The Minnesota Timberwolves are once again “relevant” in the NBA, largely due to their marquee player, Anthony Edwards. The last time Minnesota thrived was almost two decades ago when Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett controlled the paint for the Timberwolves. However, a series of unfortunate events caused a serious falling out between him and Wolves owner Glen Taylor, resulting in KG distancing himself from the Wolves. But the sudden resurgence of Ant-Man has attracted the power forward’s attention, as the ‘Big Ticket’ recently gave Edwards his flowers for being a great leader.
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KG recently took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to give Ant his flowers after a magnificent performance in this year’s playoffs. Replying to a previous post from veteran journalist Barflann Tedoe, Garnett pointed out how Edwards’s leadership has progressed well. Mentioning leadership as a skillset and not a god-given ability, he added,
“Leadership in the form of an elite skillset… don’t miss that one, tho.”
KG’s relationship with the Timberwolves goes way back. The 6’10” power forward was drafted by the Wolves with the fifth pick of the 1995 draft. He enjoyed a storied career with the franchise, winning MVP during his first stint with the team. After he left the team in 2007, the history between KG and the team was thought to be over. Cut to 2015, Flip Saunders, then coach of the Timberwolves, convinced KG to finish his career with the team that drafted him. He returned to Minnesota to play his last one-and-a-half season with the team before hanging it up in 2016.
Tensions arose when Taylor denied Garnett a role with the franchise after his retirement, a condition KG had kept for his re-signing with the team. Having his trust broken by the franchise, the South Carolina native set out to call Taylor a “snake,” effectively ending the relationship between the Timberwolves and their franchise’s greatest player.
But from the looks of it, Garnett has been keeping tabs on the young crop of Timberwolves players. In line with his opinion on Ant, leadership is definitely not a skill that Edwards lacks. In fact, during multiple stretches of this year’s playoffs, the two-time All-Star could be seen hyping up his teammates and calling over coverages on the floor. Edwards’s growth is visible, and even senior players on the team have recognized him as their leader, a testament to his capabilities. Maybe that’s why KG even compared him to a rookie Michael Jordan.
Kevin Garnett sees a lot of ’84 Jump-Man in Ant-Man
The Minnesota Timberwolves looked unstoppable, and Edwards has a lot to do with that. If trade situations don’t derail his career with the Wolves, he should go down as the franchise’s marquee player, just like KG, almost two decades ago. But Ant-Man might have a shot at making a larger impact than Garnett did, something he recently mentioned.
Appearing on a special edition of ‘KG Certified’, the Ticket drew comparisons between Edwards’s recent form and Michael Jordan’s,
“He’s like a young ’84 Jordan, boy. You hear me?” Garnett declared. “If [forward Karl-Anthony Towns] weren’t on his team, he’d be averaging 30-something points per game. You hear what I’m saying to you?”
Garnett’s former teammate Paul Pierce didn’t seem to agree with his co-host, calling for the panel to stop comparing the 22-year-old to the greatest player in the history of the sport, even suggesting Clyde Drexler as being a better comparison for the young All-Star. However, KG seems to be impressed with the youngster’s skillset and might have put his trust in Ant to win a championship for his former team.
