"I think we start speaking on him in another light" - KG on what a ring could mean for Edwards or Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves are some of the brightest young NBA stars today. However, one of them could be the talk of the town soon, especially if they become a champion at the season's end.
Edwards has been making waves in the NBA, but recognition as one of the top stars is still lacking. According to NBA legend Kevin Garnett, that should all change if the Timberwolves guard can lead his team to a title.
Advertisement
"I think that if Anthony Edwards is somehow, someway figures this out and be able to get Minnesota its first championship, I think it takes him to another…I think we start speaking on him in another light," Garnett said about Edwards on "KG Certified."
"The Big Ticket" offered the same take on Haliburton. Already impressed with the level of play of the 12th overall pick of the 2020 Draft, Tyrese could be ranked among the top stars if he managed to lead Indiana to the championship.
"Haliburton is not in that huge market. Edwards is not in that huge market either. But he's so vibrant that he's top-tier. If anybody can come out of this on top, and let's just say it's Indiana, Haliburton becomes that deal," KG pointed out.
Edwards and Haliburton earned rare recognition in 2024
Ironically, there is one thing that Anthony and Tyrese share that most may have overlooked. Both were part of the 2024 Team USA that won the gold in the Paris Olympics, being the only players retained from the disappointing squad that finished fourth in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Advertisement
Considering the U.S. team had LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, most overlooked these two young stars. However, it was a testament that their skills were recognized, and now they are showing why.
Haliburton has come into his own with the Pacers. He has been the spark for Rick Carlisle thus far, and if he and the Pacers stay the course, they could be representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals.
So far, the Pacers hold a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals over the New York Knicks. Those two wins were collected at Madison Square Garden, and two more victories would push them to the grand stage.
Related: "I just got tired of hearing it and just thought it was best for me to move on" - Patrick Ewing admits he regrets leaving the Knicks out of spite
"Ant-Man's" chances are dimming out West
Sadly, the same cannot be said for Edwards and the Timberwolves. They dropped their first two games to the surging Oklahoma City Thunder but managed to take Game 3 to avoid a huge hole.
Advertisement
After a dismal Game 1, Ant made up for his poor performance with a couple of 30+ performances. However, with his teammates failing to step up or provide support, the top pick of the 2020 Draft will have to do more to push the T-Wolves to the Finals.
Although nothing is set, seeing a final featuring the Pacers and the Timberwolves would be something special and unexpected. It would be a battle featuring some of the top American young stars of today, something that would catapult their respective basketball careers to the next level.
Related: "He shot that bi*ch from Yucatan" - Tyrese Haliburton and Paul George share hilarious Anthony Edwards stories
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Should the Nets be worried about their 2025 NBA Draft class?
The Brooklyn Nets came away from the 2025 NBA Draft with arguably the most divisive performance due to the players they drafted along with using all of their picks. Brooklyn made sure to prioritize players who could begin their careers as ball-handlers with the potential to be more for a rebuilding Nets squad, but there seems to be plenty of people criticizing Brooklyn's decisions. "I got some people telling me some things about Brooklyn, people are making fun of these draft picks," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said (h/t to Bleacher Report's Doric Sam) during the broadcast of the NBA Draft when discussing the selections that the Nets made. One of the most-criticized decisions that Brooklyn made was selecting BYU guard Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick, much earlier than most of the draft experts expected. Windhorst continued by saying "I got people saying to me, executives and agents, they're like, 'I was watching them play three two-way guys during this year so that they can clap for taking the guys they've chosen.' He's like, 'These two-way guys might be just as good as the guys they've taken.'" As Windhorst referenced, the Nets played a lot of guys last season and most of them are perceived to be players who may have a hard time sticking around the league. In total, Brooklyn drafted Demin, French guard Nolan Traore (19th overall pick), UNC forward Drake Powell (22nd as part of a multi-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics), Israeli guard Ben Saraf (26th), and Michigan forward Danny Wolf (27th). Based on mock drafts, it looks like the Nets reached on Demin and Powell while the other three selections seemed to be about where they were expected to go. For a team like Brooklyn, getting their first star player in the draft is key to the franchise progressing through this rebuild in a way that allows them to think about being a playoff team within the next few seasons. Many, if not all, of the players that the Nets took are projects, but if a couple of them pan out, this could be a draft that got everything started for Brooklyn.


