Anthony Edwards continues to witness the emergence of superstar Victor Wembanyama whenever the Minnesota Timberwolves face the San Antonio Spurs.
He also saw more of him firsthand when the Wolves and Spurs battled in the Western Conference Semifinals, and Wemby helped lead his squad to a 4-2 series win.
However, one of those wins came after Wemby earned his first career ejection, for a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Edwards’ teammate, Naz Reid, in the neck area near his face.
During a recently uploaded rant captured on video, Edwards explained how difficult Wemby is to play against and got brutally honest about seeing him ejected from the playoff game.
He explained that Wemby extends to about 8-foot-5 when he stands with both arms up, so players have to put their shots up really high to get over his shot-blocking.
“It’s so hard to beat them when he’s on the floor, just because of his defense,” Edwards told friends in postgame footage unveiled in a video for his official YouTube channel.
More news: Scottie Barnes Has Strong Reaction to NBA All-Defensive First Team Snub
“Man, I was so happy that [he] got kicked out,” he admitted while chuckling. “I hope they suspend him. I’m going to email the NBA right now!”
Ultimately, Wemby didn’t get fined or suspended for his elbowing, which surprised many, including other players, such as the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green.
Edwards also admitted he thought his team would win Game 5 after evening the series at 2-2, but that didn’t happen. The Spurs, with Wemby back on the court, won the next two games dominantly to close out the series.
The Timberwolves star’s remarks in his video may have seemed like jokes. Still, he also provided a valid analysis of why Wemby is considered an extraterrestrial in terms of his abilities on the basketball court, and why he was this past season’s unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
Ant is considered one of the league’s young superstars, known for rising high above the rim for dunks and making highlight-worthy layups or clutch shots. However, he and his teammates have to work even harder when they’re on the court against the Spurs to get shots off when Wemby’s in their vicinity, if they dare shoot near him.
According to StatMuse, Wemby led the league in blocks with 3.1 per game this past season, and it wasn’t even close. Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren was right below him, averaging 1.9 blocks a game.
Now, San Antonio is facing an extremely physical matchup against Holmgren and the defending-champion Oklahoma City, who have taken a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
More news: Damian Lillard Has 4-Word Reaction to Officiating in Thunder-Spurs
For more about the NBA Playoffs, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
