Top overall pick Anthony Edwards made his much-anticipated NBA debut on Wednesday as the Minnesota Timberwolves faced off against the Detroit Pistons.
He had a strong outing with 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 25 minutes off the bench. He also had zero turnovers as they handily beat the visiting Pistons, 111-101.
After the game, Edwards was asked by The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski about playing with the big boys. The 19-year-old rookie gave an honest response, which to say the least, isn't lacking in confidence.
Edwards: "It's not that hard to be honest, coming out of being double-teamed in college. … Even if it's a lot of defensive attention, it's still easier. You can't double all game. We got too many shooters."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) December 24, 2020
The kid definitely has moxie. Edwards averaged a game-high 19.1 points on close to 16 attempts per game in his lone season at Georgia. His field goal shooting, however, left much to be desired at an anemic 40.2 percent.
Edwards sure can benefit from his already established teammates on the Timberwolves. Guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Ricky Rubio, and even the much-improved Malik Beasley can definitely ease the pressure on the young wingman.
Edwards didn't make much noise in their preseason games, averaging only 11.3 points in three outings. But it clearly looks like he can still do more damage.
Edwards' solid debut is a direct contrast to what happened to LaMelo Ball, who went scoreless in his first ever game. The Charlotte Hornets rookie, who experts picked as the possible winner of the Rookie of the Year award, missed his five attempts and committed three turnovers in 16 minutes off the bench. They lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-114.
The Timberwolves, who have only made the NBA Playoffs once in the last 16 seasons, are banking on Anthony Edwards to provide much-needed help, with his teammates already high on him.
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