Former teammate says Anthony Edwards 'truly thinks he's the best player in the world'

Edwards is one of the most confident athletes in the world.

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles during the second quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Edwards is currently dominating the international basketball scene averaging 16.8 points per game at this year's Olympics. One of his former teammates, Taurean Prince, could tell he was special very early in his NBA career.

After leaving Minnesota as a free agent last offseason, Prince just finished his first season with the Lakers averaging 8.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on 44.2/39.6/73.5 shooting splits. He was recently on the Run Your Race podcast hosted by former NBA player and now G-League forward Theo Pinson, and he had some kind words about his time with the Timberwolves.

"[Anthony Edwards'] best talent is he's coachable. So once I saw that in him... it's a different ball game when somebody that talented listens, don't think they got it all figured out," Prince said. "In the gym always, whether it's shootaround day, last one in the gym, whether it's practice day last one in the gym."

Edwards and Prince overlapped for two seasons in Minnesota from 2021 to 2023. Like most who watch him play basketball, Pinson thinks that Edwards' confidence is what separates him from any other top player in the league.

"The crazy part is: His confidence bro is scary... he truly thinks he's the best player in the world," Pinson said.

Prince agreed, saying, "1000%." He then cited the Timberwolves' 2023 first-round playoff series against the Nuggets where Edwards truly established himself as an alpha, No. 1 option, demanding the ball in high-pressure situations.

Prince was only with the Timberwolves for two seasons, but he was able to learn a lot about their young core. He also said that he viewed Jaden McDaniels as a future $100+ million player early in his career.

"It's not hard to see it, especially when you watch basketball," Prince said. "He does it every day, he definitely has got his 10, or 20,000 hours in, it's effortless."

Pinson went on to say that, "it's definitely their team," when talking about McDaniels and Edwards. Both players are only 23 years old and tied to the franchise for the foreseeable future. Other players around the league are well aware of the future that Minnesota is building.