Position: Shooting Guard
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 225 Pounds (102kg)
College: Georgia
Age: 18
Wingspan: 6’9”
Standing Reach: 8’4”
Vertical: N/A
| 19.1 PTS | 2.8 AST | 5.2 TRB | 1.3 STL | 0.6 BLK | 2.7 TOV | 40.2% FG | 29.4% 3PT |
Offensive Role
Anthony Edwards has the potential to be one of the most dominant scorers in the league at the shooting guard position. He is a threat to score from the moment he crosses half-court and demands on-ball defence at all times due to his ability to get the quick shot away. His incredible athleticism combined with his size allow him to attack the passing lanes at will. His size and athleticism also make him a ferocious scorer and dunker at the rim although he does not utilise this ability enough. Edwards can create his own shot and is comfortable shooting off the dribble especially when moving left.
While Edwards is greatly confident when it comes to scoring, there are many questions as to whether it is a liability. He has produced low shooting percentages, especially from three-point range due to his poor shot selection and takes a lot of shots away from his teammates. While Edwards shows some playmaking potential, he is not quite at the point where teams can be confident in him being the main ball handler on offence. There are also concerns that his production does not translate into efficiency or winning. Georgia is 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC standing despite having a projected top pick in Edwards on their team. He often resorts to playing hero ball rather than sharing the basketball and combined with his low shooting percentages, it often leads to poor overall results for the team.
Defensive Role
Edwards’ size, strength and athleticism often lead to steals and recovery blocks but just because a player has defensive tools, does not mean he will benefit a defence. Edwards is built to guard quick, strong, ball handling wings but his major downfall is his significant lack of effort and discipline on defence. Edwards is not active on defence and is often cause standing still in space and making lazy attempts to contest drivers as a help defender. This lack of effort reflects onto the team’s overall defence ranking 280th of 353 teams. NBA teams will be left questioning if his lack of effort will translate into the NBA or if he will be able to utilise his physical gifts to become an asset on the defensive end.
Medical History
No known major injuries to date.
NBA Comparison
Dwyane Wade, Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo, Bradley Beal, Potential All-Star.
Projected Pick
Anthony Edwards is a potential number one pick in the 2020 NBA draft but much like many of the top prospects, his placement will depend on the draft lottery. Due to their being no definite top prospect like last year with Zion, teams are expected to draft based on need rather than talent.
Likely Team Fit
The best fit for Edwards is Detroit as most of the teams at the top of the lottery have their backcourts locked in already. The Pistons can officially begin their rebuild by drafting Edwards and building around him for the future especially if they can keep Derrick Rose around to provide some veteran mentorship. However, Cleveland could potentially take a chance on a third young guard and hope that Edwards shows more promise than their previous picks. The Cavaliers can also try to adopt a three-guard combo, much like OKC as Edwards has the potential to be a dominant wing player.
Overall
Anthony Edwards is a major prospect in this draft due to is explosive athleticism and pure production on the offensive end of the floor. He possesses some clear strengths on offence and has the potential to become an elite two-way wing player but his lack of effort and discipline on the defensive end puts that into question. He shows potential to become a strong playmaker but his selfishness when handling the ball often costs the team success and leads to poor efficiency, especially from beyond the arc. His incredible raw talent is enough to push him to the top of this years draft but teams will have to decide whether his weaknesses will be worth taking a chance on with his potential to become an elite player on the offensive end and even an all-star in the future.