Anthony Edwards has evolved and continues to develop into one of the league’s best shooting guards. The Minnesota Timber Wolves superstar could be a potential Dark Horse MVP candidate. Especially if he can lead his team into another great season.
Over the past few seasons, MVP races have mainly been made up of athletes like Nikola Jokic and Shygirgauss Alexander. These two superstars are favorites for winning MVP in the 2025-26 season. However, other players can take part in that race and compete with the best candidates.
The Minnesota Timberwolves struggled early on and entered the roller coaster 2024-25 season, but still reached the Western Conference Finals and lost to the final champion. Despite their early struggles, Anthony Edwards was fantastic throughout the season.
Edwards led the league with three-point shots during the regular season, showing his continued growth each year. The 2025-26 season could be even more promising as the summer was fully spent working on the game and dominating the league.
The Timberwolves’ success can always be linked to what Edwards did for the team. He is a natural superstar who took over in just a few seasons and became the top man. Karl Anthony’s town has long been an indisputable star, but that changed when Edwards entered the picture.
After Towns was sent out in the 2024 offseason, Edwards played a bigger role on the Timberwolves roster. They had a small drop-off, but their success in the 2025 postseason proves that Edwards could become the number one star in their championship competitors.
The 2025-26 season could be a campaign that defines the career of young Edwards. The Timberwolves are not a favorite again, but if they can lead the team to another great season, he could be the dark horse for the MVP award.
That may even be even more likely after a strong summer for Ant-Man. Former NBA All-Star Guard Jeff Teague thinks the same as it feels like Edwards could be a shoe-in if he has a great season.
“I think he averages between 28 and 30. He has to do about five or six assists, but they have to become the number one team in the West,” Teague told Club 520.
“He was 28 (the game’s point) last year? 28, 6, 5. So he has to have 30 to the west and one or two on the west.
As a star player, it’s always good to aim for an MVP. Setting that goal means they are focused on victory. This is essential to determining the award by the end of the season.
This was proven by Gilgeous-Alexander 2024-25, when compared to jokes, there may have been few impressive individual statistics. But the Oklahoma City Thunder had a better record, so that was a big reason behind his award victory.
Edwards knows logic is important when he is part of the MVP race. He wants to win the award, but he is focused on helping the Timberwolves achieve more wins than ever before and winning that award in the process. It could involve him becoming a better defender and even a playmaker.
“We have to win. Every MVPS wins at a high level. We average the average overall points. That’s the main recipe,” Edwards said during the media day.
As Teague said, he believes Edwards can win the award if he goes to a strong season where Timberwolves could be on the same level as Thunder. That’s unlikely, having a superstar like Edwards might help them out above those fine margins.