There has been plenty of discussion about who the next face of the NBA will be after LeBron James and Steph Curry retire, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been at the forefront of the conversation.

Edwards has all of the necessary traits to take over the league as a young, exciting player with a big personality, but his chances of becoming the next face of the NBA keep getting slimmer.

In Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, Edwards got ejected and threw a ball into the stands, painting a poor picture for himself.

Four-time NBA All-Star and former New Orleans Pelicans star DeMarcus Cousins spoke on Edwards’ ejection, sending him a message that will help straighten out his career moving forward.

“It’s time to sit back, fall back a little bit,” Cousins said. “Put a filter on it. You don’t want this to become a long-term issue… Let’s lock in more on the actual game and less on talking… You don’t want to become a distraction or have an asterisk next to your name. They will use it against you.”

Edwards has been one of the most charismatic and likable players since getting drafted first overall in 2020, and it certainly helps that he has become one of the top guards in the NBA. The 23-year-old is averaging 27.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season while shooting 40.5% from deep.

It is unfortunate that Edwards got ejected in such a big game in primetime against the star-studded Lakers, but the young star did it to himself and will now serve a one-game suspension.

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