Austin Rivers calls Anthony Edwards the BEST GUARD in the league | NBA Today

Austin Rivers calls Anthony Edwards the BEST GUARD in the league | NBA Today

I know nobody on the other side of the Court really could you know stay in front of me or guard me so I knew I was just you know bsing down here so pretty much that’s it I knew nobody could guard me so I just took it upon myself to

Figure it out Cal Anderson he told me at halftime man you got two points you ain’t looking like No Superstar right now you looking like a scrub so you know I had to figure it out I mean it’s just it it’s just silly no one can guard me he took a leap right

In his fourth year in the league fresh off his Team USA experience this summer he’s on paac to become the first Timberwolves player in history with the season of averaging 25 points five rebounds five assists but Austin you played with him you had a front row seat

To all this what surprised you the leap that he’s taken from last year to this nothing when he talks about nobody can guard him he means that he has unflinching unwavering confidence you can’t teach that there’s stars and then there’s stars who have a aura about them

And he just radiates it he has positivity his players like playing with him he controls the locker room look what he’s we talked about it yesterday his relationship with Rudy what he’s been able to do with Carl this guy demands that respect and he’s going out there now and doing it every single

Night he is on his best nights and how he’s playing right now the best guard in the NBA yes I said that he’s a bad man two-way player three-level score clutch can finish at the basket mid-range shoot the long ball off the dribble or catch and shoot everything you let me just add

On to it I said it yesterday and I’mma stand on it he’s the future face of the NBA don’t come giving me this he’s in Minnesota small Market no the market need to follow him he’s in Minnesota damn it that’s who we need to be when it

Comes down to an man it’s certain players that you play with that give you that certain type of swagger you talked about car Anthony towns Jimmy Butler couldn’t pull it out of him you talked about Rudy Donovan Mitchell couldn’t pull that out of him and what end up

Happening is he leads by example meaning the way that he addresses the uh his his his press conferences the way that he puts in the work the way that he competes on the defensive side of things and his s wagger so if you don’t follow

Him then all of a sudden you’re going to be you know poking out like a swore thumb and so when I think about Anthony Edward just think about this for a second I watched him in the first half last night he was just passing the ball he was letting McDaniels cook call

Anthony towns cook cuz he knew at any given time he could turn up and he did that that’s growth that’s a man that hey I’m telling you right now the conversation is dead I don’t even want to hit he got all the it factors he’s go

He saved the deas he saved the deas how far can can take this Timberwolves team well first of all first of all he does have theet factor and actually everything you just said reminded me of how we talked about johnar until last season in terms of the the aura and all

Of that the way he lifts his teammates up to Swagger I mean and Anthony Edwards has everything going for him in that regard and you know Austin you mentioned the confidence like this dude walked into the playoffs at 20 years old and was like I’m cool like you want me to

Take every Big Shot I’m cool how far can you take the timber wolves that’s what you asked me he can take them to the finals like that’s how good they are and that should be the goal for them um and look you mentioned the five assists

Right the the the thing he’s on Pace for there he’s right at five assists and three and a half turnovers and if there’s one thing I’m looking for from Anthony Edwards and the wolves in general when the stakes get high when the defenses get good is when Anthony

Edwards makes the simple pass the Wolves the ball starts popping and the wolves get even better just like stuff like just three examples from the season he’s really livened up Rudy goar’s pick and roll just boom Don’t Force It you don’t have to dance with it every time sometimes those awesome one-on-one shots

Aren’t going to go in just make the easy play here you go Jaden McDaniels in the court when Jaden McDaniels gets to do stuff like this which he’s gotten better at attack Closeouts the Wolves hit another level and it don’t have to be fancy here comes a little handoff pitch

Play with Rudy Nas Reed’s open right next to you just give Nas Reed the ball let him shoot he can get tunnel vision sometimes and when he has tunnel vision and it’s working and he’s cooking it looks amazing we tend to forget the games when he has tunnel vision and he

Goes 0 for four on stepback jump shots just the simple pass don’t have to be fancy have to be no look over the head just those simple passes get everyone else moving and the Wolves hit a different level and that different level you said I mean there’s no reason why if

He’s not playing like this the team’s playing like this they’ve been first in the west through the majority of the Season that they can’t reach the NBA Finals do you agree with that I do agree they’re built for it uh Tim Conley is one of the best Executives in basketball

He’s the guy responsible for putting together that lineup that we always talk about in Denver yep uh and he has been in Minnesota for two years now and he’s already built probably one of the other better starting lineups in basketball we talk about their size people question

Rudy goar and Carl Anthony towns playing together they are coexisting just fine the spacing is fine uh more than fine Jen McDaniels yeah best defensive rating Jen McDaniels we call him seat belt cuz that’s what he does he puts guys in a in a in a nice little tidy spot y’all need

To call them two seat belts cuz that’s how he stra yeah theyig got no Off the Bench who was in the bed that’s call baby seat car seat but I’m I’m with I’m with I’m with Zach I’m with I’m with Zach and Austin look if Anthony EDS is

Playing at this level yes the Minnesota timber wolves could go to the NBA finals am I picking them no I’m not picking them but I would not be surprised you know what slipped our mind over this last weekend the NFL weekend the playoffs kicked off you know Anthony Ed

