Minnesota Timberwolves All-Celebrity Anthony Edwards has temporarily established himself as one of the most go-to gamers on Crew USA as they get ready for his or her FIBA Global Cup opener on Saturday in opposition to Unutilized Zealand, averaging a team-best 19.2 issues of their 5 tune-up exhibition video games. However, for a moment, the 22-year-old wasn’t even penciled into the founding lineup.
Crew USA head lecturer Steve Kerr’s actual ocular was once to have Edwards coming off the bench, with Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Cam Johnson getting the founding nod. Edwards stated that Kerr contacted him heading into camp, suggesting that he might be simply as impactful as a conserve and mentioning the sacrifice of Dwyane Wade, who assuredly to come back off the bench to again up Kobe Bryant at the 2008 Olympic staff.
Edwards admitted that he wasn’t precisely receptive to Kerr’s comparability.
“I mean, of course I wasn’t cool with it,” Edwards stated on Thursday. “If that’s what it takes, I mean, I am willing to do it, but nah, I’m never cool with that. … He said Dwyane Wade came off the bench when Kobe played. I was like, all right, we don’t have a Kobe, but all right. But it was cool.”
This obviously wasn’t meant to be a modest at Edwards’ teammates, who aren’t aren’t precisely the family names we noticed at the 2008 Redeem Crew. Occasion that roster featured legends like Bryant, Wade, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, the 2023 Crew USA squad is created from up-and-coming skills like Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Jaren Jackson Jr., Austin Reaves and Brandon Ingram.
Edwards cemented his place as Crew USA’s alpha with a 34-point efficiency, together with 12 within the fourth quarter, in a 99-91 exhibition win over Germany on Sunday.
Later on, Kerr stated that his younger ahead had “become the guy,” a sentiment echoed via ahead Mikal Bridges and colleague lecturer Erik Spoelstra.
“Anthony Edwards, that’s gonna be a household name,” Spoelstra stated Wednesday. “(Maybe) it already is.”
Crew USA’s first FIBA Global Cup sport in opposition to Unutilized Zealand will speed playground on Saturday at 8:40 a.m. ET, adopted via workforce play games matchups in opposition to Greece and Jordan on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. You’ll see the complete time table and effects right here.
