Anthony Edwards' special performance Thursday night made a believer out of Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
"I think Ant-man should win the MVP," said Barkley Thursday night on Inside the NBA after the Wolves' 113-111 win over the Pacers.
Edwards put the team on his back in the road victory, to the tune of 44 points and a chase-down block in the final seconds to secure the win. The 22-year-old guard leads the team with 26.4 points-per-game while also averaging a career-high 5.1 assists-per-game. Edwards is also shooting career-highs from the free throw line (83%), three-point line (37%) and from the field (46%).
"Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]'s in the conversation, so is [Nikola Jokic]," continued Barkley. "But I'm saying without Karl-Anthony Towns, for a month, if Minnesota can hold onto the No. 1 spot, he can be the MVP."
Minnesota currently hold a half-game lead over the Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference with just 19 games left in the season. Towns will reportedly undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He's expected to miss around a month with a return expected early on in the Western Conference playoffs.
Barkley's confidence in Edwards was misplaced, according to Shaquille O'Neal, who responded: "Over Joker and Shai? No way. No way."
Edwards has been a significant reason the Wolves have been No. 1 in the Western Conference for much of the season, while missing just three games.
Minnesota have been the best defensive team in the league. Edwards' 3.7 Defensive Win Shares is tied for second-best on the team with Towns, only behind Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert. Jokic (3.7) and Gilgeous-Alexander (3.5) are the only non-Wolves in the top-five in DWS in the league this season.
The Wolves guard is still a longshot to win the MVP, with some sportsbooks having Edwards at +2500 currently. Jokic is -170 according to FanDuel while Gilgeous-Alexander is +250.
More must-reads: