Anthony Edwards will attest to the fact that staying healthy has its perks.
These days, the best ability in the NBA may be availability; the league, at the very least, is prioritizing this as evidenced by their decision to institute the minimum games played rule when it comes to being eligible for major individual awards. For Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, however, meeting the 65-game minimum is not a problem, as he has only missed 13 games for his career prior to the start of the 2023-24 season.
For this campaign, Edwards has stayed mostly healthy, and now, he has officially secured eligibility for the MVP and All-NBA voting after playing 38 minutes and dropping 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on Tuesday night during the Timberwolves’ 115-112 defeat to the Denver Nuggets. Thus, per Bobby Marks of ESPN, Edwards could be in line to make $41 million more, as his contract will increase from $204 million to $245 million through five years if he makes an All-NBA team.
Anthony Edwards had already played in 65 games prior to the aforementioned contest, but the rules state that those aiming to be eligible for award-voting don’t just play in 65 games, but play at least 20 minutes for 63 games and at least 15-20 minutes for two. Edwards, on December 8, had to exit very early on in the game, playing in just three minutes and 43 seconds of their 127-103 Memphis Grizzlies due to a hip injury.
Edwards has missed just three games this season due to the same injury mentioned above, causing him to go through a rough stretch at the beginning of December. But the Timberwolves star appears to have put that knock completely in the rearview mirror, and he’s peaking at exactly the right time for a team that’s had to weather the storm after going through a ton of injury problems.
At this point, given how many prominent players won’t be making the awards eligibility cut due to injuries, Anthony Edwards appears to be a shoo-in for an All-NBA spot, which would be the first of his career. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that the Timberwolves star is well worth that distinction with or without the injury problems of his peers thanks to his stellar 2023-24 campaign.
About the Author
Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he’s a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.
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