Of all the literal bars that Anthony Edwards’ 6-foot-4 frame, 41½-inch vertical, and unwavering confidence have allowed him to reach, there stood one metaphorical example positioned to greatly test those gifts: the lofty, heightened expectations of 2024-25’s NBA season. 33 games in, nationally-televised analysts reasoned that Edwards — officially the unquestioned alpha of the Wild West’s runner-up — had fallen slightly off-pace from his last year’s extraordinary pace. On January 4, 2025, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Star offered as strong a rebuttal as one reasonably could, unleashing a three-level offensive avalanche against the Detroit Pistons’ defense. The downtown-focused shot diet remained a focus, as Edwards eased his way into deep pick-and-roll pull-ups and nifty rhythm dribble shots; in between, though, Minnesota’s do-it-all guard also incorporated silky-smooth attacks of the rim, leaving no stone unturned. Even in defeat, individual excellence was easy to find within Ant-Man’s career-high night, as he constructed a 53-point, six-rebound, two-assist masterpiece on sound efficiency from the field (16-of-31), from deep (10-of-15), and from the foul stripe (11-of-12). Skyrocketed thereafter, Edwards rode said momentum to a 31.3-point average (on 46-45-85 percentages) over the rest of January. · Jan 5, 2025