Anthony Edwards isn't ready for the big time

There was a sudden infusion of pep in Minnesota's players when Anthony Edwards posturized Daniel Gafford in the third quarter of Sunday's Game 4. The "dunk of the year" candidate spurred a mini run as the Timberwolves would convert on three of their next four shots, raise their intensity on defense and ultimately take a 79-77 lead — their first lead since early in the first quarter.

The sequence had that "here come Edwards and his Timberwolves" feeling. 

Alas, it wasn't to be. After Dallas called a timeout to stop the bleeding, "Ant-Man" committed a silly turnover, fouled Luka Doncic to send him to the line and missed a shot that would have given his team the lead. 

The momentum Timberwolves had gathered came to a screeching halt. 

Guess what happened in the fourth quarter? 

Edwards had a grand total of four points, one rebound and one assist as Minnesota was outscored 29-20. The young superstar looked gassed and couldn't match the shot-making ability of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who combined for 21 points down the stretch and outscored the entire Timberwolves team.

The late-game struggles capped off Edwards' woeful recent stretch — he shot 17-of-57 over his last three games — and reaffirmed that he simply isn't ready for the big time. Not yet, at least.

Historically, when great players go through cold shooting stretches, they find other ways to make winning plays. In Edwards' case, that simply hasn't been the case — he's a minus-6.3 on the floor in three Western Conference Finals games and his pre-series vow to lock up Irving has backfired considerably. 

It almost feels irresponsible to criticize a 22-year-old. But it's just as foolhardy to anoint him the next Michael Jordan or the face of the NBA. If anything, Jayson Tatum and Doncic will battle for that mantle when the NBA Finals tip off on June 6 barring a historic collapse from the Celtics or Mavericks.