"Like Bosh and like Wade": Austin Rivers boldly advises Karl-Anthony Towns to become second-fiddle to Anthony Edwards
Austin Rivers has bold suggestions for Minnesota Timberwolves duo Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.
The T'Wolves boast two alphas and primary options in their superstars. It's not established which one of them is their go-to option. KAT had been their leading player since he debuted, but Edwards has made a solid case to take the mantle.
He led the team's charge last season when Towns missed 51 games between November and March. Edwards earned his maiden All-Star selection. He averaged a career-high 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists, shooting 45.9%, including 36.9% from the arc.
Edwards translated his form into the FIBA World Cup. He was the USA's leading scorer with 18.9 ppg across eight appearances. Many reckon Edwards could be the face of the league, too, if he continues at this rate.
These factors have also contributed to Anthony Edwards' stock rising as the Timberwolves' undisputed #1 option over Towns. Their former teammate Austin Rivers weighed on how the duo should work in tandem on his podcast 'Off Guard with Austin Rivers:'
"I would like Karl to just be like such a good complimentary player to Ant where he's still like an all-star.
"Like you understand like Bosh and like Wade and those guys still were able to have like good years with LeBron there. I want Kat to be Robin to his Batman."
Rivers compared Edwards' and Towns' situation to LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh's from 2011.
Wade and Bosh could've been the alphas elsewhere, but playing next to James, the best player in the game back then, meant that they had to take a backseat. Both played cameos in that stint but were still All-Star caliber players.
Rivers thinks Karl-Anthony Towns should do the same to ensure his partnership with Anthony Edwards yields the desired results.
Anthony Edwards has MVP-caliber expectations from Karl-Anthony Towns
Anthony Edwards doesn't seem too concerned about who's playing the leading role for the Timberwolves.
The former No. 1 pick wants his co-star Karl-Anthony Towns to play at an MVP-caliber level, knowing that means they have to share the floor as primary options next season for that to happen.
Edwards outlined his expectations in an interview after signing his $260 million rookie extension:
"KAT, we're going to have KAT on the MVP level this year."
Towns, 27, is yet to hit his peak. He's had some exceptional seasons, but the 2015 No. 1 pick still has plenty to prove.
Towns has the potential to be an MVP-caliber candidate, but instead, there's noise surrounding him that he should take the backseat for his younger All-Star teammate Anthony Edwards before he even enters his prime.
He's also frequently been mentioned in trade rumors this summer. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to that while ensuring the team's performance isn't getting hampered.