Steve Kerr and young star Anthony Edwards are working side-by-side for Team USA in the 2024 Olympic Games. Naturally, their complicated history has come to the surface and fans have been left in shock to see what Kerr told him during a pre-draft workout years ago.
“Kerr had his doubts about the guard from Georgia who put up big scoring numbers that didn’t always translate to team success. ‘The first impression was it was hard to tell whether he was going to be good or not because he was just so raw,’ Kerr said via The Ringer . ‘He was so young, and he was full of energy, which we loved, but we just worried about: Was he going to be a worker? Because he didn’t know anything.’ The workout did little to sway Kerr’s opinion. Kerr stopped the session after an hour and tore into the guard. ‘He was like, ‘Imagine everybody walking through the door has $50 million,’’ Holland recalls Kerr saying. ‘Because the way you’re working out, you’re not the type of guy to give $50 million to.’’
The Warriors had the 2nd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and there were three players under consideration: LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards. Of course, the Timberwolves took Edwadrs with the first overall pick so it really came down to two players for the Warriors.
Whatever they saw in Edwards that night, it was enough for Kerr to call off his draft pursuit for good. For Kerr, the key to success for any potential young star was humility and hard work, which he didn't see in Edwards at the time. Instead, he just saw a talented kid with an over-inflated ego.
Eventually, the Warriors settled on James Wiseman in hopes of finding a quality big man who could establish a permanent place in the rotation. As we know, that assessment was horribly wrong.
Sadly, the Wiseman era in Golden State was short-lived after he failed to crack the rotation in three years with the team. Through 60 games, Wiseman averaged 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on 54% shooting. He was traded to the Pistons in the 2022-23 season.
Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards has emerged as one of the best young players in the league. He's the star and the face of the Timberwolves with averages of 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 46.1% shooting.
It's fair to say that Kerr and the Warriors made a huge mistake by not drafting Edwards when they had the chance. He could have elevated their team to another level and extended their dynasty for at least a decade more to come.
Instead, Kerr will have to live with coaching him for Team USA, where he's clearly made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates. It seems to empower Edwards to prove the doubters wrong and now that he's on the world stage, he's surpassing every expectation.
After leading the Timberwolves to the Conference Finals this May, Anthony Edwards intends to build on his success and prove to everyone that he's ready to take up the mantle as one of the best in the world. By the end of it, he'll be making Kerr and the Warriors regret turning him away.
Related: 3 Different Starting Lineups The Warriors Could Use For The 2024-25 NBA Season
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