Anthony Edwards Isn't Joking: He Wants 'To Be the Face of the League'

Shootaround has long ended. Anthony Edwards makes his way to the Chase Center court's corner to sit down for an interview. He stops to watch a pickup game between some Timberwolves players, staffers and trainers. 

"You better not let that man score on you," he screams at Patrick Beverley. Edwards watches the light-hearted pickup game for another minute, as if he wants to lace his sneakers back up and get in on the action himself.

It may be subtle, but that is just a peek into the mind of Edwards and what makes him tick. His fun-loving nature and witty soundbites get most of the press. But when you continue to unpeel the layers, you get an ambitious and calculated hooper motivated to run down on each and every one of his goals.

"A lot of people think I am a joke because I am so funny. But I am not a joke, man. Don't play with me," a suddenly straight-faced Edwards tells B/R.

Edwards wants to be an All-Star and believes he should be one. This season. And he has a case. The Timberwolves still have a ways to go, but they are trending in the right direction. They are a play-in team with a realistic shot of avoiding the play-in round altogether. Edwards is averaging 22.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He has grown from a streaky volume shooter to a legit threat from everywhere on the court. 

He shot 32.9 percent from deep on 7.2 attempts per game as a rookie. This year he's shooting 36.6 percent on 8.9 attempts per game. Edwards claims the knocks on his jump shot coming into the league were never legit.

"I mean I still put a lot of work in on everything. A lot of work on my shooting, but they still was wrong,” says Edwards.

Craig Lassig/Associated Press

History tells us that his numbers are All-Star worthy. So does the eye test. But the final roster is subjective. Steph Curry and Ja Morant were named the starters in the Western Conference backcourt, so Edwards will battle it out with some heavyweights: Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray and Desmond Bane will all be considered. Some will bow out for injury reasons.

Either way, he will have to rely on the coaches and media to give him a spot. Good thing for him, coaches are starting to notice his growth.

"I think the biggest thing is his maturity as a player," says Steve Kerr before his third matchup of the year against Edwards last week. "Like most guys, the second year becomes a lot easier than the first just based on experience and knowing what you're facing. And I think Anthony looks really comfortable and confident out there. ... There is so much to learn between personnel and scouting reports and tendencies. I think he's picked up a lot of that stuff and now is playing with a lot of confidence."

Edwards' long-term goals are, in a word, lofty. Without any hesitation, he tells me he wants to be the face of the league in five years. He wants to be a multiple-time MVP and have an NBA championship ring. Outside of Kevin Garnett and his MVP season, those are feats that no one in the Minnesota Timberwolves organization has ever accomplished.

"I want to be an All-Star. I want to go deep in the playoffs, definitely past the first round. In five years, I want to be the face of the league and have a couple of MVPs by then and have a ring. In five years, I would expect to go to the Finals for sure," Edwards says.

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

So what makes him different than some of the stars of the past in Minnesota? One argument: he's fiercely competitive and eager to make Minnesota legitimate contenders.

He mentions the Warriors as the gold standard, even though he hung 48 on them in November. He gushes over their unselfishness. The competitor in him sees himself on a level with Golden State's institutional stars, right now. But he also has a tremendous amount of respect for that organization, because they've accomplished nearly all of those goals on his checklist.

"Even when KD [Kevin Durant] came it was never like, 'I need to get 30 tonight. We are going to swing it and whoever is open gets the ball.' That was beautiful to watch. Even this year with Steph and Klay [Thompson] back. It's a beautiful thing to watch. And Steve Kerr has a great system over there."

Edwards has officially arrived. His play. His mindset. His swagger on and off the court screams NBA superstar. Let him tell it; he's been here for a while. He notes his 29-point performance at (then) Staples Center in March as when he really began to feel like he was that guy.

But none of that guarantees anything. At the very least, we know he will be one of the game's best scorers for some time. But will he be that transcendent face of the franchise that Minnesota has been looking for since Garnett was traded in 2007? Kevin Love couldn't do it. Neither could Andrew Wiggins or Jimmy Butler.

"I am willing to win at all costs. I am willing to do whatever it takes. I'm willing to guard the best player for 48 minutes. I'll try to get 30 rebounds. It's whatever. I will do whatever it takes, and I feel like that is what will put us over the hump."