Anthony Edwards has grown into a playmaker, and that should continue after Karl-Anthony Towns' return

On the Wolves' first possession on Wednesday, Anthony Edwards found Rudy Gobert for an alley-oop dunk to welcome the center back to the lineup after a brief injury absence. Just some of the playmaking Edwards has flashed in recent games.

But it was the drives to the basketball and strong midrange game that make Edwards one of the top young players in the NBA. He poured in 23 points on 11-of-21 shooting to lead the Wolves on Wednesday. He added five rebounds and four assists.

It wasn't enough, as the Wolves fell 104-99 to a Dallas team that spent Tuesday night at a local bowling alley. The team bonding event did the trick, as the Mavericks earned a split of the two games at Target Center.

Edwards could not drive the Wolves to a win on Wednesday but there have been plenty of games in which he was the best player on the floor, and there will continue to be. And this stretch of games, while Karl-Anthony Towns mends a strained right calf, could be very telling as Edwards is bringing the ball up more.

There will be a day when the Wolves become Ant's team and not KAT's team. And that day could be approaching fast. It's a case of the guard having a greater overall impact on the floor than the big man. Also, Edwards might be the more popular Wolves player now.

Edwards' final basket on Wednesday brought fans to their feet, as he drove down the lane and made an off-balance shot to get the Wolves within 91-89. It wasn't all Edwards' fault that the Wolves couldn't finish off the rally, as they were late with defensive switches and missed a handful of makeable shots down the stretch. Dallas pulled away by sinking five consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Before that, Edwards entertained a crowd that traveled through the blizzard to watch him go up against Dallas star Luka Doncic, who nearly notched a triple-double with 25 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Facing a Mavericks team without a lot of size, Edwards salivated all night Wednesday as he attacked the basket. He nearly brought the house down in the third quarter when he tried to finish with authority over Tim Hardaway Jr. while drawing a foul. And he did bring the crowd to its feet a few moments earlier when he sprinted down court to block a cherry-picking Doncic layup attempt.

Even when he's not defying gravity during his drives to the basket, fans respond to his play more enthusiastically than any other Wolves player. He has become the people's choice.

Wolves coach Chris Finch indicated earlier this week that he's willing to use Towns more as a corner spacer, proving more room for Edwards to operate when he has the ball. This was a bigger problem when both Towns and Gobert were in the lane, cutting off driving lanes for Edwards, who is a scoring threat on all three levels.

"Those are some really tough shots he's making at the moment, right?" Finch said. "He's got a good rhythm there."

Such a move could be figurative as well as literal, as the Wolves have a better chance to be more relevant in the Western Conference once Edwards becomes The Guy.

Towns might be the most skilled big man in the league. He can score from all over the court as well. He doesn't provide the moments of electrifying play that Edwards does. And once you include the flashes of playmaking ability that he's shown recently — as he becomes more comfortable in that role — Edwards can elevate the play of those around him more than Towns can.

This wouldn't be a demotion for Towns, simply an acknowledgment of where Edwards' game is headed.

Finch is willing to give Edwards the ball more. How about handing over the franchise? The 21-year-old has raised his game in his third NBA season and might be the best candidate to be the face of Wolves.