Anthony Edwards has spent the last couple of seasons circling the same question: what comes next?
The 25-year-old has already reached a level most players never touch, but the MVP conversation keeps following him around. He’s been in that mix before, and even after all the buzz, the result in 2024-25 was “only” an All-NBA Second Team nod.
He also wasn’t award-eligible last season. Still, the path is there, and Minnesota’s reshaped roster may have given him his best shot yet.
The biggest change is the arrival of LaMelo Ball, and that matters because Edwards has been carrying too much for too long. In recent seasons, he’s had to do a heavy lift as both a creator and a playmaker.
Ball should help ease that burden and open the floor for him. That’s where Edwards can really punish teams: last season, he shot 47.8 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, but he only took 2.3 attempts per game.
Julius Randle, in fact, took more catch-and-shoot 3-pointers last season.
If that number climbs, Edwards could take another leap as a scorer. Hitting the 30-point-per-game mark and maybe even leading the league in scoring would put him squarely in the center of the MVP race, especially if Minnesota wins at a high level.
Ball’s presence should also help on the other end. Edwards has been asked to spend so much energy offensively that his defense dipped, and last season was arguably the worst defensive year of his career.
The tools are still all there. He’s already flashed as a point-of-attack defender, and if he can grow into a better on-ball stopper, stay locked in away from the ball, and rebound more aggressively, that would go a long way toward strengthening his case.
That’s the key with Edwards: being a brilliant scorer is not enough on its own. To get to true MVP status, he has to influence the game in more than one way.
Minnesota’s team outlook helps too. MVP winners almost always come from elite regular-season teams, and usually from top-two or top-three seeds.
In the past 40 years, only Russell Westbrook in 2016-17 and Nikola Jokic in 2021-22 won it outside the top three. Edwards already checked that box in 2023-24, but the Wolves finished sixth in each of the past two seasons.
This time, the projection is much higher.
The Spurs and Thunder are obvious obstacles near the top of the West, but Minnesota looks built to rise. The roster now has a point guard who can create for himself and others at a high level, something the Wolves have lacked.
Ball fills that need and could change the shape of the offense. He also fits with Edwards better than Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle did.
Around them, there’s more talent than Edwards has ever had to work with: an actualized version of Jaden McDaniels, a (hopefully) bought-in Jonathan Kuminga, the ageless wonder Rudy Gobert, and a super-sub in Ayo Dosunmu. Add in the pace and identity this group should play with, and this looks like the strongest supporting cast of Edwards’ career.
There’s a counterargument, of course. More talent around him could take some shine off his candidacy.
But voters tend to reward winning, and the league has already shown how much that matters. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won two MVPs with an elite roster around him, and even then, he was clearly the driving force.
That’s the lane Edwards is trying to occupy. Even with the improved talent around him, he would still be the engine for Minnesota.
None of that means the award is his to lose. Far from it.
Victor Wembanyama looms large, and if he plays 65-plus games, he’d be the clear favorite. SGA and Jokic remain annual threats, and voter fatigue could work in Edwards’ favor if Minnesota finishes ahead of the Denver Nuggets or closes the gap with Oklahoma City.
Luka Doncic is another first-time MVP candidate who could get in the way, though Minnesota’s roster may be stronger than the Los Angeles Lakers’ and Edwards’ two-way impact could swing the comparison. Jayson Tatum, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Brunson are in the mix as dark horses too, but the Eastern Conference brings more volatility, and Edwards has a chance to separate himself if he takes the expected step forward.
That’s the opening in front of him now: more help, more freedom, and a team good enough to push him into the center of the league’s biggest individual race.
In Other News...
Joan Beringer Could Fix A Timberwolves Problem Fans Know Too Well
Joan Beringer enters his second season with a clear opening on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster: the chance to handle the minutes behind Rudy Gobert. For a team that has long had to manage the non-Gobert stretches carefully, that matters. Beringers appeal is straightforward enough for a coaching staff to appreciate. He brings athleticism, a promising defensive profile and enough presence around the basket to give Minnesota a different look at center when the starter sits.
The bigger question is how much of that potential shows up right away. Beringer is still a developing player, but his value could reach beyond simple backup duty if his defense translates the way the Wolves hope and his offense adds some easy finish opportunities at the rim. For a team built on making life difficult for opponents, even modest progress there could make a noticeable difference in the minutes that have too often been a soft spot. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Finch Sees One Early Sign Wolves Fans Will Love In LaMelo Ball
As Minnesota settles into the early stages of the season, Chris Finch has been paying close attention to LaMelo Balls fit and, more importantly, to the parts of his game that can sharpen the Timberwolves right away. The coachs perspective matters here because Minnesota is not looking for a reinvention so much as a seamless addition of talent, and Finchs read on Ball has centered on the idea that the guard can bring his usual style without being boxed into something unfamiliar.
The encouraging part for Wolves fans is the way Finch has framed Balls preseason work on the defensive end, where Minnesota has been searching for signs that his tools can translate beyond the highlight plays. With his length and awareness already drawing notice alongside Rudy Gobert, there is at least a real opening for Ball to contribute in a way that fits the Wolves identity, even if the full picture of his role is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Joan Beringer Just Gave Timberwolves Fans A Reason To Watch Him Closely
Joan Beringer gave the Timberwolves a useful look in their preseason meeting with the Bucks, showing why the front office is still intrigued by his long-term upside in the frontcourt. The young big man looked more comfortable as a screener and more dependable around the rim than he did as a rookie, which matters for a Minnesota team that is always searching for size and reliability inside.
The performance also came with a reminder that his development is still a work in progress. Foul trouble clipped his stint and kept him from building on the strong stretches he flashed, leaving the Wolves with the same kind of question they have had around him all along: how quickly can he turn promising tools into something they can count on every night? [Read more 🡒]