Anthony Edwards Complaining About Having To Face Double Teams Because It Means He Has To Pass Is Some Loser Shit

Jordan Johnson. Getty Images.

There is no doubt that Anthony Edwards is one of the best young talents in the entire NBA. He's electric, he can kill you from all 3 levels, he seems to have a sense of the moment and demands the ball in those situations, he's incredible to watch. All those things are true.

It's also true that sometimes we all need a reminder that he's just 23 years old. Last year there was this rush to crown him not only the best American player in the NBA, but the new Face Of The NBA. You couldn't go a single day last season without turning on ESPN and hearing them tell you this was Michael Jordan 2.0. He was crowned without you know, doing anything. A great player, but still has a long way to go.

Take last night's showdown against Jayson Tatum. You know, the guy who Ant was quick to talk about after his single win last year (Tatum is now 13-1 vs MIN in his career after another win). 

We saw in this game why there are levels to this shit. Ant and the general NBA community want him to be what Jayson Tatum already is. Best American born young player? Jayson Tatum. Future Face Of The NBA? That's Jayson Tatum. NBA Champion? You guessed it, Jayson Tatum.

You see, Tatum has been assuming the role of "The Guy" for nearly half a decade now, and he does it with the most pressure of any young player in the NBA. He is held to a standard that does not exist for any other guy. Ant, Luka, SGA, they all seem to get passes for not achieving what the standard has become for  a player like Tatum. When you take on the role of "franchise player", that comes with certain expectations and a certain standard. You can't ever have a night off. You need to show up every single time in all the big moments. You need to win at a high level both in the regular season AND the postseason. And most importantly, you must be ready and willing to adapt your game in ways that help your team win. Whatever the game needs in that moment, that is not only what you do, but you do it at a high level.

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It took Tatum a few years to figure out that last part, as it does with every young franchise player. It was the final infinity stone he had to get in order to become the player we see today.

So the way Ant was crying about having to face double teams and defenses that try and limit his scoring, you can see he still has a ways to go in that area

Welcome to the NBA Ant! Teams are going to force you into doubles because operating out of them is a weakness for you. They know that if they can force you into a playmaker and make it so that Edwards has to make secondary reads, he struggles. We saw it last night and we saw it in the playoffs. At 23, he hasn't made the playmaking leap yet. The processing speed isn't quite there, how he reads the floor isn't quite there yet, but it'll get there. The leap is undoubtedly coming, but he first needs a change in his mindset. I compare it to the leap Tatum took in 2019-20 in the Bubble. Having to go up against the Coach Spo dark magic and doubles and then the same shit against GS a few years later has molded him as an offensive player. Now, he not only thrives in that situation, but he's also a willing passer. 

This is just like when Devin Booker complained about having to face a double team defense in a pick up game, and that he didn't want to work on those in the summer. Extreme loser shit. Sadly, the same is true here for Ant. Unfortunately, that's a loser's mentality. I appreciate the honesty and it's a cool look into how he sees the game, but as a Wolves fan, this is NOT what I want to hear from my franchise player. Kind of selfish and not the mindset of a champion. It's also extremely normal for a player of his age and tenure in the league. That's why winning at a high level takes time. Tatum ultimately flipped the switch, but it came after a lot of the individual stuff had already been handled. It came time to get serious about a title, and he changed his approach and mindset in a way that brought home the Larry. 

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What this clip shows you is how much more Anthony Edwards has to go in his development, which is totally OK! He's so talented, all signs point to him figuring it out just like all the other greats before him did. I will bet my life that Ant's approach and how he sees his role in the team's success when he's 26 or 27 will sound very different from that clip above. But as we know in the NBA, you can't rush the process.