Evaluating the NBA Draft Landing Spots for Anthony Edwards

We are officially less than one week away from the NBA draft. While the result will have nothing to do with the Georgia Bulldogs' upcoming season, there is a little bit of pride at stake. The Dawgs haven't had a lottery selection since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was selected eight overall in the 2013 draft. There's only been one top-five selection in their history: Dominique Wilkins selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 1982. Wednesday night could prove to be historic for this Bulldog program, as for the first time, they have a player with a great chance to be the number one overall pick: Anthony Edwards.

Edwards has been labeled the number one overall pick in many mock drafts, which would make him the first number one overall pick to come out of the University of Georgia. Today, however, we will take a look at the best landing destinations for Edwards. More often than not, a prospect's ceiling is determined by where they end up, as specific organizations are more equipped to bring along teenagers in today's game than others. Here are the spots where Edwards and his team should be hoping to end up come draft night.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves make a lot of sense for Edwards at number one. Rumor has it that the T-Wolves are shopping second-year guard Jarrett Culver for a lottery selection, which would give the team that much more incentive to take a capable ball handler.

Behind D'Angelo Russell, there aren't many capable playmakers with the ball on Minnesota's roster. Malik Beasley operates well off the catch, but off the dribble hasn't created for others well enough in his career to be a primary ball-handler.

Edwards would provide Minnesota with another combo-guard that can win off the dribble, find the open man, and attack the basket. Russell has historically played well off the ball in his career despite the narrative around him and would welcome a downtick in his team-leading 30% usage rate last season.

Another attractive element in Minnesota is the number of shooters on the roster. Center Karl Anthony-Towns has made threes at nearly a 40% clip in his career, and Russell, Beasley, Omari Spellman, and Jake Layman all shoot over 31% from three in their careers. This would give Edwards plenty of spacing, allowing him to attack the basket with the lane unclogged.

2. Chicago Bulls

Shooters, shooters, and more shooters. This is what Anthony Edwards needs early in his career to be successful. Until he develops his outside shot, the lane needs to be unclogged so that he can attack the basket and initiate drive-and-kick situations for his teammates.

Chicago has shooting in spades, along with the organization, to bring Edwards along. Chicago's young nucleus is one of the best in basketball, consisting of Coby White, Wendell Carter, and Lauri Markkanen. Each of them has been taken in with open arms by the Windy City from day one. In addition, they have all improved during the back half of their rookie seasons.

Star shooting guard Zach Lavine and Coby White can help take pressure away from Edwards early. This would allow him to slide over to become a swingman early in his career, a hybrid between a small forward and shooting guard. His superior athletic ability, coupled with his 225-pound frame, will allow him to matchup with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant from day one. Operating in a wing role, he will be free to not worry about distributing the ball and solely on initiating offense for himself. Wendall Carter and Lauri Markkanen's shooting prowess will allow an open lane, and he will have shooters on the outside for when defenses are forced to collapse on him.

1. Golden State Warriors

The Warriors remain a real possibility for Edwards and would result in a match made in heaven. We all know the resumes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Imagine Edwards getting consistently pushed by all of them every day in practice with a Hall of Fame coach in Steve Kerr right behind them.

One of the knocks on Edwards in the predraft process is his effort. When he was giving effort, he was one of the best players and defenders in college basketball, but it got ugly quickly when he wasn't. The Warriors will knock this right out of him, and alongside Steph and Klay, he could complete the scariest 1-3 lineup in basketball.

Obviously, shooting will space the floor, but Edwards jumper is much more likely to improve with the best shooting coaches in the world, the Splash Brothers, right there with him.

It is here, in my opinion, Edwards is maximized. He can learn how to be a professional, shoot, and give it his all within the first few years of his career before carrying the torch onwards in the Bay Area.