NBA News: Timberwolves Rookie Earns Damian Lillard's Praise After Career Night

There isn’t much to celebrate this season if you’re a Minnesota Timberwolves fan.

At 9-30, the T-Wolves are at last place in the Western Conference, largely because they’ve barely been healthy all season.

Star center Karl-Anthony Towns has missed quite a number of games due to COVID-19 and injuries, while guard D’Angelo Russell has been out since February and could be sidelined until late March.

Fortunately for the Twin City-based team, they do have an emerging bright spot in rookie Anthony Edwards.

Edwards was the top overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and all throughout this season, he’s shown exactly why.

The 19-year-old Georgia native is averaging 15.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 38 games for the Timberwolves, and he’s a top contender for this season’s Rookie of the Year honors.

He’s also been the star of quite a few highlight-reel dunks this season.

On Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, Edwards had the best game of his career so far, and it even had a pinch of drama.

After a hard drive late in the third quarter, Edwards crumbled to the floor after an apparent hip injury. He would leave the floor and be forced to sit on the Minnesota bench.

At the 7:21 mark of the fourth quarter, Edwards returned to the floor and hit back-to-back triples, both in the face of Carmelo Anthony.

Edwards even did Melo’s signature “Three to the Dome” celebration.

A little later on, Edwards punctuated his career night with yet another spectacular poster dunk, this time on Blazers forward Robert Covington.

Edwards went on to finish with a career-high 34 points with six three-pointers made to lead the Wolves to a 114-112 win over the Blazers.

His stellar performance earned the praise of Blazers star guard Damian Lillard, who gave Edwards a signed jersey following the game.

This season may be a lost cause for the Timberwolves, but if Edwards continues to blossom, he’s going to be a franchise player that Minnesota fans can look forward to.