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Anthony Edwards has heard his name in the face of the league conversation for years, but when the question came up again at Fanatics Fest in New York City, he passed the torch before ever holding it.
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard told interviewer Taylor Rooks that the title belongs to someone who has finished the job on the biggest stage, and in his mind that description points directly at Jalen Brunson.
Coming just weeks after the New York Knicks captain lifted his first championship trophy, the comment landed as one of the strongest endorsements Brunson has received all summer.
"The face of the league comes with a lot of responsibilities, and I think one of those is winning the championship, and I haven't did that yet so, maybe Jalen Brunson or one of those guys," Edwards said.
Edwards' logic is hard to argue with after the season Brunson just finished.
The Knicks star averaged 26.0 points and 6.8 assists in the regular season, then raised his scoring to 28.4 points per game in the playoffs and closed out the Finals against San Antonio with a 45 point masterpiece in Game 5 that earned him the Bill Russell Trophy.
A championship, a Finals MVP, and a signature closeout game form exactly the resume Edwards described.
The title run also brought Brunson Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors, and New York piled up 53 wins in the regular season before carving through the bracket.
Brunson has already shared why he likes New York's chances to repeat, which suggests the face of the league label could stick around for a while if the roster stays intact.
Edwards posted a career best 28.8 points per game last season and remains one of the most marketable young stars in basketball, but Minnesota fell short of the Finals again this spring while Brunson was busy finishing the championship run that changed his standing in the sport for good.
By tying the title of face of the league to winning it all, Edwards set the terms for how he plans to claim it himself one day.
New York, meanwhile, keeps collecting good news this summer.
Karl-Anthony Towns offered a confident response about beating Victor Wembanyama in the Finals, and Brunson recently addressed the idea of the Knicks pursuing LeBron James as the veteran weighs his next home.
The champions return their core, their captain owns the respect of his fiercest rivals, and the loudest endorsement of all came from the player many assumed would claim the crown first.
Training camp is still months away, yet the defending champs already look like the team the rest of the league is measuring itself against.
Continue reading...
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard told interviewer Taylor Rooks that the title belongs to someone who has finished the job on the biggest stage, and in his mind that description points directly at Jalen Brunson.
Coming just weeks after the New York Knicks captain lifted his first championship trophy, the comment landed as one of the strongest endorsements Brunson has received all summer.
"The face of the league comes with a lot of responsibilities, and I think one of those is winning the championship, and I haven't did that yet so, maybe Jalen Brunson or one of those guys," Edwards said.
Winning Changed the Conversation
Edwards' logic is hard to argue with after the season Brunson just finished.
The Knicks star averaged 26.0 points and 6.8 assists in the regular season, then raised his scoring to 28.4 points per game in the playoffs and closed out the Finals against San Antonio with a 45 point masterpiece in Game 5 that earned him the Bill Russell Trophy.
A championship, a Finals MVP, and a signature closeout game form exactly the resume Edwards described.
The title run also brought Brunson Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors, and New York piled up 53 wins in the regular season before carving through the bracket.
Brunson has already shared why he likes New York's chances to repeat, which suggests the face of the league label could stick around for a while if the roster stays intact.
Edwards Is Not Backing Down
Edwards posted a career best 28.8 points per game last season and remains one of the most marketable young stars in basketball, but Minnesota fell short of the Finals again this spring while Brunson was busy finishing the championship run that changed his standing in the sport for good.
By tying the title of face of the league to winning it all, Edwards set the terms for how he plans to claim it himself one day.
New York, meanwhile, keeps collecting good news this summer.
Karl-Anthony Towns offered a confident response about beating Victor Wembanyama in the Finals, and Brunson recently addressed the idea of the Knicks pursuing LeBron James as the veteran weighs his next home.
The champions return their core, their captain owns the respect of his fiercest rivals, and the loudest endorsement of all came from the player many assumed would claim the crown first.
Training camp is still months away, yet the defending champs already look like the team the rest of the league is measuring itself against.
Continue reading...
