Steve Kerr had blunt message for Anthony Edwards before NBA Draft

Oct 26, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards (1) reacts to a call by referee Cheryl Flores in the first quarter of the game with the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Edwards was the No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Golden State Warriors picked second that year and chose James Wiseman. But if Golden State were picking first, they apparently would have passed on Edwards.

Edwards spoke at the Timberwolves’ media day on Thursday and revealed the harsh messages the Warriors’ brass shared with him at his pre-draft workout with the team in 2020. According to Edwards, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr kept riding the prospect, telling Edwards he wasn’t working hard enough.

“I thought I was working hard. When he came, I was going through drills and he kept stopping them, like, ‘That’s all you got? That’s all you got?’ And I’m like, ‘Bruh, I’m going hard as you want me to go. What you want me to do? I’m sweating crazy,'” Edwards recalled, via ESPN’s Jamal Collier.

The group had dinner with Edwards after his workout. They told the prospect they wouldn’t have taken him even at No. 1 overall.

“They still was continuously telling me, ‘You didn’t work hard enough. If we had the No. 1 pick, we wouldn’t take you.’ And I was just like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy.'”

Though Golden State was hard on Edwards, they indeed misjudged the draft.

Wiseman was a non-factor for the Warriors and was traded to Detroit last season. Meanwhile, Edwards has very much lived up to his status as a No. 1 player and last year made his first All-Star team. Perhaps he owes Kerr and the Warriors some credit for motivating him to work harder. Edwards also has a much better relationship with Kerr now from their time together on the US national team.