Anthony Edwards had a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic realization after 2025 WCF loss, says NBA insider

Anthony Edwards believes he is still not at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic’s level

In the last two seasons, Edwards has lost to teams led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. Evidently, it proved that the Timberwolves star wasn’t at his rivals’ level.

According to NBA insider Jon Krawczynski, Edwards entered this summer with this realization and has worked hard to reach the level of SGA and Doncic.

“He has been off of the social media grid and working on his game. He hasn’t had any international play this summer for the first time in a couple of years, which I think has allowed him to buckle down.

“He was pretty forthright after the loss to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals that he’s still got a big step to make to get to the level of a Shai, or a Luka,” Krawczynski said, via SiriusXM NBA Radio.

The insider added: “I think he still came into the summer believing it was a little too easy to take him away from the game.”

Even though Edwards has already surpassed Kevin Garnett’s postseason legacy with the Timberwolves, he is still far from leading the team to an NBA Championship.

Anthony Edwards has become a ‘vocal leader’

Over the course of the 2024-25 NBA season, Edwards has continuously improved in one department – leadership.

Even head coach Chris Finch praised Edwards for finally taking the leap as a leader for the Timberwolves. Adding to this, Krawczynski revealed that the 24-year-old has now become a ‘vocal leader’ of the team.

“There are reports that he’s become a pretty vocal leader, and these guys focused on taking the final step after getting bounced, kind of embarrassingly, in the Western Conference Finals in the last two years,” he stated.

At just 24 years old, Ant still has plenty of time to improve. But instead of taking it one step at a time, the Timberwolves star has seemingly decided to take a major leap this offseason.

After all, there have been reports that Edwards is perfecting a Michael Jordan skill that helped him eliminate the LA Lakers last season. So, can fans expect an MVP-level campaign next season? Only time will tell.