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Anthony Edwards is off to a Steph Curry-like start to this season

Edwards is going to end up in the MVP mix if he keeps shooting anywhere near this level.
Will Ragatz|
Nov 7, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Dalen Terry (25) during the first half at United Center.
Nov 7, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Dalen Terry (25) during the first half at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Eight games into this NBA season, Anthony Edwards is letting it fly from deep and doing things only Steph Curry has ever done before.

Edwards has hit 41 three-pointers already, marking just the fourth time in league history that someone has hit 40 of them through eight games. Curry did it in 2015, in 2018, and again last year. Now he has company.

In Thursday night's Wolves win over the Bulls, Edwards hit five more threes, getting back to his usual ways after making seven combined in the two previous games. He opened the season by hitting five or more threes in each of the first five games of the season, including a couple nights with seven of them.

Edwards' extreme three-point volume this season has been an early talking point around the NBA. There are some who question why a player as athletically gifted as him is launching so many shots from long range instead of getting downhill and attacking the rim. But why wouldn't he shoot this many threes if he's going to make them at such a high rate? Edwards, a career 36 percent shooter from distance, is at 46 percent this season. That's elite efficiency on such high volume — and once again, something only Curry has ever done.

Take it from Ant himself, when asked after the Nuggets game what he'd say to anyone who thinks he's shooting too many threes: "F*** 'em."

Edwards isn't going to shoot 46 percent from deep all year, but the mechanics of his jumper look extremely smooth and consistent right now. If he can hang around 40 percent, it'll absolutely be beneficial for the Wolves if he continues to take a ton of shots from long range. The more defenses try to take that away and play up on him on the perimeter, the more it'll theoretically allow him to blow by those defenders and get downhill.

Edwards was outstanding in Chicago, going for 33/8/6 and taking over in the fourth quarter to lead the Wolves to their fifth win. If he keeps shooting anywhere near this level, he's going to find himself firmly in the MVP mix later this season.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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