Anthony Edwards could be the ‘Thanos’ to ‘NBA Avengers’ Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry

All throughout last season, fans and media personnel believed Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards was about to crown himself as the next Face of the NBA. He defeated his favorite player Kevin Durant and now had his sights on the rest of the league.

That campaign fell short as the Timberwolves were knocked out of the Western Conference Finals by the Dallas Mavericks. They lacked the same energy with which they swept Durant’s Phoenix Suns. In the finals, that early playoff energy was lost, and fatigue took over for a team that had tormented others all season long.

This season, they executed a blockbuster trade that sent Edwards’ close friend and running mate, Karl-Anthony Towns, to the New York Knicks in return for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. At the time, many called it the worst trade the Timberwolves could make.

Early-season woes reinforced that opinion as the Wolves could not keep pace with the rest of the West. Charles Barkley believed Ant Man’s game took a step back. But the Atlanta native and his teammates stuck to the task. Today, they ended up defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

That team comprises all-time leading scorer and GOAT candidate LeBron James, as well as the player who is touted to battle Edwards in the race to be the next Face of the NBA. Now, it seems the star guard is turning into Thanos. He has already defeated two members of the NBA’s Avengers, and is gunning for a third.

Excelling against LeBron James and Luka Doncic

Heading into the first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, almost everyone expected the 3rd seeded team to win the series. They believed the collective brilliance of LeBron James and Luka Doncic would be too much for the Minnesota Timberwolves to handle.

But starting from the first game, that was not the case. Anthony Edwards led his team’s assault on the Lakers and won game 1 in style. The entire basketball world stood up to take notice. Then they lost Game 2, and many believed their struggles would start.

But Games 3 and 4 saw the resilience that a young team such as the Timberwolves will need against experienced playoff contenders. Game 3 was not that hard, and rookie head coach JJ Redick‘s decisions seemingly handed the Wolves a win in Game 4. In Game 5, they knew all too well that the Lakers would come out firing.

But they also knew that the home team would struggle to contain the interior. They used that loophole to come out on top and move on to the next round. Anthony Edwards was not the top scorer in Game 5, but he was the team’s leading scorer and one of the standout defenders throughout the series.

Round 2 against Stephen Curry

The 23-year-old defeated two of the top players in the NBA in the first round. More importantly, he defeated arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game. LeBron James has dominated the league for a little over two decades. Now, Anthony Edwards has the upper hand against two NBA Avengers.

They will next face either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets. The latter were the second-best team in the West. But their playoff inexperience saw them end up with a 1-3 record against the most dominant team of the past decade.

Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler have helped the Warriors overcome health issues and other rotational problems. Even though the Rockets won Game 5, the basketball world knows that the Warriors will most probably come out on top.

That means Edwards will get the chance to defeat the third NBA Avenger. Defeating Curry will be the final straw in his quest to surpass the three greatest players of this era. All the Minnesota Timberwolves need to do is stick to the formula they applied against the Lakers.

Anthony Edwards has to make the final push for the NBA title

Last season, fatigue stopped the Minnesota Timberwolves’ epic season. They are aware that the West is much more competitive this time around. They will have to manage their energy in every series they play. In the Conference Finals, they will need all the energy as they will likely face a very tough opponent.

It could be either the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, or the league-topping Oklahoma City Thunder. Any of those opponents will pose different problems. The positive side is that the Timberwolves have defeated the Nuggets in last season’s Conference semis.

They have also defeated the Thunder quite a few times to know how they play. The only odd one out is the Clippers. Anthony Edwards and his teammates do not have experience winning against that team playing with a healthy Kawhi Leonard.

Whoever they meet, Edwards has to rise to the occasion. LeBron James’ parting words to the young star were to step up to the next level. He will have to conserve his energy and bring his swagger and drive to defeat whoever is in front of him.

Then, once they reach the NBA Finals, they will face the best of the East. That series will be Edwards’ chance to cement himself, not only as the best player in the league, but the one who became Thanos to defeat the Avengers and become the new Face of the NBA.

Also Read:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo staying with Bucks impeded chance to join basketball’s greats
• Knicks – Pistons referee controversy has Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley entertaining NFL-style game reviews