Despite the great performance, it is somewhat tainted for Anthony Edwards.
On Thursday night, the Timberwolves star became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 career points. At just 24 years and 156 days old, Edwards is also one of seven players to reach the mark before the age of 25, putting him alongside Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony and more.
However, the three-time All-Star was wary of passing Byrant.
“To be honest, it’s cool, but I know I have a lot more to do, so it’s really nothing,” Edwards told reporters after the Timberwolves’ 131-122 win over the Cavaliers. “I’m a little sick that I faced Kobe. I wish I had waited a hundred days or something, but hey, it’s all good.”
Bryant was 24 years and 193 days old when he reached 10,000 points.
Edwards sealed the record when he scored a 14-foot fadeaway jumper from the baseline in the fourth quarter.
He went on to finish with 25 points and shot 10-for-20 from the field, along with nine assists and seven rebounds.
He also shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc on a night when Minnesota had season highs from deep (53 percent) and in field goal shooting (57 percent).
Only LeBron James (23 years, 59 days) and Kevin Durant (24 years, 33 days) have beaten Edwards.
“Scoring comes naturally to him in a lot of ways,” coach Chris Finch said as he recalled the first 40-point game of Edwards’ career in his rookie season. “At that moment you knew there was something inside him that he could reach.”
Only two other players have scored 10,000 points while playing for the Timberwolves: Kevin Garnett and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Edwards reached the mountain in 412 games, making him the 28th fastest in the league behind Doncic (358), James (368), Joel Embiid (373), Durant (381), Trae Young (390) and Donovan Mitchell (410).
The Timberwolves selected Edwards with the first overall pick in 2020, and this year he has taken his game to another level. He has set career highs with 29.2 points per game, a 50.4 field goal percentage and a 41.2 percent 3-point clip.
Edwards aims to return the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals and beyond after losing last year’s series in five games to eventual champions the Thunder.
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