Photo Credit: Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Edwards About His Post-Draft Emotions & His Fit Alongside Karl-Anthony Towns & D’Angelo Russell
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Georgia’s Anthony Edwards with the coveted number one pick on Wednesday night.
After a five month wait from the originally scheduled date, the 2020 NBA draft took place inside inside ESPN facilities in Bristol, Connecticut, with Edwards being crowned the top prospect in the draft class.
The six-foot-six, 220 pound guard was the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, as he led all division one freshman in scoring at 19.1 points per game this past campaign.
Edwards, originally from Atlanta, now joins the talented Timberwolves core of big man Karl Anthony-Towns and savvy point guard D’Angelo Russell in the hopes of pushing the franchise to the upper echelon of Western Conference outfits.
After his name was called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver and he showed off his Wolves cap, OpenCourt-Basketball spoke with Edwards on his emotions as well as his fit alongside Towns and Russell in Minnesota:
Damien Peters of OpenCourt-Basketball: “Anthony, congratulations, first and foremost, of going Number 1. How are you feeling, and how do you think you will fit alongside D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota.”
Edwards: “I’m feeling very joyful and excited just because of the fact I had my mother and my grandmother next to me. I feel like I’m going to fit perfect with those guys because Russell likes to play off the ball sometimes, and I can play on the ball. When he wants to play on the rock, I can play off the ball. And KAT is the best three-point shooting big man in the league. So I feel we can’t go wrong with that, a lot of pick-and-pops, pick-and-rolls and such.”
Edwards is just the second player in lottery history to be selected number one from a program with a sub .500 record in their final college season, joining Markelle Fultz in the process. The 19 year-old has drawn player comparisons to NBA legend Dwyane Wade and gifted scorer James Harden for his long range shooting touch, ability to score off the dribble, and appetite for attacking the basket.
The Wolves haven’t made the playoffs since 2018, and Edwards will play a vital role in changing their fortunes as a foundational piece.
By securing his services, the franchise now has a legitimate “big-three” alongside Towns and Russell to build upon, and look for the Wolves to return to relevancy and surge up the Western Conference standings next season.
Anthony Edwards on his emotions as well as his fit alongside @KarlTowns and @Dloading in Minnesota.
–#NBADraft #NBA pic.twitter.com/m9gWFT4fKt— OpenCourt-Basketball (@OpenCourtFB) November 19, 2020
