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Edwards is in the process of taking the torch from his Olympics teammates in becoming the next face of the league.

His high-flying dunks, megawatt smile and speak-his-mind interviews make Edwards ratings gold. He oozes charisma, on and off the court.

The Olympics experience has a chance to do wonders for Edwards’ maturation as a superstar. A critical piece of that process is being able to face the league’s elite players as an opponent during the season. The dazzling flurry Edwards had against Kevin Durant in the playoffs — trash-talking his basketball idol while backpedaling down court — felt like a seminal moment in Ant’s ascension.

The knowledge he gained from observation this summer with Team USA might bear fruit in ways more out of view. Edwards was surrounded by generational greatness in Paris. He got to live, train, practice, study and learn from LeBron, Curry and Durant.

If Edwards acted as a sponge, he left France with more than a gold medal. He got a front-row view to witness how some of the NBA’s all-time supreme talents go about their business, process the game and handle the responsibility of being an athlete with global fame.