“KAT, my brother, so that definitely hurt. But it’s a business, so I just gotta roll with it,” Anthony Edwards said while referring to Karl-Anthony Towns‘ unprecedented trade to the NY Knicks. Stepping into the fifth season of his career, the star guard has indeed lost his trusted partner. However, that didn’t stop him from laying out a confident road map for the 2024-25 season with a big prize in mind. Notably, a few months ago, when he had Towns by his side, Ant had a pessimistic outlook for a similar prize.

During the 2024 playoffs, the Timberwolves looked like they had all the assets in the bag to win the chip. In fact, the team had its best run in two decades. However, it could only push till the Conference Finals. But everyone was confident that the young side would run it back once again, trusting their core. Unfortunately, the latest blockbuster trade ruffled everyone, even Towns was left “stunned.”

Even though the Wolves have included Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who definitely add value to both ends of the court in Minnesota, it still hasn’t brought that championship confidence. Nevertheless, the team’s centerpiece, Anthony Edwards, expressed his determination, not only to win the championship but to win the decorated Michael Jordan Trophy (regular season MVP).

During Media Day, when asked if he has the game to win the MVP award, Ant-Man said, “Hell yeah for sure. No question.” He further built on it, shedding light on his motivation. Edwards continued, “I got a great team. I got no excuses to win games. Great coaching staff, great organization. Now it’s on me to make it happen, so I’m definitely going for it.” At the same time, when he was asked about winning the championship, he dropped a similar response, saying, “We should be alright.” So, are the Wolves really ready?

Anthony Edwards’ thoughts about winning the NBA Championship, in comparison to responses from only a few months ago

Not so long ago, Anthony Edwards stirred up different generations of the hoops community after he commented on winning rings, dragging the ’90s basketball. Speaking of winning championships in a Wall Street Journal interview in August 2024, he said, “I don’t know too many guys who won a championship super young, besides Kobe.” 

Notably, he seemed to have not known about Magic Johnson, who the championship in his rookie season. And, he indeed received a stinging response from the Lakers legend over his ignorance. However, that’s for another day.

Now, it’s time to focus on his championship mentality. The Michael Jordan-esque youngster seemed like he gave out calculative responses during media day. More like his answers were laid back and toned down. But, things initially seemed to have taken a U-turn, after Ant took over the Wolves as the No.1 player on the roster, as the hooper started to open up more candidly, sometimes controversially. Did KAT’s departure force Anthony Edwards to take a confident and better approach to his leadership?

Above all, Ant-Man has shifted his focus to finding ways to keep his team in its competitive best. Speaking of his team’s X factor, he added, “We got to bring our defense every single night ’cause that’s what’s going to help us.” Nevertheless, the Timberwolves’ president, Tim Connely, seems confident about winning the ring, as he said, “Our back office believes we can win a championship,” at Media Day. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.