Anthony Edwards is emerging as the leader of the United States men’s basketball team after spearheading the team’s 99-91 come-from-behind win against Germany on Sunday night (Monday, Manila time) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
According to Team USA head coach Steve Kerr, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard just knows when to step up offensively and defensively for the national team.
“He’s unquestionably the guy,” Kerr said in a post-game interview. “You can see he knows it. But now the team knows it, and I think the fans see it.”
“He genuinely believes he’s the best player in the gym every single night. And he’s such a dynamic young player. I think he’s taking a leap,” added the Golden State Warriors mentor.
With Team USA down by as much as 15 points, Edwards anchored the offense as they completed a sweep of their five friendly games. He ended up with 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting.
“Man, this was fun,” said Edwards. “I ain’t had fun like this in a minute. So yeah, this was super exciting. We were down 15, so that was adversity.”
Team USA will head to Manila this Monday as they prepare for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where they will face Greece, New Zealand, and Jordan in the group stage.
“We still go to Manila feeling like we have a lot of room for growth; we also go there with a lot of confidence in ourselves,” Kerr said. “The group has a connection. They really like each other. They play well together and they fight. So that’s a huge step.”
See Related Story Here:
Anthony Edwards talks trash to Jaren Jackson Jr. during Team USA practice
