Tom Crean knows talent when he sees it.
The former college basketball coach – whose 403-win resume includes stints with Georgia, Indiana and Marquette – has helped nurture the careers of pros at every level of the hoops hierarchy, including a couple of the NBA's biggest names in Dwyane Wade and Anthony Edwards.
Covers recently caught up with Crean, who discussed Edwards, his thoughts on NIL, and the NBA Draft.
Key Takeaways
- Edwards will become the next face of the NBA, no matter how he feels about it
- NIL is leading coaches and players to make "big career mistakes"
- Crean sees prospect V.J. Edgecombe as the complete package
Wade-ing into Ant discourse
Crean is something of an authority when it comes to assessing star power. It was under his tutelage that Wade took his first steps toward superstardom, averaging nearly 20 points and more than two steals in his two collegiate seasons with the Golden Eagles.
Wade parlayed his success under Crean into becoming the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, then forging an incredible pro career in which he captured three NBA titles, earned 13 All-Star nods and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.
While it's far too early to predict a similar arc for Edwards, who spent one season under Crean with the Bulldogs, early indications are that Ant is on a rocket-like trajectory himself.
“He’s nowhere near where he’s going to be,” Crean told Covers.
The soon-to-be-24-year-old averaged better than 19 points and five rebounds in his lone college season in 2019-20, going on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. And Crean has seen his former protégé take significant strides since then.
“I think the biggest difference is the fundamentals got better – he learned to cut and move without the ball,” Crean said. “When we got him he wanted to live at the top of the key and the slots and then go to the rim when he wanted to, and he had to learn all the different aspects of using the entire floor.”
It's difficult to argue with Crean's assessment. Edwards has become one of the most explosive offensive players in the NBA, coming off a season in which he averaged 27.6 points while knocking down more than four 3-pointers per game.
So what's next on Ant's to-do list? Crean says the three-time All-Star could stand to improve without the basketball in his hands – and to be less predictable.
“It’s processing the game better when he doesn’t have the ball and it’s also going to be processing the game when he does have the ball and the defense are set to guard him,” Crean told Covers. “Here’s a great example of that. He’s got a phenomenal Euro step, right? He’s got a great Euro that he can get fouled on, but there’s too many times that he still predetermines that he’s going to the Euro.
"There's too many times he still predetermines that he's going to the Euro rather than beating the second defender with a speed dribble, with a hesitation or with a crossover. It's just processing like that. It's not about beating the first man. It's never been about beating the first man. For him, it's about beating the second man. It's about beating the help."
Edwards as the face of the NBA? It's coming
With LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry all in the twilight of their respective careers, there is a massive opening for the role of "face of the NBA". Edwards' name is often part of that conversation – and Crean isn't surprised at all, despite Edwards being perceived as more enigmatic than his predecessors.
“He’s not going to change who he is,” Crean said. “You see it in his press conferences. What you see is what you get with him.”
That authenticity that Edwards carries with himself might actually be fuelling the push to anoint him as that “next guy,” despite Edwards himself saying he doesn’t want the title:
Anthony Edwards when asked he considers himself to be a top candidate to be the face of the league going forward: “Not really.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 15, 2025
Why not? “That’s what they’ve got Wemby for” pic.twitter.com/P5jnJgyKJj
Crean believes it’ll happen regardless of Edwards’ wishes.
“It’s not going to matter if he wants it or not,” said Crean. “If he’s the best in the league, he’s going to be that. And he’s on his way to being that guy.”
NIL means big money for players – but is it sustainable?
Crean last coached NCAA basketball in 2021-22, the first year of NIL and the transfer portal. Back then, Bulldogs players made $6,200 doing things like leading a kids’ basketball clinic and participating in social media ads.
Just three years later, the landscape is virtually unrecognizable.
“I would say now it’s an easy 50-60 teams in the country that are over $8 million, including (at Georgia).” Crean told Covers. “And there’s probably upwards of anywhere from 13-15 teams this year alone that are going to be over $13 million.”
Crean is amazed to see how quickly things have changed since he was coaching – and while he sees the positives in NIL growing and expanding, he isn't sure that the current model can hold up in the long run.
“It’s not bad for the players," he said. "I mean, it’s a heck of a thing for them, but I just don’t know about the sustainability with the (NIL) collectives, with boosters.
“I think the thought that this is all going to get regulated, and they’re going through the clearing house of Deloitte and they’re going to have all of these approvals and still be able to make that kind of money that they’re making right now. I don’t think there’s any way that’s going to happen without off-the-books money.”
NIL money leading to "big mistakes"
NIL likely isn’t going anywhere, but in its infancy Crean believes both coaches and players have been making bad decisions trying to adapt to this new system.
“I still think the place where people are making such big mistakes is it’s not about the money they’re getting, it’s about the places they’re choosing to go,” he told Covers. “It’s about some players being chosen by the coaches that being signed and it’s almost like we have the money and it’s burning a hole in our pocket so we’ve got to spend it or we’re not going to get these guys.
“And then, I think there’s a lot of players that are making decisions based on short-term money. Even though it’s great short-term money, it’s not doing anything that’s going to lead them to a long-term (benefit) because they’re just not going to places where they’re truly going to get developed.”
Crean's NBA prospect to watch: V.J. Edgecombe
When looking at players who could make big impacts at the NBA level, Crean mentioned the likes of Wade, Edwards, Victor Oladipo and OG Anunoby as guys he coached who all had these two things in common: An individual drive to get better, and defensive chops.
When looking at this year's crop of top prospects about the NBA, one name stands out to Crean in a big way: explosive Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe. The 6-foot-5 guard was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and a McDonald’s All-American before being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year during his one year at Baylor University, where he averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
“I saw (Edgecombe) play a couple years ago and he stood out to me long before he became really highly recruited and highly ranked,” Crean said. “That drive, that effort defensively, getting on the glass, being a teammate, all that staff stuck out to me. ... I think V.J. is that guy.”
