Anthony Edwards has been snubbed for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award.
According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA will announce that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will take home the honors on Wednesday.
Ball and Edwards have been linked since the weeks leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft when the Timberwolves were debating who to select with the No. 1 overall pick. The Wolves ultimately decided on Edwards, allowing the Charlotte Hornets to select Ball third overall.
Ball was an instant superstar for the Hornets, averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game this season. While Ball was a walking highlight reel, he was limited to 31 games due to a wrist injury.
While Ball closed out the regular season with a 10-game sprint, Edwards averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for the season while playing in all 72 games for the Timberwolves.
Shoutout to ANTHONY EDWARDS on an amazing rookie season 🗣
🔥 3rd youngest player to score 40+ points
🔥 Broke Timberwolves rookie scoring record
🔥 1st teenager to score 100+ points over a 3-game span19.3 PPG | 4.7 RPG | 2.9 APG | 33% 3PT pic.twitter.com/arFTaJmtU6
— Overtime (@overtime) June 16, 2021
A key difference could be that Ball led the Hornets to the playoffs while Edwards trudged through another long season for the Timberwolves, but nobody seems to be buying that excuse.
Anthony Edwards, your thoughts on LaMelo Ball winning Rookie of the Year? pic.twitter.com/SMHMRNopJP
— Zack Pierce (@ZPathletic) June 16, 2021
Anthony Edwards snubbed pic.twitter.com/7GcN9BpJAO
— Ac (@kidfromindy) June 16, 2021
“So yeah Anthony Edwards played more games & had better numbers but LaMelo is just so damn fun to watch.” pic.twitter.com/5ZNneglHUM
— Dustin Brewer (@dstnbrwr) June 16, 2021
That includes the Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns, who had a very simplistic response to the news.
lol
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 16, 2021
😂😂😂
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) June 16, 2021
Although the news is disappointing, Edwards was not over the final eight games of the season. The 19-year-old averaged 27.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists during that stretch and if his reaction on Twitter is a foreshadowing of what’s to come, it looks like the Edwards will have even more motivation next season.
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) June 16, 2021
