Rookie of the Year hasn’t been one of the awards that has received a ton of attention this season, if only because it’s been LaMelo Ball’s to lose for seemingly the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign. Karl-Anthony Towns has some thoughts on this, and unsurprisingly, he disagrees with that read on the entire thing.
Towns was joined by Anthony Edwards during his postgame media availability following the Timberwolves’ 121-112 loss to the Miami Heat and used the occasion to make the case for his teammate’s Rookie of the Year candidacy — Edwards had just gone for 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists against Miami.
Via The Rookie Wire:
I’ve said it from Day 1: We made the right pick. I don’t think there is any question on who should have been the No. 1 pick in this draft. I don’t want it to be missed. I don’t want it to be looked over. There is a reason he was double-teamed (versus the Heat). They should double-team him. No other rookie has earned that respect in this league.
There ain’t no other rookie in this league getting double-teamed. There ain’t no other rookie putting up the numbers Ant is. There ain’t no other rookie causing the havoc and mayhem before the game even starts with the scouting reports like Anthony is. I don’t want to hear nothing about no other people who are rookies. I don’t want to hear that. I don’t go by hype, I go by stats.
The obvious caveat — Karl-Anthony Towns is not going to say that Anthony Edwards doesn’t deserve to be recognized for his rookie campaign — applies here, but the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has had a nice rookie campaign. Edwards is up to 19 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31.9 minutes a night, and although his efficiency numbers (41.2 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three) aren’t particularly great, the former Georgia standout has done a nice job growing into his role in the league as the year has gone on.
Does this mean he’ll end up beating out Ball? Almost certainly not, unless the fact that he’s played in 21 more games becomes something a bunch of voters cannot overlook. Still, Edwards has looked like a foundational piece for the Timberwolves this season, and his fellow former No. 1 pick believes he deserves some love.
