5. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Stats: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 47% FG, 46% 3PT
Why Edwards deserves the award: Over the past year-plus, there may not be a player who has done the most for his superstar status in the league more than Anthony Edwards. At this point, you're only fooling yourself if you don't consider him a superstar in the league. Edwards may already be in the conversation for the best guard in the Association. He's been that good recently. And if there were any questions about his slowing down, those concerns have been put to rest with how good he's been this season.
Through the first few weeks of the season, Edwards has been one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league and has continued to help fuel the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Even though the Wolves are still trying to find their new identity after trading away Karl-Anthony Towns, Edwards has carried his load in keeping the Wolves in the conversation close to the top of the Western Conference standings. If this continues to be the trend, he's going to find himself right in the thick of the NBA MVP race.
Why Edwards may not deserve the award: Overall, if Edwards does fall out of the NBA MVP race, one reason will likely revolve around the Wolves falling out of contention in the Western Conference. At least for now, that doesn't appear it's going to happen. But, as is the case for every team, one Julius Randle injury could completely change the outlook for the team over the next few months of the season. I can't imagine Edwards is going to fade when he's on the rise at this point in his career, but I suppose that can't be discounted either.
At 23 years old, Edwards is just beginning to reach the prime of his career. The early indications are that he's going to have the best season of his career thus far, picking up where he left off in last year's playoff run. Edwards is still on the uptick and if the Wolves can continue to experience success, there's a good chance that he will be in the race for the NBA MVP award all season long. However, as we've seen time and time before, that is not 100 percent guaranteed.