There’s no stopping Anthony Edwards and his stardom.
After dropping 40 points, nine rebounds in six assists in a 122-116 victory to complete the sweep of the Phoenix Suns, Edwards continued to steal the show well after he sent Kevin Durant and Co. packing. As he teased Karl-Anthony Towns for getting into foul trouble in the first 3 of 4 games in the opening series, he only further proves that you don’t need to be Jimmy Butler to raise the play of your teammates around you.
And watching the 22-year-old conduct his postgame press conference, it’s hard not to see him as the future of the sport. It’s also hard to keep yourself from rooting for a player who, despite his platform, uses his voice to issue a friendly challenge to his teammate.
After exploding for 40 points on Sunday, Edwards faced questions about how the series was sort of a boxing match for him and how he had to pick his spots and moments throughout the series. And despite Sunday’s performance, Edwards used it as an opportunity to deflect the spotlight and praise Towns’ contributions.
It also helped, of course, that the big man didn’t get himself in foul trouble for a fourth consecutive game.
Great answer here from Anthony Edwards on KAT’s importance, and for him to “stop f**king fouling.” pic.twitter.com/B079yJ0Eo4
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 29, 2024
“Again, let me just say, tonight he (KAT) wasn’t in foul trouble,” Edwards said. “Like the first three games, the mother****** just kept fouling. And tonight, I told him — what’d I tell you last game? If you watch the game, every time in the third quarter when we’d grow a lead, it’s because he’s in the game. Because they don’t have a matchup for him. I’m like ‘KAT, we’re not gonna win Game 4.’ I told him yesterday, ‘We’re not gonna win Game 4 if you keep fouling, if you keep fouling.’
“And did you see what he did in the third quarter? You see what he did in the fourth quarter? Like I always tell y’all, he’s the best offensive player on the team. If he’s not in foul trouble, it’s a problem for any team that’s gotta guard us because he can stretch the floor, he can post, he can play off the catch, he can pass. I mean, he can do everything. We just gotta keep him from getting in foul trouble, and he’s gonna be great every night.”
Towns turned to Edwards, saying he was getting in foul trouble because he was trying to play more defense.
“I mean, just stop ******* fouling,” he said.
And if Towns does stop fouling, who knows what can be in store for the T-Wolves this postseason?
[World Wide Wob on X]
