The Minnesota Timberwolves have selected Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Edwards has been among the top prospects in this class dating back to high school, and after staying in his home state to attend the University of Georgia, he will begin his NBA career as one of the top picks in this year's draft.
Where Edwards stacks up against fellow top prospects LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman is a matter of debate, but he figures to be the cleanest fit onto an NBA roster among the three thanks to his promising jump shot and positional versatility. Edwards, at 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan and elite athletic tools, is a natural shooting guard that could potentially defend 1-3 and even make enough plays for teammates to moonlight as a point guard. His best trait by far is his overall scoring. While Edwards isn't quite an elite shooter yet, he is a sophisticated individual shot-creator for his age that gets to the basket and thrives in transition. He'll put the ball in the basket from Day 1.
How much he develops elsewhere will determine how successful he is in the NBA, and scouts have mixed feelings on the matter. Edwards has been criticized for his inconsistent motor, and has never played for a particularly successful team at any level. Edwards has star-caliber talent, but as the NBA Draft proves time and time again, it takes far more to grow into an actual superstar.
With D'Angelo Russell in place at point guard and presumptive starting shooting guard Malik Beasley a restricted free agent, Edwards figures to slot in as Minnesota's third major piece. Between he, Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves now seem to have their core moving forward. The rest of this offseason will be about finding role players that fit alongside that trio, setting up the brightest future Minnesota has had since Jimmy Butler forced his way out of town in 2018. They've taken a winding road to get here, but Gersson Rosas has his third cornerstone.
Draft Grade: B+
This is not a surprising pick. Edwards is a tremendous talent with a great pedigree. But I'm not enthusiastic, but I realize that any pick at the top of this flawed draft was not going to be perfect. He was not a great college player, and he drew some criticism for expressing a lack of passion for the game recently. Still, he has the potential to be a top-flight scorer. This is not what I would have done, but it is what a lot of franchises would have done.
