Anthony Edwards is already an All-Star. Despite that, the Minnesota Timberwolves standout has been mentioned as a player who could use his time with USA Basketball at the 2023 FIBA World Cup as a springboard into a different stratosphere, and during the team’s pre-World Cup exhibitions, Edwards has been one of the best players to wear the red, white, and blue.
That was primarily on display earlier this week, when Edwards was one of the driving forces behind the Americans making a torrid comeback against the Germans to wrap up a perfect 5-0 record in their exhibition slate. It’s caught the eye of Erik Spoelstra, who is serving as an assistant coach for the United States and went right to Edwards when he was asked if anyone he’s coached this summer reminds him of the greatest player in Miami Heat history.
"It's hard to look at Anthony Edwards and not see Dwyane Wade… The way he moves, competes, and electrifies the crowd. Yes, that reminds me of number 3."
Erik Spoelstra on which US Men's Basketball player reminds him of D-Wade 👀
(via @cnnphilippines)pic.twitter.com/1Qo6rPYMZY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 23, 2023
“We know who that is,” Spoelstra said with a laugh when asked who reminds him of Dwyane Wade. “It’s hard not to look at Anthony Edwards and not see Dwyane Wade. And I’m not a guy for comparisons, I’m not. But the way he moves, the way he competes, the way he electrifies a crowd, yes, that reminds me of number 3, and I have told Anthony that, and I feel like I’m going back in time. It’s making me younger again, I’m really enjoying it.”
This is incredibly high praise from Spoelstra, because one has to assume that even beyond his hesitancy to compare guys, it’s very rare for him to compare anyone to Wade. For the sake of Spoelstra and Team USA, hopefully Edwards is able to do something Wade never achieved and win a gold medal at the World Cup, as Wade was a member of the American team in 2006 that took home a bronze.
