Karl-Anthony Towns: Anthony Edwards Has Skills, Intangibles to Be Face of NBA
October 2, 2024
New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns believes his ex-Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, Anthony Edwards, could be the face of the NBA.
Towns stated that opinion during an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast with Shannon Sharpe and then explained why (35-minute mark).
"He has the charisma. Age is on his side. He has the athleticism...he got better at shooting. I think he could do it. I think he could do it. And this is a very guard-friendly league, and he's a guard that not only has the skill but the intangibles needed to really be the face of the NBA for years to come."
Towns continued: "He's got good vets around him, and Mike Conley's been amazing for him, so I think he could do it. I think he could really do something special, and I think what also could help is winning. And we've started to do that, so if we can win at the highest level...
"You can't already tell Ant nothing, so imagine you put a ring too with a championship? Oh, man, oh man, we can't tell him nothing."
Towns was teammates with Edwards for four seasons before being traded to the Knicks in a deal that became official Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Edwards is shining bright right now. He's coming off leading the Timberwolves to a 56-win season and a Western Conference Finals appearance. Along the way, Minnesota swept Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in the first round before taking down NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets in the West semifinals.
For the 2023-24 season, Edwards averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He earned All-Star honors for the second straight year and landed on the All-NBA Second Team as well. And then after that great year, Edwards helped Team USA win gold at the Summer Olympics.
Edwards is certainly on a trajectory that could make him the face of the NBA. That position has been held by LeBron James and should likely remain the case until he retires, although other players (e.g. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant) have had their times to shine as well.
But in the not-too-distant future, Edwards can certainly be the NBA's face for years to come, for the reasons Towns stated.
