Kendrick Perkins believes Anthony Edwards could use Karl-Anthony Towns winning the NBA championship as motivation to win the MVP award.
Since coming into the league, Edwards has helped the Minnesota Timberwolves make it to two Western Conference Finals, one of which came alongside centre Karl-Anthony Towns.
After the team’s 4-1 loss in the 2023-24 Conference Finals, the team decided to part ways with KAT, which meant that Edwards would have to elevate his game for the Timberwolves to be successful.
The youngster helped the team get into the Conference Finals the very next season as well, but Karl-Anthony Towns took a further step and helped the New York Knicks win the NBA championship last season.
While Edwards expressed his happiness for KAT, Perkins believes the 25-year-old could use his former teammate’s championship win as motivation for himself.
Kendrick Perkins believes Anthony Edwards has a little jealousy
Since KAT’s departure, Edwards has managed to polish his game, but is yet to win individual laurels like the MVP award, which many have expected him to win at least once in his career.
However, with KAT having found success in New York by winning the championship and other stars like Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also adding to their resume, Perkins believes the Timberwolves player will be highly motivated to step up.
“I believe that Ant-Man has a little jealousy and envy in him and I want him to have that. I want him to see and watch that SGA won the NBA championship two years ago, I want him to be upset and envy that Jalen Brunson won the f***** NBA championship, but most importantly I want him to envy and be pissed the f*** off and think that a guy he was sharing the floor with in Karl-Anthony Towns left, and won the NBA championship last year,” said Perkins on The Road Trippin podcast.
Perkins also believes the addition of LaMelo Ball will elevate Edwards’ performances, as he will now be able to get easier looks with a point guard like Ball.
Last season, Edwards averaged a career-high 28.8 points per game and also shot 48.9% from the field. Despite his brilliant season, Edwards was ineligible for the MVP awards as he played fewer than the minimum required 65 games. However, with a new-look team around him, Edwards could finally make a statement and secure the first MVP trophy of his career.
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