Wolves guard Anthony Edwards got to the free throw line on Thursday and knocked Memphis' Xavier Tillman off his feet with a pump fake. This gave Edwards a good look at the rim.
However, he missed the shot to pass it to himself.
He knocked the ball off the backboard, raced down the lane, grabbed the rebound and threw down a two-handed jam that made TNT announcer Kevin Harlan scream like he did when he called Wolves games.
Edwards is only 22 years old and there is no “can’t do” in Ant. He is the most dynamic player on one of the best teams in the NBA.
There are many veterans of international hockey participating in the emerging Professional Women's Hockey League. The Minnesota participant earned a 3-2 win over Ottawa on Wednesday. Grace Zumwinkle, 24, scored her league-leading fifth goal. Taylor Heise, 23, has her picture as one of its stars on the league's website. A team with several local products started at the top of the first division rankings at the weekend.
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson posted his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season. Due to injury, he only managed 10 games. His 5,899 receiving yards are the most in the first four seasons of his NFL career. That's already more than any Chicago Bears receiver has amassed in his career. And the bears have been around since 1920.
He might be the best non-quarterback in the NFL. And Jefferson is only 24.
See the pattern here?
Let’s not get caught up in the championship drought that is vexing most of our professional sports teams. It's really fun to be here as a sports fan. Every professional team in the Twin Cities has a player who is not only the best player on their team, but also one of the best in the league and – this is the important part – is 27 years old or younger.
Young stars with potential. They give hope. They can be the ones who bring your favorite team back from obscurity. With so much of their career still ahead of them, imagine what they can achieve when their experience mixes with their elite talent.
The four-time champion Minnesota Lynx appeared headed for relegation in 2022 after going 14-22 and missing the postseason. The outlook for the 2023 season was bleak. Napheesa Collier missed 2022 to win off the field – she had a baby – and returned for 2023. She averaged a career-high 21.5 points and took the Lynx to the postseason. Collier peaks at age 27. She can lead the revival of Minnesota's most successful professional franchise.
Pitching has been a success for the Twins all season, from staff star Pablo López (27) to closer Jhoan Durán (26). The offense was rotten before Royce Lewis recovered from a knee injury and was reinserted into the lineup. In 58 games, Lewis hit .309 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI.
The 24-year-old Lewis has already won five Grand Slams in his career. His bat, glove and charisma could lead the Twins for years. Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton are definitely well known. Sooner rather than later it will be Lewis' team.
At 26 years old, Kirill Kaprizov is one of the best scorers in ice hockey. I discovered this by watching how many hits he takes from opponents trying to marginalize his influence on games. Winnipeg, Boston and St. Louis are three teams that immediately come to mind if they outsmart our number 97. He has missed six games this season with an upper-body injury, but is still averaging nearly a point per game.
The Wild are on their second coach this season and injuries continue to happen. Kaprizov is the best reason to visit the Xcel Energy Center. Now just protect the poor guy.
Every night a young star plays at a local stadium or arena – none older than 27, and some are still waiting to turn 25 so their car insurance rates can go down. Each of them is or is about to be the face of their franchise. We should count ourselves lucky.
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