Souhan: Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards is a long-shot for NBA MVP, but he checks all the boxes

The chants were predictable. Put a star athlete in front of a home crowd after an emotional victory, and you will hear the letters M, V and P.

That’s what Anthony Edwards heard on Sunday after leading the Timberwolves to a dramatic comeback 104-103 victory over San Antonio at Target Center.

The chant was presumptuous, of course. Edwards plays in the same conference as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the award last year and is having a similar season this year for what is again the best team in the league.

That’s hard to beat.

Look at nothing but statistics, and there is no case to be made.

Gilgeous-Alexander leads Edwards in scoring, assists, effective field-goal percentage and two advanced statistics that attempt to assess overall value. Gilgeous-Alexander leads in “win shares” 9.0 to 3.9, and PER (player efficiency rating) 31.6 to 22.6.

In win shares, Edwards ranks third on his own team, behind Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle.

Maybe he won’t be, but his performance against the Spurs allows for daydreams.

No Minnesota athlete in a major professional sport has won an MVP award since Sylvia Fowles did it for the WNBA’s Lynx in 2017. The last man to win an MVP for a Minnesota team in a major professional sport was the Twins’ Joe Mauer, in 2009 for the American League. The Lynx’s Napheesa Collier finished second last season.

Why might Edwards break the drought?

Because of what we saw against San Antonio. Edwards essentially played point guard and shooting guard. He ran the offense, and he closed out the game with a dazzling array of difficult shots. He scored on the remarkable Victor Wembanyama with a series of moves.

For Edwards to be considered a true MVP candidate, he is going to have to drive winning for a championship-caliber team while amassing gaudy statistics.

Oklahoma City is the reigning champion and has the league’s best record, and the Thunder went 2-4 in mid-December and recently lost at home to lowly Charlotte 124-97.

Every time you get angry with the Wolves for losing a game, look at the far right column of the standings, where each team’s record over the last 10 games is listed. You’ll discover that every team loses games that confound their fan bases.

The MVP award is about adding maximum value to a contending team. Edwards’ ability to take over the point guard duties might enable the Wolves to avoid spending valuable assets on the trade market just to add another ballhandler.

How valuable is that?

Edwards’ ability to play a large number of minutes, and his eagerness to play through minor injuries, speaks to leadership, and he has allowed the Wolves to thrive despite a shallow bench.

Edwards has even mitigated his most obvious flaw: his protests when he doesn’t get a foul call he thinks he deserves. He still gestures toward officials, but he isn’t getting technical fouls at the rate he did last year, when he led the NBA, and is getting back on defense more quickly.

Gilgeous-Alexander will be difficult to pass, statistically and in terms of perception.

All Edwards, who is bothered by a right foot injury and will sit out the Tuesday, Jan. 13 game at Milwaukee, will need to do is lead the Wolves to the top of the standings and excel in clutch situations while essentially playing two positions at once.

That won’t be easy, but, remember, Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t win an MVP award until he was 26. Edwards is 24, and we’re watching him improve almost game-by-game this season.