Anthony Edwards is one of the best players in the NBA. At just 25 years of age, Edwards has turned himself into one of the most prominent scorers the league has to offer. And while he’s carried his Minnesota Timberwolves to the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, the four-time NBA All-Star presumably wants more.
The Timberwolves will have a bit of a new look this coming season. After trading for point guard, LaMelo Ball, Edwards now has another exciting young player by his side. Ball, just 24 years old, has averaged at least 7.0 assists per game in five straight seasons.
The talented passer should allow Edwards to slide permanently into his more natural position of shooting guard. Even without a steady point guard by his side, Edwards still managed to finish third in the league in scoring last season (28.8 points per game), behind only Luka Doncic (33.5) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.1).
Kendrick Perkins Has High Hopes For Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball
Many NBA pundits have high hopes for the Timberwolves this upcoming season. And none appear to think more highly of the backcourt-duo of Edwards and Ball than ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins.
“I expect Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball to be the best backcourt in the NBA,” Perkins said of Edwards and Ball teaming up this season.
On Wednesday, Perkins made an appearance on ESPN’s ‘NBA Today’. He was asked what he believes the ceiling is for the new tandem of Edwards and Ball in Minnesota this season.
“They can reach the NBA Finals to be honest…I expect Anthony Edwards to have an MVP type season and to lead the league in scoring, just off of being able to play his natural position at the two-guard. Do we realize that “Ant Man” over the last two seasons, has made 525 3-point shots, and a lot of them has been self-created. And now all of a sudden, he gets an opportunity to play with someone like LaMelo, who’s going to set the table like he did for the guy who led the league in made 3-pointers last season like Kon Kneuppel,” Perkins said.
LaMelo Ball Facilitated 3-Point History Last Season
Playing in 72 games for the Charlotte Hornets last season, Ball averaged 7.1 assists per game. To Perkins’ point, Ball helped “set the table” for rookie sensation, (Kon) Kneuppel, who smashed the record for most made 3-pointers in a season by a rookie (273). The previous record was held by Keegan Murray with 206 made 3-pointers.
Not only did Kneuppel break the rookie-record, he led the league in made 3-pointers last season. And while his teammate, Ball, finished just one made 3-pointer behind Kneuppel (272), he primarily played the role of facilitator. Perkins believes he will do the same for his new teammate, Edwards, this season.
Ball was traded from the Hornets to the Timberwolves, in a four-team trade, on July 10. Julius Randle and Naz Reid were sent to the Brooklyn Nets and Reid to the Hornets, respectively, but Ball was the major haul in this deal.
Time will tell how the new-look Timberwolves will fare, but Perkins certainly appears to be all-in on this backcourt-duo. Not every outlet is as high on Edwards as Perkins though. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Edwards is just the seventh-favorite to win the NBA MVP award this season (plus-2000).
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