ATHENS — Former Georgia star and SEC Freshman of the Year Anthony “Antman” Edwards has been soaring since the NBA all-star break.
Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score more than 40 points in a game on Thursday, putting 42 up in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 123-119 come-from-behind at Phoenix.
Edwards, 19 years and 225 days old on Thursday, joined the select company of former Texas one-and-done star Kevin Durant (19 years, 200 days) and LeBron James (19 years, 88 days. James did not attend college.
“We’re winning,” Edwards said, per ESPN. “It’s always happy when we’re winning.”
Edwards also became the first teenager in NBA history to score more than 100 points in a three-game span (105), per ESPN stats&info.
It was a little more than a year ago at this time when Edwards helped Georgia defeat Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC tournament.
Edwards, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, pledged to play out the season with the Bulldogs even if it meant playing in the NIT.
In the five games since the all-star break, Edwards is averaging 30.6 points per contest, and he has scored at least 19 points in nine straight games.
“Anthony has been getting better by the week and now it’s showing up in the games,” UGA coach Tom Crean said. “His confidence, conditioning and fearlessness are really growing at a high level.
“Seeing all of this continuing to rise at such a rapid rate is really exciting.”
The 42-point performance by Edwards on Thursday represented a career-high for him. It was also the most scored by an NBA rookie this season, eclipsing the 39 points Tyrese Maxey scored on Jan. 9.
Minnesota is 3-2 in its past five games.
“We’re embracing each other,” Edwards said. “When we played the Lakers I saw how LeBron was carrying himself, coaching his teammates, and everyone was playing their role.”
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