something this franchise has never, ever had.

The unassisted alley-oop EVERYONE is talking about

But there is one Anthony Edwards highlight from Thursday that stands out among the rest, a dunk that Ant has already dubbed his greatest ever. With two minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Edwards was working Xavier Tillman one-on-one from the top of the key down the free throw line.

He went through the legs and stepped it back with the intentions of rising up for a mid-range jumper, something he’s added to his game in 2023-24. When Tillman played it better than expected, Ant decided on the fly, to keep his feet on the floor.

He pumped, let Tillman fly past him, threw the ball off the backboard, followed it to the rim, rose up and powered it home. Late night basketball Twitter went nuts.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves schedule 2023-24 TV, channel, and more

This is only the 3rd nationally televised game the Timberwolves have played in this season and, much like Bill Simmons last week, every basketball fan who watches this team wants more Wolves in their life. are calling for more.

ESPN icon Stephen A. Smith doesn’t like the cold but he’d make the trip to watch Ant. Add Stephen A. to the list of big time basketball national media members advocating for the Timberwolves to get more national airtime.

Kendrick Perkins, former NBA player now ESPN analyst, is all in too. Twitter accounts that don’t even speak english but have 100’s of thousands of followers were losing their minds over Edwards’ play. If you were a big time national sports media account or basketball personality and you weren’t on social media posting about Ant then do you even exist?

Related: Timberwolves Depth Chart and Injury Report – 2024

Edwards Admits He Was “BS’ing” During First Half

Ernie Johnson and the rest of the NBA on TNT crew had the chance to interview Edwards after the Minnesota Timberwolves victory. In the 3-minute chat, Ant admitted he came out slow and wasn’t ready to play during first half. He knew if he didn’t turn it on the second half, the Wolves would probably lose.

After a Kyle Anderson pep talk, Edwards knew he had to stop “BS-ing” and carry his team to victory. What was his plan to attack the Grizz? Well… when nobody can guard you, and you know it, a plan isn’t really needed.

“I just came out slow, man. I just wasn’t ready to play tonight and I saw that if I didn’t bring it in the 2nd half we wasn’t gonna be able to win that game so I decided to just pick it up. I wasn’t ready to play earlier so I had to find it.”

“I know nobody on the other side of the court really could, you know, stay in front of me or guard me so I knew I was just BS-ing down here. So pretty much that’s it. I knew nobody could guard me so I just took it upon myself to figure it out.”

Only Anthony Edwards could admit on national TV that he he didn’t care about a game until halftime and get away with it. Dude is just untouchable right now, both on and off the court. Check out the legendary interview below.

The Timberwolves improved to 30-11, becoming the first team in the Western conference to hit 30 wins. With still 43 games left, the Wolves have a chance to keep winning and keep impressing fans around the world. Along with 8 more nationally televised games it will allow many to watch the Timberwolves close the curtain on a very historic season.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves Contracts and Salary Cap 2023-24

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