When one thinks of Anthony Edwards, the first things that come to mind are his unwavering confidence and charisma. The authenticity he exudes is a major reason why he is considered one of the faces of the league, but it is also what will elevate him to the Most Valuable Player in the NBA in 2026.
Edwards is already widely considered a top player in the NBA and has been ranked as high as the fifth-best player in the league by experts, but it will take a major leap if he wants to bring home the best award the league has to offer.
The Recipe for an Edwards MVP
Anthony Edwards has leveled up during every season of his career. He’s coming off career highs in points per game, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, and he led the league in threes last season with 320.
Edwards’ work ethic always makes itself known when he comes into each season with a new skill. This season, he says it will be the mid-range jumpshot and post-up game.
The in-between area has always been a weakness for Ant. In his career, Edwards is just a 36.7% mid-range shooter. Even with this subpar mid-range game, Edwards boasted a 59.5% true shooting percentage, a fair amount higher than the average of 57.3% true shooting for shooting guards league-wide. If Ant can turn the post and mid-range into a weapon, he will become unstoppable.
Edwards possesses the confidence and work ethic necessary to be a true MVP candidate. He is a player who always believes he is the best, no matter who is on the court with him, and this year, he might be right.
Assessing the Competition
It is no secret that the path to an MVP trophy will not come easily to Edwards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are coming off of absurd statistical seasons and showing no signs that they will slow down. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic have something to prove after frustrating ends to their seasons, and Victor Wembanyama is looming in the shadows.
MVP Statline
When shaping up the competition, it becomes clear that Edwards must do something historic that separates him from the pack.
For Edwards, that starts with leading his Timberwolves squad to a top-two finish in the Western Conference. Over the past 40 years, only two MVPs have been lower than the No. 3 seed in their conference. If Ant wants to stack up with the top dogs, he needs first to stack up the wins.
When considering his stat line, Edwards must take a significant scoring leap, bringing his average from 27.6 PPG to 30.4 PPG. In terms of rebounds and assists, Ant will need to average career highs in each of those categories, increasing from 5.7 RPG to 6.6 RPG and improving from 4.5 APG to 5.4 APG.
These improvements would bring Ant to a final stat line of 30.4 PPG, 6.6RPG, 5.4APG on 48% FG, 40% 3PT, and 62.0 True Shooting Percentage.
X FACTOR
Although that stat line would be career highs across the board for Edwards, he still needs something else that separates him from the likes of SGA and Jokic.
The X Factor for Edwards this season is making an All-Defense team. If Edwards can flaunt an elite presence on the ball while being more consistent with the ball, and mix in a top-10 defensive performance, his two-way play will put him at the top of the voters’ ballots.
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