Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has emerged as one of the most popular young stars in the NBA. The spotlight on Edwards has grown over the last two years as he’s helped the Timberwolves make back-to-back Western Conference finals. Known for his candid takes, Edwards recently gave some insight into his playoff success in the last two years as he’s battled players he idolized, as well as peers.
Anthony Edwards Reveals That He Expected This Level of Success
Asked about the feeling of defeating huge stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and others in the playoffs, Edwards revealed that he’s just doing what he expected. He said, “I remember being in high school and my patna, I used to tell him when we were in class, when I get in the league, give me four or five years, I’m going to be popping boys.”
Anthony Edwards on taking down players like KD, LeBron and Luka in the postseason:
“It’s just fun, man. I remember being in high school— and my patna… Quay. I used to tell him when we were in class, like: ‘Bro, I’m telling you, I’m going to be putting belt to a** on these dudes… pic.twitter.com/WengPs4jlB
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 3, 2025
The first overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Edwards averages 26.9 points a game in the playoffs. He’s consistently shown throughout his young career that he’s going to thrive on the game’s biggest stages. After first-round exits in his first playoff appearances, Edwards had what could be considered his arrival on the national stage during the 2023-2024 playoffs.
He averaged 31 points a game during a first-round sweep of childhood idol Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns. He then helped the Timberwolves defeat Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets before falling in the Western Conference finals to Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Timberwolves truly gave Edwards the keys to the franchise when they traded fellow number one overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. He responded by leading the team on another deep playoff run, defeating James, Dončić, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round and the Curry-led Golden State Warriors in the second round.
However, Edwards once again fell short, as the Timberwolves lost in the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder. At just 24 years old, Edwards has already established a championship-or-bust culture in Minnesota.
History says time is on Edwards’s side. His childhood idol, Durant, like Michael Jordan, was 28 when he won his first title. James was 27 when he finally reached the top of the mountain.
Navigating the Western Conference this season won’t be easy, but the Timberwolves likely held their position by retaining free agents Julius Randle and Naz Reid. The hope is that Rudy Gobert continues to anchor the defense and Jaden McDaniels takes another step offensively. As Edwards sees it, everything is falling into place exactly as he predicted.