Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ star, is not afraid to speak his mind, as evidenced by his hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines this season. His most recent comments will not cost him any additional money, but they will make headlines.
Edwards dubbed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the “MVP of the NBA” after the Oklahoma City Thunder star scored 40 points in a 113-105 victory over the Timberwolves on New Year’s Eve.
“To me, he’s unguardable,” Edwards stated to ESPN. “As for any one-on-one matchup, you can go ahead and give it up. Give him two points most of the time. So I believe you’ve got to trap him.
Maybe it won’t work, but you’ve got to try it. Definitely send a second body, especially if he has a favorable matchup. He’ll score whenever he finds someone who can’t guard him.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear recently, with three 40-point games in his last five. In December, he averaged 33.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.5 steals while shooting 56.3/36.6/91.0. Hearing Edwards’ high praise was especially meaningful.
“No offense to you guys in the media, but the best satisfaction is when your peers and the guys that do the same thing for a living at a very high level that you do recognize and respect your craft and your talent,” Gilgeous-Alexander claimed
“That’s a great feeling. As a player of his caliber, the sky is the limit. “A hard-fought battle tonight.”
With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, the Thunder have gone on a 12-game winning streak, giving them a five-game lead in the Western Conference standings. At 27-5, they’re on pace for 69 wins, the best season in franchise history.
The Thunder’s response to being embarrassed on a national stage by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup championship game has been particularly impressive in recent weeks.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the MVP favorite in the betting markets, thanks to his outstanding performance and the Thunder’s recent hot streak.
He was -110 at Caesar’s Sportsbook entering the New Year’s Day slate, ahead of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (+125) and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600).
There is still more than half of the season left, but if Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP, he will become the third Thunder player to do so after Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017).