Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards named NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month
Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards (1) goes up to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans' Brandon Ingram during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, May 1, 2021, in Minneapolis.[AP Photo/Stacy Bengs]
Tuesday, the NBA announced Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards as the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April. This is Edwards’s second time receiving the award, as he won it in March as well.
Edwards joins his teammate Karl-Anthony Towns and former Timberwolves player Andrew Wiggins as the only players to receive the award multiple times. Towns won it six times during his 2015 rookie campaign while Wiggins won it five times during his 2014 rookie season.
According to the team, Edwards, who led the Timberwolves to an 8-8 record in April, ended the month scoring a total of 345 points, grabbing 82 rebounds and handing out 53 assists. The last rookie to reach those levels in all three categories in one calendar month was Blake Griffin in January 2011 (364 points, 188 rebounds, 61 assists).
The last Timberwolves rookie to have a month similar to Edwards was Christian Laettner in March 1993 (347 points, 193 rebounds, 70 assists).
Edwards also made 44 three-point shots in April, the most by a rookie this season in a single month. In all, Edwards averaged 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.4 minutes per game for the month.