Anthony Edwards is running away with the Rookie of the Year award

Whether he's talking to the media or he's playing the game, Edwards boasts the same confidence he's always had. It's manifesting itself into success now, as the No. 1 overall pick is shining and the Wolves have gone 10-16 over the last two months.

During that 26-game span, and especially in April, the rookie guard has been more aggressive putting the ball on the floor, whether that be in isolation situations or catch-and-drives (0.95 points per possession the last two months vs. 0.82 PP prior, per InStat). Edwards is getting to the line as a result, and making a respectable 76.9 percent of his free throws. He hasn't been bashful letting it fly from deep either, and his favorite spots beyond the arc are the elbows, notably the right side where he's converted 11 of 29 triples.

It's interesting to see his home and road splits as well. When he's a visitor, Edwards is averaging 20 points per game with a 42% clip. If he's playing in front of the hometown fans in Minneapolis, those figures dip to 16.5 and 37.8%, respectively. It's the variation of three-point percentage that really stands out as well (35.1% on the road, 29.4% at home).

There are times where he's taken ill-advised shots and turned the ball over. He can tend to be inefficient sometimes. He's also had multiple instances where he's been late to close-out and flat-out lost his spot on the defensive end. With that said, those occurrences are going to become fewer and far between with the more experience he gets.

Post-All-Star break, Edwards is blowing the rookie class competition away with his statistical production. He's averaging 23.3 points per game in nearly 35 minutes of action a night. Aside from maybe LaMelo Ball, nobody else in the 2020 NBA Draft class has taken on the same level of responsibility as Edwards has. Pretty much the only argument that can be used against him for Rookie of the Year is that he's getting more an opportunity than the others as rotations shorten going into the postseason.

Although efficiency is important, having to carry the offensive load with a higher usage rate kind of works against that being possible. (Even with Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell back in the mix -- that trio isn't a great defensive combination, but it can damn sure produce. According to PBP stats, it has a 129.09 offensive rating in 128 minutes).

In the fourth quarter, Edwards ranks in the top five with a 120.8 offensive rating (min. 20 games and 8 minutes played), just ahead of superstars such as Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic.

So what does that tell you? Edwards is stepping up to the plate in the biggest moments. His most memorable performances have come against top-tier teams: a career-high 42 points in a win at Phoenix, going shot for shot with Damian Lillard in a home victory againt Portland, putting on a show twice against the defending NBA champion Lakers and impressing in Minnesota's lone national television game against Stephen Curry and the Warriors.

That in and of itself shows how special Edwards is -- and is going to be.