The All-NBA teams are out, and two big names who are still in the NBA Playoffs got rewarded. Fellow 2020 Draftees Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards made the cut. Both stars needed to find their footing first before making a significant impact in the league. Now, the time has come for them to shine. It even looks like a big payday is ahead of them in the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers systems.
Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are going to earn $41 million more on their next contract due to their All-NBA selections, per Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Timberwolves will have to give their star guard a whopping total of $245 million for a span of five years. For the same contract duration, the Pacers will have to dole out $204 million to retain their star player.
A journey of two stars from the Timberwolves and Pacers
These two more than deserve the praise and money that they are getting in the next half-decade. Anthony Edwards entered a Timberwolves team that was looking for structure. Karl-Anthony Towns had been with the squad for a long time but the only success they saw was when Jimmy Butler still suited up for the squad. Ant-Man would then go on to play 302 games and counting to give this organization some life. After averaging 22.9 points on a career 44.6% from the field throughout four years, he finally took a big leap. It took some help from Rudy Gobert, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jaden McDaniels but they got over the hump.
Now, the Timberwolves are just four wins away from giving their team a much-needed first title in franchise history. During this run, Edwards has been churning out phenomenal numbers too. His shots from all three levels of scoring have found the bottom of the net 50.4% of the time to notch 28.9 points on a nightly basis. He also keeps his scoring outbursts infectious as he drops 5.9 assists. Moreover, the on-ball defense he exhibits also nets the Timberwolves 1.7 steals throughout the NBA Playoffs. It's definitely a well-deserved bag.
Tyrese Haliburton, on the other hand, did not enjoy the same linear path as Ant-Man. He was first slated to partner up with De'Aaron Fox in the Sacramento Kings' backcourt but that did not work out. Eventually, he found himself with the Pacers. There he developed an insanely potent two-man game with Myles Turner and helped guys like Ben Sheppard and Benedict Matthurin develop faster. These intangibles have been huge for Rick Carlisle so far because he has a leader on and off the court.
Haliburton's production was also otherworldly throughout the season despite its dip after the All-Star break. He is recording an insane double-double by knocking down 47.7% of his shots to get 20.1 points on a nightly basis. His dime-dropping antics have gotten him 10.9 assists too. While those numbers mellowed down in the Pacers' NBA Playoffs run, his defense vastly improved. He is now stealing the ball by an average of 1.3.
These two are going to have lengthy careers. Everything that they have done so far may prove that this won't be their last All-NBA selection.
Follow Us
Subscribe