Anthony Edwards is becoming a household name.
With LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant out of the NBA playoffs, Edwards has given the Minnesota Timberwolves a strong 2-0 lead after back-to-back road wins against the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference second-round series.
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But it wasn't long ago that Edwards -- who's also known as Ant -- was being ripped by one of the NBA's best coaches.
Despite being a five-star recruit in high school and one of the top players in America entering college, the Atlanta native was called out by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr for his unimpressive work ethic.
It was a low blow for Edwards, who grew up admiring Dwyane Wade, a 13-time All Star and three-time NBA champion known for constantly rising up from tough on-court collisions.
"I thought I was working hard," said Edwards, in quotes ESPN got at a Timberwolves media day. "When [Kerr] came, I was going through drills and he kept stopping them, like, 'That's all you got? That's all you got?'
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"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 still ended up going No. 1 to Minnesota, which had recently gone through a 13-year playoff drought and spent several seasons as the worst team in the NBA.
But Kerr and the Warriors kept pushing Edwards from afar, telling the SEC Rookie of the Year that Golden State wouldn't have taken the University of Georgia star if Kerr's team held the top pick.
"He's like, 'Man, you've got to see Steph, KD and Klay (Thompson) work out," Edwards recalled. "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.' "
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The Warriors ended up taking James Wiseman at No. 2.
Wiseman has been a bust through four seasons.
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He's already been traded by Golden State and is now a backup big man for the Detroit Pistons, who went 14-68 and were the NBA's worst team this season.
Four years later, Edwards has been praised by everyone from Charles Barkley to Durant.
"So impressed with Ant," Durant said. "My favorite player to watch. He's gonna be somebody I'm following for the rest of his career."
That was after Edwards and the T-Wolves coldly swept Phoenix out of the playoffs 4-0.
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Next, the high-flying 22-year-old guard poured in 70 points as Minnesota pushed Denver into a huge second-round hole.
"This series is a wrap," Barkley confidently said. "Minnesota is better than the Nuggets."
Then the outspoken TNT analyst doubled down on Ant.
"That Bulldog, he might as well be a d*** wolf," Barkley said.
The 6ft 4in and 225lb Edwards has already made two All-Star teams, was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, and has been compared to young versions of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Wade.
When Edwards drilled a step-back 3-pointer against Denver in a Game 2 blowout win on Monday, he coolly shrugged his shoulders like Air Jordan in his prime.
Edwards was 3-years-old the last time the Timberwolves were this good.
James was a 19-year-old NBA rookie, fresh out of high school and trying to wear a crown for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Edwards turned Kerr's harsh words into personal motivation, finishing second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting, while increasing his scoring average each year.
He's averaging 32.3 points while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 41.9 percent on 3-pointers in the playoffs, while Minnesota is a perfect 6-0 and the hottest team in the sport.
Kerr once questioned Edwards' work ethic and told him he wasn't good enough to be a No. 1 pick.
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Now, Ant is destroying opposing defenses and dominating like a young Jordan, while Barkley and Durant are praising him on TV.
"He ain’t messing around," Barkley said.