At this point there seems to be a strong consensus on the idea that The Minnesota Timberwolves overpaid for Rudy Gobert. And not a little more than it should… but one of the overpricing clearest that have been seen in a transfer in recent NBA history.
There are not too many doubts regarding that. The Timberwolves gave four 1st round picks, three of which have no protection at all, while another is barely protected from a Top 5 pick; in addition to three young players like Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler y Jarred Vanderbiltalong with two rotation veterans like Patrick Beverley y Malik Beasley.
All for a defensive ace with clear limitations in attack and whose impact year following year diminishes once the Playoffs arrive.
With all of that in mind, the Timberwolves’ gamble seems downright crazy…until you consider that in reality they are not putting the plenary in Gobert, but in the development of Anthony Edwards. And it is one thing for the Frenchman to be in a team that depends on his offensive production like Utah, where Donovan Mitchell was the only reliable point source, but it can be quite another in Minneapolis, along with two elite offensive players.
Beyond what is thought of his defensive performance, there is no doubt that Karl-Anthony Towns qualifies within that elite offensive norm. And although his two seasons in the league still don’t put him in that group, everything points to Edwards will be thereas early as next season.
At just 20 years old, the number one pick in the 2020 Draft showed last season that the Timberwolves have a diamond in the rough, regarding to become a jewel. Edwards comes from averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assistswith solid percentages (44-36-79) and even higher production in the postseason: 25.2 points, with 46% from the field and 40% in triples.
That Edwards is going to be a star, everyone knows. But there may be no dimension to how high your ceiling really is. Not one of the top 20 players in the league like Towns or even Gobert’s former teammate, Donovan Mitchell. but directly as a eventual candidato a MVP y All-NBA perennial.
THIS WOULD’VE BEEN THE DUNK OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/0w9C6vW29x
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 25, 2021
Adding his production at such a young age, his completely off the charts athletic ability (the best first step in the NBA?), his growth in the decisive stretches and his charisma, it is easy to see Edwards transforming into one of the strongest names in the league in the short termjust like Ja Morant is doing in Memphis.
Before Edwards did it in 2021-2022, only five perimeter players (shooting guards or forwards) had averaged 20 points or more at age 20: Carmelo Anthony, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, LeBron James y Andrew Wiggins. Ant it was the sixth.
This double-clutch dunk by Ant ???? pic.twitter.com/y0TuNn5WRz
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 24, 2022
What if he becomes a player of the caliber, not a KD or a LeBron, but a Carmelo or a Booker? With other offensive talent by his side in Towns, Wouldn’t Gobert become the best possible complement to that duo of furious scorers? After all, we’re talking regarding a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Although he never finished confirming it in the postseason, perhaps precisely because of that lack of a second star in attack, Utah had been fully involved in recent years and competing in the first planes of the Western Conference. And if Gobert remains the same, Edwards ends up being a superior version of Mitchell and Towns appears as the great differential between those Jazz and Wolves teams, why not imagine Minnesota soon at the top of the table?
The Timberwolves didn’t mortgage their future for Rudy Gobert. They mortgaged their future in the belief that very soon, Anthony Edwards will lead them to the top.
