Getty Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards during Game 1 of a Western Conference playoff series with the Suns.
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards gave Nikola Jokic his credit — but Edwards’ sights are arguably more on Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray ahead of the Western Conference semifinals.
In an interview with the Denver Post, Edwards made a case that Murray is more a reason the defending NBA champions are back in the semifinals, starting with Game 1 against Edwards’ Timberwolves on Saturday, May 4.
“Jokic is the best player in the league, but without (Murray), they’re not a championship team,” Edwards said on May 2. “I mean (expletive), he averaged 30 in the Western Conference Finals. If you can find me somebody that don’t think Jamal Murray is one of the best (freaking) guards in the league, then they’re crazy. He averaged 30 in the Western Conference Finals. He’s the reason they won. I mean, without him, they’re not good. It’s just that simple.”
Edwards, who said Murray was his favorite player to watch earlier this season, is on a road to superstardom that coincides with a reckoning for a Timberwolves team that was nixed from the postseason by the Nuggets a year ago.
The 22-year-old phenom embarked on his “kill everybody” campaign this postseason.
He took down his childhood idol Kevin Durant along with fellow Team USA teammate Devin Booker by sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. He averaged 31 points, eight rebounds, 6.3 assists and two steals in the four-game series.
Now, he’s tasked with ousting Murray, whom he only showed praise ahead of Game 1 in Denver.
“He just can get hot,” Edwards said. “He sees one go in, he might make six, seven in a row, like he did tonight. I’m one of the guys that loves watching him play.”
Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards Underdogs to Nuggets
GettyAnthony Edwards and Jamal Murray during Game 5 of the 2023 Western Conference first-round playoffs.
The Nuggets open the series as -210 favorites to win their series with the Timberwolves, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jokic has his third MVP award wrapped up as the Nuggets hope to have the same success they had last year when they sent the Timberwolves home with a 4-1 quarterfinal series victory.
However, this year’s Timberwolves are dramatically different, starting with Edwards, whose fourth-year leap has followed a maturation of the entire Timberwolves roster.
Timberwolves Roster Has Flourished Under Former Nuggets Architect Tim Connelly
GettyTimberwolves stars Karl-Anthony Towns (left), Anthony Edwards (middle), Rudy Gobert (right)
When former Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Tim Connelly took the job at the helm of the Timberwolves organization, he knew he’d have to beat the team he once built in Denver.
His plan: get big, by way of the Rudy Gobert trade that left the rest of the league laughing. It took some time for the Timberwolves to morph into their new form, but they’re here with a strong case to make the Finals.
Karl Anthony-Towns, who played just 29 games before the 2023 postseason, has fully embraced his new role alongside Gobert at center.
Jaden McDaniels, who missed last year’s series due to a hand injury, is back as the Timberwolves’ top perimeter defender, headlining a supporting cast around Gobert who has lifted the Timberwolves to the top of the league in defensive rating.
While last year the Nuggets reveled in matching up Aaron Gordon with Towns and getting the Timberwolves big into foul trouble, Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson are also adept defenders who can fill that spot.
Meanwhile, Murray has battled injury through the first round of the playoffs Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sprained his ankle in the Nuggets’ closeout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Edwards won’t have trouble getting his, but the series will likely come down to how much the Timberwolves can mitigate the damage done by a short Nuggets bench, which they should have the advantage over in the long run.