Since being drafted #1 into the league in 2020, Anthony Edwards has steadily improved every single year, and is still only 24. To many, he’s a future MVP and face of the league but if you ask Rich Paul, he’ll place him at the very top already, above a three-time MVP.
Paul has been making headlines of all sorts this season and is becoming somewhat of a “hot take machine”. Earlier in the season, he caused drama between himself and Austin Reaves after he said that the LA Lakers should trade the star guard. Being LeBron James’ agent, this did not go over well internally within the organization.
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Now, Paul is back at it again with another scalding hot take. He said that Edwards is the greatest NBA player right now among a community of elite talent.
“I still think it’s a community, but I think that community is led by Anthony Edwards,” Paul stated on Game Over. “I think Anthony Edwards is the best player in our league today.”
If you asked many NBA fans, like Paul’s co-host Max Kellerman, they’d say thatNikola Jokic is the best player in the league. If not him, it would probably be the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Edwards certainly could upstage them one day, but for now, that’s not the case.
Paul was adamant that the best player in the league right now is Edwards. “The face of the league, you have to grow into that; that’s something different. But best player, yes, he is the best player to me,” Paul reiterated. “Because you can’t watch a game on any given night against anybody and look at that game and say, ‘Oh, that person is better than Anthony Edwards.’”
The “Face of the NBA” has been a hot topic of discussion in recent seasons. Many believe the league currently lacks a clear, dominant superstar who stands above the rest. More importantly, the NBA has been dominated by non-American-born players for quite some time now, making it harder for the average American fan to connect with the sport.
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The past two eras of the NBA had unmistakable faces of the league. First came Michael Jordan, followed by LeBron James. Even earlier, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird propelled the sport into mainstream popularity. All of them were American-born athletes.
Being from Atlanta, Georgia, Edwards could definitely grow into the face of the NBA one day. But for now, the face is a conglomerate of international stars, if not Jokic outright. “I love Jokic, no question about it. But no. If you say, ‘I’m taking Jokic.’ I’m saying, ‘Okay, give me Anthony Edwards.’”
It’s quite the opinion for Paul to have. As mentioned earlier, he’s been on a run of hot takes lately, many of which have gone viral. Not many would agree with him on this one, but it could become an interesting conversation to revisit in a few seasons.
All in all, Paul is entitled to his own opinion. If you asked us, the best player in the NBA right now is either Jokic or SGA. That said, we do agree with Kellerman on one point: we’d love to see Edwards become the best player in the league one day. He’s a likable personality and exactly the kind of star who could lead the next era of players.
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