Was gay the Clippers that work 33 spicy Habachi style however you want to call it whatever you want to do to the wings damn it he done it to the Clippers fully loaded got the dub and he handed Denver their first loss he handed the Celtics

Their first loss this team is for real that man is legit he’s the future face of the NBA so you would the latest Allstar fan vote it was released yesterday in Jaylen Brunson he is sixth amongst guards in the East you’re shaking your head you’ve got a problem

With that perk I got a serious problem with that I got a serious problem with that like it’s no way he shouldn’t be top three for sure no way he shouldn’t be top three and I understand it’s the individual thing and the and the fans

Are voting and and I love the fans right they are who they are and we are who we are because of them but damn it he should be top three a it’s a popularity contest man Jaylen Brunson in terms of star Ora we talked about it with a

Comparing him to guys like Dame who have been doing it for so long they got the sneaker they got the Dame time they got all the marketing it’s going to be hard for him to beat out those guys but he’s had a better season than him right

Behind tyres halber and I have jayen Brunson second let me let me speak as someone who’s lost a lot of popularity contests in my life the starting the starting back court the starting back court in the Eastern Conference All-Star Games should be Ty re Alberton and Jaylen BRS he should start in the

All-Star Game period y end of story end of the period yeah that’s it the next they’re also 8-2 since acquiring OG an anobi that’s tied for the best record in the NBA over the last 10 games and as we see right the Pacers stocking up with OG’s former teammate Pascal sakam as

Well do you think the Knicks need to make another move here Zach I don’t think they need to it just depends on who’s available and what’s what’s what’s the price because yes I think they could use one more high-end Talent if they really want to compete and win three

Straight playoff series in the Eastern Conference that is heavy at the top but this team is really good as is and they should not feel a need to just overspend urgently and expend too many of their draft picks that they’re saving for a star player we could wake up and the

Knicks could be in the Conference Finals that’s a thing that can happen depending on what seed now they’ll be an underdog in the second round if they get there against any of these teams Philly Milwaukee Boston but Philly Milwaukee you slip up against the Knicks you play

A couple Bad Games somebody turns their ankle whatever it is you can look up Nicks up 3-2 like oh my God it’s going to be Nick Celtics in the Conference Finals that’s possible this team is good and nasty and they got tibs bellowing on the sideline low man low man go get him

I I love you today I love you today game and Thrones character I’m sorry I need that one more time so when he he says low man a lot which means like low man on the pi low man you’ll see all game long go get him yep sorry

Coach you play for him do you got one no I just told you bir they coming at you cross screen all cross screen damn I would say this go ahead Jaylen Bronson dropped 4188 last last night please do not give me this nonsense about it was against the Wizards because we do not

Keep the same energy when Joel and be go and drop 40 against the Wizards and Yiannis so we GNA get the same damn respect to jayen Brunson listen let me tell you something about this Nicks team they have the identity they have the physicality they have the the the the

Selfless in this team meaning they have they play a gender free basketball they enjoy playing with one another you know what they’re so deep at the perimeter when it comes to Perimeter defense we forget about a guy like that brings that tenacity one of the best rebounding

Guards in the league today on both ends of the floor I will say their bench their bench has been struggling since the OG trade watch out for mcde though watch out for the kid MC Duce is good Deuce is solid a lot of these guys

Though are we talked I just I said it earlier this team is built around tibs he wh got his guys they’re all two-way players Josh Hart divon chinzo Grimes OG these are guys who like to defend and and that’s his makeup my only question is you talk about perimeter on defense

Offensively other than Brunson I don’t what what other guard do they have that can that can create and score for themselves and make plays for somebody else I’m asking you you seen no no but they traded him quickly gone hold on but what I’m saying is is this Malik lot of

Pressure I’m coming to you now we talked about this yesterday to Miami Heat we didn’t expect uh Caleb Martin and hold on hold on but but hear me out hit me out the start of the Season we didn’t know who Cayla Martin was the basketball world did but the world didn’t I’m

Asking you huh in the playoffs Listen Hold on but listen what I’m trying to say austin in the playoffs guys make names for themselves agre I’m telling you that’s the time where guys step up yeah but tibs plays his guys he don’t try he doesn’t try new new stuff in the

Playoffs he 50 minutes I mean but Z said you could look up and the next we put like four teams in the Conference Finals that’s what sports is like it’s competitive and unpredictable like how good is how good is it to not have a favorite right now right and it feels

Like kind of the Knicks are are are right there they get a couple of injury you know if if they can stay healthy if there’s a couple of other things that break their way I think we do I think the favorites are playing well no the the favorites but like you remember the

Warriors there’s a time period where like we already knew who was going to the finals it was a question could someone may that means in a great place and I need some lotion my wife just text me and told me get some all right we’ll

Get you that we’ll get you that in the Break

NBA Today’s Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Austin Rivers and Zach Lowe react to Anthony Edwards’ huge second half in the Timberwolves’ win over the Grizzlies and debate Jalen Brunson being outside the top 5 of All-Star voting. They also discuss if the New York Knicks need to make another move before the trade deadline on Feb 8.

0:00 Edwards leads Minnesota to win
5:52 All-Star fan voting
6:57 Knicks before the deadline

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