Anthony Edwards Calls Himself ‘No. 1 Option’ for Team USA over LeBron, Curry, Durant

Though he is playing on a roster full of veterans and stars, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards sees himself as the main option for Team USA as they prepare to travel to the Olympics in Paris.

“I’m still the number one option. Y’all might look at it differently,” Edwards said, per the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver. “…I just go out there and be myself. Shoot my shots, play defense. They’ve got to fit in to play around me. That’s how I feel.”

Team USA consists of players like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid and many other stars, but after the best season of his career, Edwards believes he’s the player they will look to first.

Edwards is coming off a season where he averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, he put up 27.5 points per game and had three games where he scored 40+ points to lead the Timberwolves to a Western Conference Finals appearance.

After the season he had, it’s safe to say Edwards’ confidence is high.

But the rising star is also the youngest member of the team at just 22 years old, so he’ll likely have to continue to earn the respect of veterans like James and Steph Curry before he’s considered the team’s true No. 1 option.

Whoever Team USA elects as the No. 1 option, they’ll look to that player to lead them to gold.

Team USA will begin its quest for a gold medal on July 28 when it faces off against a Nikola Jokić-led Serbia team.

Though it won gold at the 2020 Olympics, Team USA is coming off a disappointing showing at the 2023 FIBA World Cup where it came in fourth place. With many NBA stars deciding to suit up for the Paris Olympics, Team USA should be able to recover with a strong performance later this month.