It's been quite a start to the year for Anthony Edwards.
Anthony Edwards: Minnesota's most charismatic star since Kirby Puckett?
A comparison to Puckett's on-field accomplishments and personality as a player is about as high a compliment as a Minnesota athlete can receive. Is the Wolves' 20-year-old star on that path?
October 29, 2021 at 3:14PM
The Wolves guard is averaging 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the 3-1 Wolves, who are coming off an impressive road win at the defending champion Bucks.
And that win came after Edwards called out the Wolves' selfish play — himself included — as a culprit for offensive woes that led to their only loss of the year to the Pelicans. Edwards has already offered up numerous examples of leadership, humor and exuberance, not to mention dynamic play.
Let's not forget: He only turned 20 in August.
Edwards' continued ascent has prompted a lot of optimism among Wolves fans, including one Daily Delivery podcast listener who chimed in on Twitter with a query about Edwards in relation to his Minnesota sports peers.
A comparison to Kirby Puckett's on-field accomplishments and personality as a player is about as high a compliment as a Minnesota athlete can receive. Puckett was a clear leader, someone who played with joy and, of course, a two-time World Series champ and Hall of Famer.
Edwards has a million miles to go before that full comparison is valid. But as I talked about on Friday's podcast, it is an interesting question to think about.
The three athletes who came quickly to mind for me post-Puckett were Kevin Garnett, Randy Moss and Lindsay Whalen. Torii Hunter and Adrian Peterson also entered my brain.
Garnett and Moss oozed youthful exuberance and colorful personalities in the early parts of their careers. That changed some as they reached the middle of their careers and got past the honeymoon phase with fans. So I will be interested to see how Edwards' arc goes as potential is converted into production and expectations become raised.
Whalen let out her exuberance in bursts, and her comedic timing has always been more understated compared to the stream-of-consciousness bursts we have seen so far from Edwards. As a leader, Whalen has few peers.
There are some high bars for Edwards to clear, but the steps he's taken so far are encouraging. Like most things, it's a conversation probably worth revisiting in 5-10 years when we have a more complete set of facts.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
