The best teams in the NBA have been playing for a chance to make it to the NBA Finals. We have seen impressive performances from the league’s stars and multiple clutch moments. Ultimately only one team can move forward with each series.
The advancing team usually does so thanks to the performances from of star players. While multiple players have had impressive performances, one name seems to be getting all the attention. All eyes have been on the 22-year-old Anthony Edwards with the media going as far as proclaiming him as the “face of the NBA”.
Hot Start
Anthony Edwards has been making waves ever since coming into the league. Scouts and players everywhere continuously rave about his sky-high potential. This year Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the best defense in the NBA. Even after losing his All-Star teammate Karl Anthony Towns in the middle of the season. Minnesota finished strong, tied with the number one seed Oklahoma City Thunder, and last year’s champions the Denver Nuggets. They earned the second seed via tie breaker and multiple players on the team earned end of season awards.
Minnesota got off to a fast start in the Playoffs, sweeping the Phoenix Suns. Edwards had an impressive first round averaging 31 points per game. Then they won a difficult series against Denver and the reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. His numbers were more volatile in this series, but he pulled through closing the series in 7.
A promising run in the playoffs came to a halt after the Dallas Mavericks eliminated Minnesota in 5 games. The Timberwolves ran out of gas and Dallas made Edwards life miserable, making him work for everything. He looked lost at times and discouraged with the Mavs pressure. As proof he finished with a negative 6.4 plus/minus in the Western Conference Finals.
Face of the NBA?
If you tuned in to any of the major sports media outlets, all you would hear was how Anthony Edwards was the face of the NBA. It felt rushed and social media seemed to agree, I asked my fellow Sideline Cue writers how they felt about this proclamation.
What are your opinions on Anthony Edwards being the face of the NBA?
Joey Barrett: “I think he is a top 10-12 player in the league and has the personality to be the face of the NBA. I also think people and the media should let him become it without telling us he is.”
Abraham Chao: “It’s like it hit the media all at once that Lebron’s time is coming and they’re panicking to place the title upon someone.”
Jacob Nguyen: He’s definitely the most entertaining compared to people like Jokic and Luka but people need to stop rushing it.”
Abraham Chao: “Like let Ant just be Ant”.
Too Soon
You can make a case for Edwards being a top 15 player in the league, but any more than that is a hard sell at this time. Even while being one of the most entertaining players in the league, its obvious the tag feels rushed. He has the talent, skills and charisma to be the guy in the NBA, the media rushing it could ruin it. Let Ant grow into his own and see where it goes, adding this unnecessary pressure is a disservice to him.
There are multiple guys in front of him for the title of “Face of the NBA” whether American media likes it or not. Pretending like fans are oblivious to this fact is almost negligent. Anthony Edwards is not the “Face of the NBA” … not yet at least.
