Anthony Edwards has the potential to be a star in the NBA, but the question marks surrounding his play should keep a team like the Orlando Magic away.
Anthony Edwards is the best representation of this draft.
On one hand, he is a gifted scorer and athlete. Tom Crean, his coach at Georgia, has compared him favorably to other dynamic guards he has coached in Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo. That is a tall order.
But when you watch Edwards in a game, he flies to the basket and finishes above the rim. There were few players at the collegiate level who could score at his volume and do what he did.
Edwards is nearly the consensus top overall pick in this draft. He is perhaps the class’ best scorer, pouring in points with ease.
Yet, there are questions. He is not the runaway top choice. Everyone seems to want to trade off the spots that would take him. And it is not clear who would want to trade up to get him.
This is the Anthony Edwards experience.
Orlando Magic
He is a player who has a lot of potential but may very well not pan into anything special once he enters the league. Edwards is talented but has holes in his game. Major holes that could prevent him from reaching his full potential.
But that risk may also bring great reward as he might end up being a star in this league. While the draft is widely described as a “weak” draft, there is still a chance that this draft will put out gems.
Along with James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards is the final prospect that is going to go in the top three. For a while now, he is regarded as the clear cut first pick in the NBA Draft. With the potential of being an elite scorer, Edwards showed why he deserves to be the first overall pick, but it doesn’t mean he is a safe pick either.
He averaged 19.1 points per game. But he shot just 40.2-percent from the floor and just 29.4-percent from beyond the arc. The raw production and athletic talent has buoyed Edwards to the top.
But the question is just how much he can deliver and what more he can do.
Edwards has the offensive skill of being a scorer and a passer, but not necessarily being a shooter. Edwards has proven to be a volume scorer and someone that is able to get into defenses. But he struggles to find the pass.
He can get to the rim and shoot off the dribble, which is something the Magic desperately needs. But the lack of efficiency shooting the ball is somewhat alarming as he shot 29.4-percent from beyond the arc.
Edwards may very well improve his shot when he enters the league, but it is a concern especially considering it will be a risk to trade up to draft Edwards.
On the defensive end, he is inconsistent as he shows flashes of being a good on and off-ball defender. He needs to improve his awareness on that end, especially when he plays off-ball because Edwards tends to roam and gets beat on cuts.
But he does have the potential to be a great defender because of his 6-foot-5 height and 6-foot-9 wingspan. Also, due to his size, he was able to average 5.2 rebounds per game.
While Edwards may have holes in his game, They are not problems that cannot be worked on. Edwards has to improve in different aspects to strive in the NBA. It is that potential that may entice teams to trade up and draft Edwards in hope that he can be a franchise player.
Edwards is another player Orlando is going to have to trade for. While Edwards is the better pick than Ball and Wiseman respectively, the level of uncertainty is still high, and Orlando should avoid giving up a big package.
There are a lot of question marks surrounding Edwards which, may cause teams to stray away from trading for the pick. This also goes for Orlando since it would likely cost the Magic Nikola Vucevic and/or Aaron Gordon to trade up for a prospect that is not a sure hit.
While the idea of drafting Edwards can be enticing, there are too many question marks surrounding him. There is a big range where Edwards career can fall from whether it be a star or someone who struggles to shoot, but always show the ability to create for himself while struggling on the defensive end.
Overall, Edwards has the potential to be a star in the NBA, but the question marks surrounding his play should keep a team like the Magic away, especially because it would likely involve trading away their best player and risk hurting the winning culture they recently started building for a player that may not pan out.