Column: Anthony Edwards is NBAS Next star, whether he likes it or not – Inforum

Los Angeles – There is a reason why the NBA has installed the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves series in every leading television slot in his arsenal in the past a week and a half.

People want to see that.

Game 1 in Los Angeles and game 4 in Minnesota both were built into the sparse, prestigious ABC shipping slots.

Game 3 was a Friday evening, Espn Affair.

It is a strong contrast compared to three years ago when Minnesotas Matchup was regularly pushed aside in the first round with Memphis and only shown via NBA TV programs at the national level.

And sure, the opponent has a lot to do with it. The Lakers belong to basketball and maybe the leading brand. Los Angeles shows global superstars in Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

But even that is not enough to deliver the types of numbers, the game 4 in this series. This thriller, who won the Minnesota 116-113 Target Center on Sunday, achieved an average of 7,345 million viewers and ensured the second most common round 1, Game 4 competition on ESPN platforms.

ESPN announced that the show reached its peak with 10,274,000 spectators by the end of the game. That is 32% better than the Clippers-Mavericks game played in the same slot last year. Doncic as well as Kyrie Irving and Paul George also showed this competition.

It's different.

Because Minnesota in the form of Anthony Edwards brings his own star power to the stage.

The guard is a main attraction. Even occasional viewers are attracted to the energy of the 23-year-old. There is a special excitement when a player can be observed that is equally able to spray numerous competitive three as he meets a 7-foot use.

Edwards put down James in a game in the victory on Sunday and then turned around, climbed and shot a pass to a wide open Julius Randle under the tire to get a layup. He immediately started screaming James while repeatedly putting his hands on the all-time grandmother.

“Just let him know that we will be here all night,” said Edwards, “and I will be a pest for him.”

In the first round of last year, Edwards did almost exactly the same for Phoenix striker Kevin Durant. He does not bend before the legends of the game. He leaves to them.

Everyone eats it. It is difficult not to look at these moments in a broader context that there is a significant shift within the NBA. Lebron, KD and maybe even Steph Curry in the not too long -term future, and there is a new star in the city.

For years, the league has been leaning heavily on its aging stars to bring eyeballs into the product. One problem was an obvious lack of a next wave of known names that can attract attention.

These playoffs are another memory that Edwards can be this type, even if he doesn't want it. It was a big topic of conversation about the all-star weekend in February when Edwards said that he did not want to be the next “face of the league”. Instead, he suggested that 21-year-old trace striker Victor Wembanyama take on this role.

“I am able to be this type, but I don't want to be this type,” Edwards told NBA TV. “Set it out.

But that's not how it works in Pro sports. The more fans fall in love with you, the more they want to see you and learn something about you.

To be honest, Edwards may not want the microscope. His record outside of time is certainly not clean, from his personal selection options to fines of $ 370,000, which he achieved for technical fouls, language and gestures this season alone.

James, who has owed the main pollution as the face of the league and de facto spokesman for two decades, later said that he understood Edwards' position and added that there was a “strange energy for it”.

“Ant said he didn't want it. Obviously I didn't ask for it, but I knew that there was a responsibility for me, not only for my family, (), but my friends, my community and whoever would follow my trip during my entire career,” said James. “I always took it seriously and understood what was a professional from the start, and it was about a role model. So I tried to keep it with the greatest respect and honor.”