Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Edwards “fully wants to go and compete and start” on the United States Olympic Team.
Anthony Edwards has continued to take leaps and bounds in his fourth year in the NBA, being the catalyst for a 47-22 Minnesota Timberwolves team that is currently the third seed in the Western Conference, one game behind the emergent Oklahoma City Thunder and the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. Edwards’ level of play this season has garnered him some serious consideration to be selected for the USA Basketball Olympic roster that will travel to Paris, France for the 2024 Olympics.
NBA Insider Shams Charania discussed Edwards and his consideration for the Olympic roster on FanDuel’s flagship NBA show, Run It Back. In the segment on Edwards, Charania states that Edwards is “someone who’s been described to me as a guy that will be on the 2024 USA Basketball Olympic team in Paris,” and that Edwards wants to “fully go and compete to start on this team.”
“[Anthony Edwards] is someone that’s been described to me as a guy that will be on the 2024 USA Basketball Olympic team in Paris…I’m told Anthony Edwards fully wants to go and compete to start on this team.”@ShamsCharania on Anthony Edwards.
: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/QkeUtVsQOI
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 19, 2024
Charania continues to discuss Edwards being someone who views himself as someone that is going to bring a level of competitiveness to the Olympic roster. While nothing has officially been announced or confirmed yet, rumors have swirled that this Olympic roster could potentially include LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, and Jrue Holiday.
Edwards has proven that he is up to the challenge of international play after his performance this past summer when he played for Team USA during the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Southeast Asia. His performance last summer was good enough to be named to the All-Tournament Team as a member of the First Team, putting him in elite company with fellow selections Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks and Shai Gilegous-Alexander of the Thunder. He also joins other elite guards in history to be selected for the award, now accompanying Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks and NBA Hall-of-Famer Manu Ginobili.
Edwards will face serious competition for a roster spot, let alone a starting position, as the player pool is stacked.
Breaking down the guard position, you have the likes of Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson (who played alongside Edwards on that FIBA team), Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox, Indiana Pacers floor general Tyrese Haliburton, Irving and Curry.
Other names on the wing could include Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a pair of All-NBA duos in the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, as well as Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
The 41-member pool includes 28 athletes who have represented the U.S. in either the Olympics or the World Cup.
The 12-member team for the Paris Olympic Games will be announced later in 2024.https://t.co/6J6PHD16Z6
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) January 23, 2024
Regardless of what the future holds for Edwards and his potential opportunity to play on this upcoming Olympic team, his desire to show up and compete and go head-to-head with the league’s best is a breath of fresh air for the Timberwolves faithful and the franchise. If Edwards were to make the roster, he would join a small list of Timberwolves players that have played at that level on the international stage.
Being surrounded by a historic coaching staff — with Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, Tyronn Lue of the Clippers, Erik Spoelstra of the Heat, and Mark Few of Gonzaga University — is only going to pay massive dividends for Edwards and the development of his game. All of these coaches are wildly successful and have a ton of pedigree when it comes to winning. Kerr, Lue, and Spoelstra have all won NBA championships as head coaches and Few is one of the winningest coaches of alltime at the collegiate level.
The same can be said for the players Ant would be surrounded by. Learning from the greats such as Lebron and Curry who have reached the NBA mountaintop of being crowned champions and MVPs multiple times can only mean good things for Edwards if he is to be selected for the final 12-man roster.
Edwards has impressed this season, averaging 26.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 35.2 minutes per game. Over the entire body of the season in 66 games so far, he carries a +6.6 plus/minus when he is on the floor.
An Olympic nod would not only represent another big recognition for Edwards as he becomes a face of the league, but serve as further proof that he belongs in the upper echelon of top players, and cement him as one of the NBA’s most popular rising stars