Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards rising up NBA MVP rankings

Anthony Edwards may not be the leading contender for the NBA MVP Award, but he's putting himself in the conversation.

The Minnesota Timberwolves guard has been steadily rising up NBA.com's weekly "Kia MVP Ladder" rankings, which evaluate the top-10 MVP contenders and lists an additional five candidates in the mix. A month ago, Edwards was on the outside of the top 10 looking in, but in the latest rankings released Friday, Edwards was at No. 6, up a spot from last week.

It's been a terrific month of February for Edwards. He's averaging 30.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in the month, which are all up from his season-long averages. His February has included three straight 40-point games from Feb. 5-10 and an additional 30-point game. He's posted double-digit rebounds twice, and twice flirted with triple-doubles.

It's the second straight month Edwards has averaged over 30 points per game. For the season, Edwards is averaging career bests at 27.3 points, which ranks fourth in the NBA, and 6.0 rebounds and also averages 4.6 assists per game. He's shooting 44% from the field and a career-best 41% from 3-point range while leading the NBA with 238 makes from deep.

Edwards has moved up NBA.com's weekly MVP rankings, going from outside the top 10 a month ago to ninth the following week to No. 7 last week and now No. 6 in the rankings. He's knocking on the door of the top five, trailing just Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, the reigning MVP, usurped Gilgeous-Alexander for the top spot in this week's rankings.

Coming in just behind Edwards from 7-10 were Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks center and Edwards' former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. Towns is averaging 24.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his first season in New York.

Just outside of the top 10 were Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis, Houston Rockets forward Alpereen Sengun and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.

Edwards won't be able to take part in Minnesota's last game in February Friday night at the Utah Jazz, though, as he received his 16th technical foul of the season in Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, resulting in an automatic one-game suspension. The Wolves take on the Jazz at 8:30 p.m. CT Friday in Utah. Edwards can return when the calendar flips to March for Sunday's road game against the Phoenix Suns that tips off at 8:30 p.m. CT in Arizona.

Recommended articles