“Always Want to Cook LeBron James”: Anthony Edwards Reveals How Lakers Double Team Defense Keeps Him from Dueling the Best Player in the League

During his latest appearance on Complex‘s 360 with Speedy Morman, Anthony Edwards revealed that he always wants to “cook” LeBron James on the court. This response from Edwards was prompted by Morman asking him to name a player he would like to torch the most.

While admitting that he wants to show out against everybody, the 22-year-old stated that he wants to go at LeBron James each time the Timberwolves play the Lakers. However, much to his chagrin, the Lakers’ defense never allows him to go one-on-one against LBJ.

“I always try to do that versus LeBron but it never goes as planned because they always double-team me. I always try to cook LeBron because…you know he’s the best player in the league right now,” the Minnesota SG said.

“He’s been the best player for a long time. That’s the main person I’m trying to cook. Him or KD,” added Edwards. However, Ant claimed that the LA side always double-teamed him, which made it impossible for him to ‘cook’ LeBron.

Morman then fantasized about a world where Edwards could play James one-on-one, to which the Timberwolves star responded saying that “it’d be a fun day.” The top-notch scorer has a lot of belief in himself and is confident that no one can stop him one-on-one. 

Because of this conviction, the 2023 All-Star has the led the Timberwolves to the best record in the NBA as the year comes to an end.

Anthony Edwards is taking over the NBA

It is not surprising that ANT is touted as the next big thing in the NBA. Drafted #1 in 2020, he has been a lethal scorer since his rookie year. He tallied 19.3 points per game in his rookie season, followed by 21.3 points and 24.6 points per game in the last two seasons respectively.

Therefore, his journey to capture the reigns of the league after LeBron James has been on course. The Forward displayed signs of greatness during the last playoffs as well when he put up 41 points during a first round matchup against the Nuggets. It is the most points scored by a player in the Timberwolves’ postseason history. 

In 2022, during his appearance on the Point Forward podcast with Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, Dwyane Wade learned that Anthony Edwards is 6’4”, which is the same size as him. Because of Edwards’ build, the 2006 NBA Finals MVP believed that he was the same height as LeBron James.

However, Iguodala clarified that it isn’t the case and Edwards is as tall as Wade himself, which baffled the 3x NBA champion. Iggy then later pointed out how the Timberwolves’ All-Star is similar to Wade because of his shiftiness and ability to change directions.