"Nobody wants to come here and compete": Anthony Edwards' comment fuels All-Star game competitiveness debate
Over the weekend, Anthony Edwards competed in the NBA All-Star Game for the second time in his career. After the event, he opened up on one of the biggest critiques of the event.
The All-Star Game is a chance for fans to see all the league's top talents compete on the floor at once. It always delivers its fair share of highlights, but one thing that's lacking is defense. Since guys don't want to get hurt during an outing like this, they put in little to no effort on that end of the floor.
After the game, Anthony Edwards share his thoughts on the absence of defense in the All-Star game. The Minnesota Timberwolves star feels players see it as a break and don't really look to compete in the game.
“For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I don’t think I will ever look at it like being super competitive. It’s always fun. I don’t know what they can do to make it more competitive," Edwards said. "It’s a break. I don’t think nobody wants to come here and compete.”
Anthony Edwards logged 12 minutes off the bench Sunday and finished with four points, one rebound and one assist. The East ended up taking down the West in the All-Star game by a final score of 211-186.
Anthony Edwards added to the unseriousness of NBA All-Star weekend
While Anthony Edwards feels there needs to be more competitiveness at All-Star weekend, he could be considered part of the problem this year. He took part in the festivites on Saturday night and clearly did not give it his all.
Among the three teams who were part of the NBA Skills Competition was "Team Top Picks." It featured three No. 1 picks, Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero and Edwards.
Part of the course involved hitting a corner three. Edwards, who is right-handed, decided to shoot with his left. He proceeded to miss all three attmepts badly as time ran out for his squad.
Leading up to All-Star weekend, Edwards stated that he had been working on his left-handed jumper. He told reporters he planned on shooting like this during the game, and lived up to his word.
If Edwards want to see more of a competitve nature in the All-Star game, he has to start with himself. Coming out and shooting with his off hand is not a good look following these comments.
Edwars is just starting out his NBA career, and will likely be an All-Star for the foreseeable future. As one of the faces of the next generation, he can play a part in upping the competitive levels of the event moving forward.