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Anthony Edwards has had a strong start to Team USA's FIBA World Cup campaign, putting in a number of strong performances throughout the lead-up to the tournament. On the back of those performances, Team USA coach Steve Kerr could hardly have been more effusive in his praise of the young Timberwolves' star, saying that he is “unquestionably the guy.” So what impact can “the guy” have? These are three bold predictions for NBA star Anthony Edwards at the FIBA World Cup.
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3. Anthony Edwards to average 25 points per game
Edwards has improved his output every season he's played in the NBA, going from 19.3 points in his first season to 21.3 in his second and then 24.6 in his third. At the FIBA World Cup, quarters will last just ten minutes instead of the NBA's 12 so he'll have less time to put up points, but he is more than capable of dominating this tournament to the extent that he averages 25 per game, particularly with some weaker opponents waiting for Team USA early on. It's a big number in a 40-minute game, but he's more than capable – a couple of days ago against Germany, Edwards put up a huge 34 points in his team's 99-91 victory, and a couple efforts like that in the World Cup proper will go a long way to seeing him reach this average.
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2. Anthony Edwards to lead Team USA to Naismith Trophy
The squad that Team USA is sending to the FIBA World Cup is perhaps not quite the dominant force that it has been in the past, with the side focusing largely on youth as they attempt to win the tournament for the sixth time. With the likes of Jalen Brunson, Austin Reaves and of course Anthony Edwards leading the charge though, they will still head to the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia as the comfortable favorite to win it all. On the back of a big tournament by Anthony Edwards, they can prove that favoritism correct. Anthony Edwards is set to take over as the go-to guy on the Team USA squad at the upcoming FIBA World Cup, and he can lead them to the Promised Land with a massive tournament and secure the first – of what he and the Timberwolves hope is many – piece of silverware in his professional career.
1. Anthony Edwards to win FIBA World Cup Most Valuable Player
The FIBA World Cup MVP has been awarded at every incarnation of the event since 1950, when Argentina's Oscar Furlong won it, and this year Anthony Edwards can add his name to the illustrious list of past winners. That list includes a number of the game's greats, particularly in recent years; from Doc Rivers, Toni Kukoc and Shaquille O'Neale in the '80s and '90s to Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving since the turn of the century. The latter two were the most recent Team USA players to win it, both in years in which the team won the Naismith Trophy, and with the USA well placed to win the tournament again this year it's very possible that the MVP will come from the team. If the above couple of bold predictions come to fruition, Anthony Edwards will likely be holding this trophy come September 10. He would form a pretty handy triumvirate with Durant and Irving as the most recent Team USA players to win it, but three seasons into his professional career, he is more than capable of doing exactly that.