Newsweek
44 minutes ago
- Newsweek
2026 NBA MVP Odds: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Lead Favorites
The shortest odds to win NBA MVP for the 2025-26 season belong to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, followed by 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The shortest odds to win NBA MVP for the 2025-26 season belong to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, followed by 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. While there are clear early favorites to win both NBA Rookie of the Year (LINK) and the Finals in 2026, the MVP race looks wide-open, even if it once again comes down to voters making a choice between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 2026 Opening NBA MVP Odds Below is a look at how DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365 and BetMGM rank the top contenders for this award as of June 28, 2025. DK FD bet365 BetMGM Nikola Jokic +200 +220 +210 +225 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +250 +260 +250 +280 Giannis Antetokounmpo +700 +1000 +800 +1000 Luka Doncic +800 +750 +750 +700 Anthony Edwards +1000 +1300 +1200 +1400 Victor Wembanyama +1600 +1300 +1400 +1300 Cade Cunningham +3000 +5500 +4000 +4000 Jalen Brunson +3500 +3000 +3300 +3000 Joel Embiid +7000 +8500 +7500 +6600 Kevin Durant +8000 +8500 +7500 +8000 Donovan Mitchell +8000 +3900 +5000 +5000 Paolo Banchero +8000 +5500 +7500 +5000 Jaylen Brown +10000 +8500 +10000 +6600 Anthony Davis +10000 +7000 +7500 +6600 Ja Morant +12000 +15000 +12500 +15000 Stephen Curry +15000 +5500 +7500 +6600 2026 NBA MVP: Jokic Or Gilgeous-Alexander? Jokic (2021, 2022 and 2024) and SGA (2025) have not only won MVP in four of the last five seasons, but they also were the top two vote-getters in each of the last two seasons. Jokic has now finished five straight seasons as either the MVP or the runner-up, while SGA is seeking his third straight season as at least a top-two finisher in MVP voting. Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a huge regular season individually (32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game), but the Thunder's 64-18 record was arguably the biggest reason why he beat Jokic for MVP. Somehow, Denver's star center put up significantly better numbers in 2024-25 than he did in any of his three MVP campaigns. Jokic recorded career-high scoring (29.6 points per game) and passing (10.2 apg) numbers last year -- while also averaging 12.7 rebounds per game -- to lead the Nuggets to a 50-32 record. This year's playoffs made it clear that A) yes, SGA was plenty deserving of every accolade he received but also B) there was no supporting cast in the league quite like OKC's. That likely means that if Jokic comes even close to replicating his historic 2024-25 numbers in 2025-26, he'll secure his fourth MVP trophy. Betting on Jokic does come with the risk that the 30-year-old declines a bit in Year 11, but he's nevertheless the best/safest 2026 MVP bet right now, especially at +225 at BetMGM. Best 2026 MVP Longshot: Victor Wembanyama Let's start with an honorable mention. Luka Doncic, who just turned 26 in February, has a shot to lead the league in scoring in his first full season as a Laker. But at 8-to-1 or shorter, he's not the most tempting longshot on the board. If we're looking only at players longer than 10-to-1, no one offers more upside than 21-year-old Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, assuming he's healthy. Wemby lived up to the massive hype as a rookie in 2023-24, running away with Rookie of the Year honors and nearly making history as the first rookie to win Defensive Player of the Year. He was also having an outstanding encore in 2024-25 before his season ended in February due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Coming off a serious injury like that, his health this year is a legit question mark, but he has a real chance to put up MVP numbers if he can stay on the court. The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama feels like a lock to win Defensive Player of The Year every season he's healthy, and he's on a different level offensively than your typical DPOY contender. Wembanyama flashed a solid 3-point stroke as a rookie (32.5 percent from 3 on 5.5 3PA per game), but he quickly reached another gear as a shooter in Year 2, shooting 35 percent from deep on 8.8 3PA per game. He also averaged 11 rebounds per game and shot nearly 59 percent on 2-pointers last year, with a remarkable effective field goal percentage of 55.9 on 18.6 field-goal attempts per game. So, the question is not if -- but when -- Wembanyama becomes a fixture in the annual MVP conversation, and there's good reason to believe he could make that leap in 2025-26. The NBA is currently full of young players with sky-high ceilings, but Wembanyama's is unlike anyone else's. As long as San Antonio can 1) take a step forward and reach the playoffs in 2025-26 (which is admittedly no sure thing) and 2) keep Wembanyama healthy, he could absolutely be a factor in the MVP race. With all this in mind, he's well worth a flier right now, especially at +1600 at DraftKings. Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Three Florida Gators on ESPN's way-too-early 2026 NBA big board
Florida basketball just saw three players selected in the same draft for the first time since 2007, but it might not take more than a year for the Gators to accomplish the feat again. Center Alex Condon, transfer point guard Boogie Fland and forward Thomas Haugh are all inside the top 40 on ESPN's first 2026 big board. Condon appearing at No. 29 is no surprise. He tested the draft waters this year and decided to return to improve his stock. A fringe first-round projection fits that narrative, and he can easily move up if he develops into the All-American/All-SEC big man many expect him to be. With only five centers ahead of him on ESPN's lists, the movement could happen quickly. Fland also gauged NBA interest after his freshman year with Arkansas, but a second-round projection has him back in school, except with a different SEC program. A former All-American, Fland averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds over the Razorbacks' first 18 games. He shot 36.5% from 3-point range, but the hand injury that ended his season might have kept that from rising over the year. Scouts will be looking for better shot selection from him and a better finishing touch near the rim. Size is also a question mark, but he can't do much to grow. ESPN has him just outside a first-round ranking at No. 31 overall. Haugh might have the highest ceiling of the group. He wasn't on draft boards coming into last year, but it's hard to imagine that there's an NBA front office without knowledge of him after the run he made in the postseason. Haugh is a big riser already at No. 40, but he could easily end the 2025-26 season as a first-rounder. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.