Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards entered the NBA in 2020 with the most unrefined offensive game of any first-overall pick in recent memory, and he has spent five seasons converting raw athleticism into one of the most complete scoring packages in the current league. His averages of 27.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 2024-25 — on 46.3% field goal shooting and 36.8% from three — represent a level of production that most 23-year-olds have not approached in league history.

What makes Edwards compelling from an analytical standpoint is that his improvements have been sequential and consistent: each season has produced meaningful gains in efficiency, shot selection, or distribution. His first season produced 19.3 points per game on 41.3% shooting. Four years later, his shooting percentage had risen 5 percentage points and his scoring volume by 8 points — improvements that suggest a player whose ceiling remains above his current production.

His ability to get to the free throw line — he draws fouls at an elite rate for a wing — and his improving three-point shooting mean defenses face a combination of threats that makes single-coverage inadequate and double-team coverage expensive in terms of open teammate opportunities. The Timberwolves' 2024 run to the Western Conference Finals, with Edwards as the central creative engine, demonstrated that he can sustain his individual production against the league's best defensive preparation.

Edwards attended Georgia for one season before Minnesota selected him 1st overall in 2020. He became the face of a franchise that had been without a signature player for most of its modern history.