“He is the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves” – Stephen A. Smith outlines major flaw in Anthony Edwards’ game

Anthony Edwards has been one of the bright stars in USA Basketball's campaign in finishing strong in this year's FIBA World Cup 2023. Regardless of how great he's been, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith points out a certain area of his game that he needs to address in order to be great.

Team USA has been phenomenal, thanks to the scoring prowess of Ant. He's played an important role as the go-to guy during times of need.

Smith believes great things can happen for Edwards, but that he just needs to work on his jump shot.

"First of all, people need to realize, he's a stud," Smith said. "This brother can ball, he's got a bright future, he just signed a $200 million-plus extension with the Minnesota Timberwolvesnand he absolutely, positively deserves it. He's built like a man, he's got that level of athleticism, he's got that competitive fervent inside of him, and I'm rooting for him.

"I think the only thing that he needs to worry about is developing a consistent jump shot. If he develops a consistent jump shot, Anthony Edwards is going to be a superstar in this game. He is the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves ... he's special.

"His playoff performance wasn't that great, but this brother's a stud and a star, and more importantly, he wants the challenge. He wants to be a guy that you look at as the marquee... He believes in showing up."

In their most recent playoff run, the Wolves were eliminated by the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets. Through five games, Edwards did his best to lead the team to win the series but was unsuccessful. His outside stroke wasn't impressive as he shot 34.9% from long-range.

You might also be interested in reading this: Gilbert Arenas would rather sleep than watch Anthony Edwards and Team USA at FIBA World Cup 2023: "I'm not a drug dealer"

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Anthony Edwards has improved his jump shot

2023 FIBA World Cup: USA Men's National Team v Puerto Rico

While Anthony Edwards' shooting woes were the problem that Smith has seen in the star's game, it looks like it's already been addressed properly. During Team USA's exhibition games, Edwards displayed a more refined offensive game as he's taken on a bigger scoring role.

Recently, the one-time All-Star put up 34 points in an exhibition game against Germany, where he was the player of the game. In addition, he had six rebounds and made four 3-pointers.

USA Basketball's coach, Steve Kerr, praised his performance during their exhibition games where he averaged 19.2 points while shooting 51%

"He's unquestionably the guy," Steve Kerr. "You can see he knows it. But now the team knows it, and I think the fans see it. ... He genuinely believes he's the best player in the gym every single night. And he's such a dynamic young player. I think he's taking a leap."