MINNEAPOLIS โ Just ahead of his first-ever game in the Western Conference Finals, Anthony Edwards had another career highlight -- his first All-NBA selection.
The Minnesota Timberwolves' star guard was named second-team All-NBA Wednesday night just prior to tipping off against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Edwards, a two-time All-Star selection, averaged 25.9 points per game to lead the team in the regular season. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and a team-high 1.3 steals.
While it didn't factor into being named All-NBA, Edwards has been one of the key reasons the Wolves are making their second-ever appearance in the conference finals. Entering Wednesday night, Edwards is leading the team in both scoring (28.9) and steals (1.7).
Denver's Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the only unanimous first-team selections on this season's All-NBA team, which was revealed by the league on Wednesday night. They were joined on the first team by Dallas' Luka Donฤiฤ, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston's Jayson Tatum.
Joining Edwards on the second team are New York's Jalen Brunson, Phoenix's Kevin Durant, the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers' LeBron James, Golden State's Stephen Curry, Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton and Phoenix's Devin Booker were named to the third team.
The NBA changed the rules starting with this season and All-NBA voting is now positionless โ as opposed to having two guards, two forwards and one center on each of the teams, a formula that had been in place since the 1950s. Players also had to appear in a minimum number of games, in most cases, to be eligible for award consideration from the panel of 99 broadcasters and writers who served as the voting panel.
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