Warriors NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards has all of the tools to be NBA’s next superstar

Anthony Edwards has been a player on the Golden State Warriors’ radar and as the NBA Draft inches closer, Tom Crean weighed in to discuss the similarities Edwards has with former players that turned into NBA All-Stars.

The NBA Draft is now three weeks away and there are still a lot of questions about what the Golden State Warriors will do with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. If Anthony Edwards is not the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, the Warriors are a likely destination for the former Georgia Bulldog, but what makes him so special?

Edwards’ former coach at Georgia, Tom Crean, was interviewed by Sport Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo and had this to say about the potential top pick.

"“There’s no part of his game that he doesn’t have a chance to be outstanding at… what he’s already doing as a young 19-year-old is amazing.”"

Crean went on to talk about Edwards’ development and what makes this young man so special/

"“The thing that’s a separator for me, if I’ve got to sum it up, outside of all the talent and upside, is that Anthony is one of the greatest teammates I’ve had the privilege of coaching. The way he cares about others, how engaging and involved he is with them. For a young man, he’s got an incredible level of empathy. I don’t try to make comparisons so much when I’ve coached Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo. But when you look at their talent level mixed with what kind of teammates they are, what kind of empathy they have as human beings, that’s where I see tremendous similarities to Anthony.”"

Anytime your name is being brought up in the same company as Dwyane Wade’s, you are doing something right!

Wade, the future Hall-of-Famer, was a 13-time All-Star and three-time NBA Champion with the Miami Heat and before his playing days in the NBA, he played at Marquette University where Tom Crean was the head coach of the Golden Eagles.

Both Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo were top-five picks in the NBA Draft (going No. 5 and No. 2 in 2003 and 2013 respectively) and have had fantastic NBA careers; Oladipo still being in the midst of his career.

Last week, Steph’s Curry’s personal trainer hinted at the Warriors taking Edwards with the No. 2 overall pick and the Warriors also met with him during their trip to the East Coast according to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson.

Aside from Anthony Edwards, the Warriors also have reported interest in center  James Wiseman, who played in only three games at Memphis last season, and forward Deni Avdija from Israel. Tom Crean tends to think Edwards’ has the upper-hand when it comes to his experiences though and hopes organizations in the NBA see this as well:

"“As a coach, you try and push people beyond where they think they can go, and you keep pushing when they think they’ve reached it. Anthony got a full year of that. So to me, that’s what helps him in terms of NBA readiness. It doesn’t mean he’s not going to have bad days or make mistakes, but he’s been through a real season, with adversity and success, and been held accountable every day. And that’s not always the case with these other guys, because of how their situations worked out. He could have chosen that same path, but he chose the collegiate path, and I hope he gets credit for that.”"

In a full collegiate season, Edwards played 32 games for Georgia averaging: 19.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 2.8 APG while shooting 40.2% from the floor. Anthony Edwards earned All-SEC honors, was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and was named the 2019-20 SEC Freshman of the Year.

Anthony Edwards possesses all the tools necessary for him to be an All-Star at the NBA level, the only question that remains though is can he be this player with the Golden State Warriors?

For the answer to that question, Warriors fans will have to wait until November 18th to see if the Warriors pull the trigger and welcome Anthony Edwards to the Bay Area!