Owning the paint: Edwards announces himself in winning double

Taking on Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and JaVale McGee in the same weekend is no small task for any NBL center, but Melbourne United’s Jesse Edwards didn’t shy away. His offensive rebounding proved match winning on Sunday.

Even with JaVale McGee, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and a two game, 48 hour grind in front of him, Edwards' mentality is simple - he can beat anyone.

By weekend’s end, United had won both games to enter the FIBA window clear on top at 13-2, with Edwards delivering 25 points and 24 rebounds across the double. That included navigating foul trouble against Illawarra on Friday, where he still grabbed four offensive boards.

But Sunday was the standout. Against Perth, Edwards hauled in 16 rebounds, eight of them offensive, and his work on the glass helped United finish with 20 more field goal attempts than the Wildcats in their 98-87 win.

"You're not going to come into the season with the mindset that there's a lot of guys that are better than you every game and it definitely helps (to play well), but I try not to look at that too much," Edwards said.

"I just try to really focus on what is the current goal on defence and what are we really trying to do as a team, and then try to follow up on that."

On Friday, McGee still put up 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks, but Edwards made his life as tough as possible, helping force four turnovers and drawing seven fouls in the matchup.

On Sunday, with more time on the floor, he helped contain Lual-Acuil Jr, who finished with 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting, two turnovers and just three rebounds.

Edwards added 11 points and 16 rebounds of his own, but he was more focused on the collective effort from his teammates across the weekend against two of the league’s premier bigs – a group he now belongs to.

"They're different players but they're both tough covers so for us and me personally, it was just the same mindset and I try to come with the same physicality," Edwards said.

"That's a real talented player right there (Lual-Acuil Jr) and their team played a good game, making tough shots all throughout the game.

"I think for us it was just a testament to our defence to make sure we keep following our principles and that's really what carried us through because he is a really good player on both ends, especially on the offensive end."