It's easy to forget, for a number of reasons, just how young Anthony Edwards still is.
Part of it is that he has ascended quickly in his third NBA season. Part of it is that he has an August birthday and was just flat-out young when he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2020 (in a normal year, had Covid not pushed the process back, he would have still been 18 when picked).
Perhaps the biggest part is that he plays and acts in the biggest moments with a level of confidence often reserved for more seasoned players.
But it's true: Edwards is still just 21, a fact that when combined with his accomplishments and circumstance has put him in elite company.
LeBron James had eight playoff games in which he scored at least 30 points before he turned 22. That's No. 1 in NBA history. No. 2 on that list? Edwards, now, with five such games — including the last three in a row, the latest a 34-point effort that kept the Wolves' season alive.
Kobe Bryant had four such games. Luka Dončić, Derrick Rose and Tracy McGrady had three each.
Think about the company Edwards is keeping. Now think about what it takes to score that many points at that age in the playoffs: Be good enough to dominate older players when you are barely an adult, and help lead a team good enough to even make the playoffs.
And the thing is, Edwards had reached 30 points five times in just 10 total playoff games. Breaking LeBron's record would require an historic comeback from the Wolves, who trail the series 3-1 after winning Game 4.
