Shooting guard Anthony “Ant-Man” Edwards hailed the chemistry in the United States team as it won its third game out of three at the Basketball World Cup on Wednesday.
Edwards took centre stage as the U.S. beat Jordan 110-62 in Manila, scoring 22 points and claiming eight rebounds and four assists in an all-action performance.
Edwards, an NBA All-Star last season at the age of 21, is part of a young and hungry U.S. squad that came into the World Cup with no previous tournament experience.
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He is happy to share the limelight with his teammates, saying: “We like each other a lot, that’s the main thing”.
“Coach does a great job of putting everybody in the right positions to succeed,” said Edwards, the first overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA draft.
“It’s super-important that we like each other and I think it’s going to go a long way.”
U.S. head coach Steve Kerr has given plenty of playing minutes to everyone in his squad and has been rewarded with a string of impressive performances.
Paolo Banchero led the team in scoring with 21 points in their opening 99-72 win over New Zealand, before Austin Reaves took up the slack with a team-high 15 points in their 109-81 victory over Greece.
Edwards said it was “super-important that we’ve got depth”.
“All 12 of us can put the ball in the hoop,” he said. “We all just feed off one another.”
The U.S. qualified for the second round as the top team in Group C and will face Lithuania and Montenegro in the next phase.
When asked about his team’s chances, Edwards said: “I think we’re going to win”.
He also said he is feeling no pressure, despite the U.S. looking to atone for a seventh-place finish at the previous World Cup in 2019.
“I love the game of basketball, it’s fun for me,” he said. “I go out there and do what I love. I put in the work every day so it’s no pressure at all.”
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