Days before the 2020 draft, a 19-year-old Anthony Edwards told ESPN he could not watch basketball. “To be honest, I’m still not really into it,” he said. For a Timberwolves fanbase that had spent six years watching Andrew Wiggins — the previous No. 1 pick with elite physical tools and a reputation for passive play — the quote felt like a warning sign.
Minnesota appeared to be drafting another generational athlete who might not care enough to reach his ceiling. As of March 2026, Edwards is averaging 29.7 points per game and pacing for a top-three MVP finish.
Edwards and Wiggins were both No. 1 picks who faced motor questions but their careers have gone in completely different directions
The comparison was always about the archetype: a physically dominant wing drafted first overall by Minnesota with concerns about competitive drive. The outcomes are no longer comparable. Edwards is posting 29.7 points per game on a 31.5% usage rate and ranks second in the NBA in clutch scoring this season. His career high of 55 points came on Jan. 17 against San Antonio, with 26 of those points in the fourth quarter against Victor Wembanyama.
Wiggins, now 31 and in Miami, is averaging 16.1 points on a 20.3% usage rate and has settled into a role as a high-level defensive wing. His season high is 28 points.
Wiggins finding a productive role in Miami is not a failure. He has been a useful player on good teams, including the Warriors’ 2022 championship run. But the gap between what he became and what Edwards is becoming illustrates how differently two players with similar pre-draft concerns can develop when the competitive wiring is different underneath the surface.
The pre-draft concerns about Edwards confused personality with motivation and the production has made that obvious
Wiggins’ introversion was read as indifference during his time in Minnesota. Edwards’ bluntness about not watching basketball was read as a lack of commitment. Both readings turned out to be oversimplifications of how different people express competitiveness.
Edwards said in 2026 that his draft-day comments came from being bored with the amateur level, not from a lack of interest in the sport itself. His +2.6 defensive on-off rating this season supports that — he is engaged on both ends in a way that does not show up in a pre-draft interview quote.
Edwards leads the league in points in the paint among guards, which tells you something about how he plays. He does not rely on finesse or shot-making alone. He gets to the rim and finishes through contact, which requires a level of aggression and willingness to absorb punishment that passive players do not sustain over 82 games.
Wiggins had the frame to play that way but rarely chose to, which was the core of the criticism he faced in Minnesota. Edwards plays like the contact is the point.
The scouting lesson is straightforward. Personality and passion are not the same thing. Wiggins was quiet and got labeled as someone who did not care. Edwards was honest about being bored and got labeled the same way. One of them turned out to be a quality role player. The other is in the MVP conversation at 24. The pre-draft interviews did not predict the difference. The way they played once they got to the NBA did.