Anthony Edwards Effect gives Timberwolves a significant national

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards flies toward the rim on a TV screen

This past February, Vanity Fair’s Tom Kludt penned an exclusive on Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who has developed from a promising young talent to the league’s face, directly in front of the eyes of millions of basketball fans. Kludt conducted an interview with Timberwolves co-owner Alex Rodriguez, who stated that Edwards was a “six-tool player because he has all the tools and all the intangibles.” What about the sixth tool? It’s known as the It Factor, and Edwards has oozed it for the past six months. Now, the NBA is taking notice.

With the unveiling of the 2024-25 NBA schedule on Thursday afternoon, fans are eager to see who will be playing the most on national television. After all, not everyone who considers the NBA to be their favorite sport pays the annual fee for NBA League Pass, so the national TV schedule is their ticket to determining who they’ll be watching nightly during the season. Every year, a few clubs benefit from an increase in national TV coverage, and this year, no franchise will gain more than the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Teams with the largest increase in National TV games:

🐺 Timberwolves — +15
⚡️ Thunder — +12
🗽 Knicks — +9
🏀 Pacers — +8
🚀 Rockets — +7

What stands out? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/9NM3hnzB0D

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 15, 2024

During the 2024-25 season, the Timberwolves will appear on national television 25 times, including an opening night trip to Hollywood to play the Los Angeles Lakers, a Christmas Day visit to Dallas to face the Mavericks, a Saturday matinee at home against the Denver Nuggets in January, and a pair of nationally televised matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder in February. And in every one of these contests, Anthony Edwards will be the center of attention in the arena.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets during Game 6 of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center.
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards has become a must-see TV personality.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game six of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. For as popular and dominant as Edwards appeared to become throughout the 2023-24 season, the devil’s advocate would quickly point out that Ant’s popularity and game still need to improve. Edwards was just the seventh-most viewed player across all NBA social media platforms, and he did not rank among the top 15 in jersey sales in the 2023-24 season. Edwards may soon be able to claim the title of NBA’s best player, but last season he was named 2nd Team All-NBA for the first time in his career, and he lost steam during the Western Conference Finals when he was held to only 24 points per game on 43 percent shooting.

But, my God, why would we focus on the negatives when we might enjoy the electrifying performance of an Anthony Edwards poster dunk?

ANTHONY EDWARDS DUNK OF THE YEAR OMG 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pq8fxOQcMk

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 19, 2024

The new Adidas AE 1 Georgia ‘Bulldawg’ is set to release shortly. The Celtics’ ring celebration and the Lakers’ opening night highlight the 2024-25 NBA season.