Anthony Edwards is already drawing serious MVP buzz, and the NBA’s decision-makers are not exactly shy about it.
In the annual NBA GM survey, the Minnesota Timberwolves came away with plenty of praise. General managers projected them to finish third in the Western Conference, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. They also picked Minnesota as the most fun team in the league to watch.
But the biggest signal for the Wolves came on the individual side. GMs listed Edwards as the third most likely player in the NBA to win MVP, slotting him ahead of last year’s back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum. Only Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic were ranked above him.
That kind of placement is a loud vote of confidence, and it raises a real question: why shouldn’t Edwards be in the mix?
For most of his career, MVP talk around Edwards has run into the same wall. The Wolves simply haven’t had enough regular-season wins to put him in the center of the race.
That usually matters a lot. Unless a player is piling up absurd box-score numbers, it’s tough for someone on a six-seed to climb very far in MVP voting.
This season looks different.
Edwards finally has a true point guard next to him, someone who can shoulder some of the offensive burden and help create easier scoring chances. He should also benefit from LaMelo Ball getting him open looks.
Last season, Edwards shot 47.8 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, per NBA.com, but Minnesota didn’t have enough playmaking around him to generate those chances consistently. That part of the equation has changed.
Ball’s presence does more than just simplify life on offense for Edwards. It can also help him stay more engaged and more effective on the defensive end, giving him a chance to make a steadier overall impact.
The roster around him also points toward more wins in the regular season, and that matters just as much as any highlight reel or scoring burst. Minnesota has only had one MVP winner in franchise history, Kevin Garnett in the 2003-04 season.
The race is crowded and the talent at the top is fierce, but the belief in Edwards is clearly real. If the Timberwolves perform the way the GM survey suggests they can, Edwards has a legitimate path to bringing the MVP trophy back to Minnesota for the first time in over 20 years.
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