Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted he was unsure about Anthony Edwards’ potential before the 2020 NBA Draft.
In an interview with Logan Murdock of The Ringer, Kerr discussed his initial impressions of Edwards, recalling concerns about the former Georgia guard’s readiness for the NBA.
“The first impression was it was hard to tell whether he was going to be good or not because he was just so raw,” Kerr said. “He was so young, and he was full of energy, which we loved, but we just worried about: Was he going to be a worker? Because he didn’t know anything.”
Justin Holland, Edwards’ former trainer and current business manager, added that Kerr remained unconvinced after Edwards’ pre-draft workout with the Warriors.
“(Kerr) was like, ‘Imagine everybody walking through the door has $50 million,'” Holland recalled. “‘Because the way you’re working out, you’re not the type of guy to give $50 million to.'”
Ultimately, Edwards was selected first overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Warriors chose James Wiseman with the second pick.
Since then, Kerr has had the chance to coach Edwards on Team USA and noted a significant shift in his view of the player.
“There’s definitely a sense that he’s one of the guys waiting to take over the league once LeBron (James) and Steph (Curry) and Kevin (Durant) kind of move on,” Kerr said. “I think there’s definitely an awareness that he’s part of that next group, but he’s ready for that to happen now.”
