Anthony Edwards devoted much of his previous two offseasons to the US national team for the World Cup and the Olympics, coming off intense runs through the NBA playoffs with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

As valuable as those experiences were for his flourishing career, the time Edwards had for his own training this past summer was instrumental toward his desired development into a true MVP candidate and a legitimate title contender.

"I feel like I was able to actually work on my game," he said.

For all he's done on the court over his first five seasons in the league, Edwards is still a 24-year-old with plenty of room to improve. As Timberwolves player development coach Chris Hines has told him often, "greatness is boring", a maxim seemingly tailor-made for Edwards.

"There was a lot of boring days in the gym, just working on one-dribble pull-ups," he said. "But I think it benefits me."

In the annual preseason survey of NBA general managers, Edwards was the runaway winner in voting for the best shooting guard in the league with a 70 percent share. But that doesn't mean he's the most complete player in that star-studded position.