ATHENS -- Anthony Edwards stirred up the basketball world a week ago. In an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the man known in these parts as “Ant Man” was asked which NBA player would he compare himself?
“His name is Dwyane Wade,” Edwards said with matter-of-factly. “I look on the TV and say, ‘I can be that guy.’ Or, ‘I can be better than him.’ ”
Social media was set ablaze, mostly with outrage.
How, many asked, could this 19-year-old kid from Atlanta compare himself to a recently-retired legend who won three NBA championships, was a 13-time NBA All-Star, was named to the All-NBA Team eight times and finished his career as the Miami Heat’s all-time leader in points, games, assists, steals, shots made and shots taken?
Blasphemy!
But at least one person who spoke out was not at all appalled by the comparison. That’d be Dwyane Wade himself.
“He can be better,” Wade posted on Twitter last week. “America, here is your number 1 pick!”
Very well could happen.
We’ll find out Wednesday night when the NBA Draft commences at 8 p.m. from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn. This year’s draft will be conducted virtually, thanks to the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic.
But while there will be no stage walk or hug from commissioner Adam Silver for Edwards, most NBA draft analysts expect Edwards to be the first player off the board. The Minnesota Timberwolves are holding that selection. If not, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound guard from Southwest Atlanta is expected to be, at the very least, a lottery pick.
Whatever happens, it’s going to be a red-letter day for Edwards and his family. But No. 1? Now that would very big deal.
Even the great Wade had to wait to No. 5.
“I don’t really care about stuff like that,” Edwards said of the prospect of being the first player drafted. “Whatever team’s willing to take the chance on me, I’m just ready to go in and give it my all.”
Edwards going first would be an especially big deal to the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs have never had a men’s basketball player go No. 1 in the draft. Even Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins – the “Human Highlight Film” -- went third to the Utah Jazz, who promptly traded him to the Hawks.
While Georgia basketball doesn’t have the greatest of track records when it comes to on-court success, the Bulldogs have held their own over the years with the draft. They’ve had seven first-rounders, including four top-10 picks topped by Wilkins' selection in 1982. Georgia’s other first-rounders include Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (No. 8 in 2013), Jarvis Hayes (10, 2003), Willie Anderson (10, 1998), Alec Kessler (12, 1990), Vern Fleming (18, 1984) and Jumaine Jones (27, 1999).
“He wants to be number one and I want him to be number one,” Georgia coach Tom Crean said. “But at the end of the day, the thing I want for Anthony Edwards is to be in the right environment, where he has a head coach that’s going to invest in him in a big way. … My hope (is) he gets a coaching staff that’s going to spend time with him.”
Edwards going No. 1 would make him first Atlanta citizen to do that since Dwight Howard in 2004. He’d also be just the third Georgian to receive that distinction, joining Kwame Brown of Brunswick in 2001.
What else does it mean? Zion Williamson, the top pick of the 2019 draft, signed a four-year contract reportedly worth $44.4 million. The No. 10 selection of last year’s draft, Kevin Porter, inked a $10 million deal. So, Wednesday will be a life-changing moment regardless of draft position.
Whatever that happens to be, it will represent a blessing not only to Edwards, but also to his sister, Antoinette, and brother, Antoine. They raised Edwards after their mother, Yvette Edwards, and grandmother, Shirley Edwards, died from separate illnesses in the same year not long after Anthony Edwards entered high school.
“I just want to show them that I’m a great kid off the court,” Edwards said of the NBA. “I’m always smiling, always happy, and I’m just a good spirit. … I’m ready to go and I’ll just be happy with wherever I fall.”
As usual, there was a pretty good debate raging in the days leading into Wednesday’s draft if, in fact, Edwards should be No. 1. There is sentiment that perhaps it should be James Wiseman of Memphis or LaMelo Ball of California, among others.
Meanwhile, Edwards said he worked out only for Minnesota, Golden State and Charlotte. Those happen to be the teams selecting one, two and three, pending potential trades.
Jay Bilas, who will host ESPN’s draft show Wednesday night, was asked to sort it out.
“I think Anthony Edwards is the most talented player, especially when you factor in his superior athleticism,” Bilas said on a conference call this past weekend. “But every player has some question marks. Five or 10 years ago, I would’ve said James Wiseman, and I wouldn’t have hesitated, because he’s a 7-1, Chris Bosh-type player. … But the game’s changed, so I’d say Edwards.”
As for Edwards' question marks, Bilas said he believes Edwards settles for the jump shot too often. Also, “he should be an outstanding defender and he has not been, because he doesn’t do it all time.”
Edwards certainly didn’t lift the Bulldogs to greatness. They went 16-16 in his only season, one that was cut short in the second round of the SEC tournament by the coronavirus pandemic. Billed as a tremendous athlete who could beat opponents off the dribble or from long range, Edwards was inconsistent in doing so. He shot only 40% from the field and 29% from 3-point range. Still, he averaged 19.1 points and was named SEC freshman of the year. And in a handful of games, including a nationally-televised, 37-point showstopper against No. 3 Michigan State in the Maui Invitational, Edwards absolutely took over.
“Talent-wise, I have him at the top of the heap,” Bilas reiterated.
Credit: Curtis Compton
Credit: Curtis Compton
About that, Bilas and Wade agree. And Crean, too.
Crean, of course, coached Wade at Marquette. At Indiana, he also coached Victor Oladipo, who went No. 2 in the 2013 draft. So, it’s no wonder that Edwards often compares himself to those two players. He certainly heard enough about them while Crean was recruiting Edwards for the Bulldogs out of Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep.
It was considered a major coup that UGA’s new coach could penetrate Atlanta’s robust AAU scene and pluck out such a generational player to join him in a rebuilding project. It’s something that has brought much attention to both Georgia basketball and to Crean, who was interviewed extensively about Edwards before the draft.
It’s something Crean hopes to do a lot more of in the coming years.
“That’s one of the things he liked here, he had structure and commitment,” Crean said of Edwards. “He knew we were going to come in every day to make him better, whether he wanted to or not. Ultimately, as much as you miss him as a player – and obviously he’s a tremendous talent – I miss him as a personality. I miss his energy. There’s an aura about him. He is a charismatic person. We saw it all at the age of 18 and he’s that way at the age of 19 as he gets ready to embark on this journey.”
The Bulldogs also have 6-8 junior Rayshaun Hammonds of Norcross represented in this year’s draft. But all eyes will be on the one they call “Ant Man” Wednesday night.
Among those watching will be a future NBA Hall of Famer to whom Edwards quite infamously has compared himself. Surely it must be comforting to know that Wade will be rooting for him.
“It brought a smile to my face to see somebody that great say something like that,” Edwards said. “I was happy.”
He definitely will be Wednesday night.
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