The Minnesota Timberwolves have been on a dream run this season. Led by Anthony Edwards, they have made their way into the Conference Finals where they’ll be battling the Dallas Mavericks for a spot in the finals. Over the last few months, Ant-Man has garnered a lot of praise from the fans and the media for his conquests, with some even comparing him with Michael Jordan. Recently, this gutsy Wolves team was compared to the 2009 championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant.
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Trevor Ariza, a member of the 2009 team was a guest on the recent episode of ATS UNPLUGGED with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Ariza jumped in with an interesting analogy as the panel was previewing the Conference Finals. He said, “For real though, the Minnesota team reminds me of the team that I was on in LA. The Lakers team that won.” Ariza said that the size of the Wolves this year is very similar to the 09 Lakers.
The 09-team had Luke Walton, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Sun Yue, Adam Morrison, and Lamar Odom among others. All the above-mentioned players on the roster were 6’8 and above. This type of reach gives an advantage to any team, which is why Ariza believes that the Wolves are on course to create history. He said he sees the same confidence in the Wolves as their role players are just as motivated to contribute as the key players.
If Ariza’s assessment is correct, this could mean that the Minnesota franchise will have its most successful campaign in franchise history with Ant-Man taking the reins. Besides this honorable comparison, Edwards, on an individual level has also been compared to Kobe and MJ.
Stephen A. Smith compares Anthony Edwards with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
Stephen A. Smith doesn’t like to throw around big comparisons for everyone. He’s very particular with who he places alongside MJ and based on everything he saw from Anthony Edwards in the postseason, SAS was compelled to put him next to the great man. So far in the playoffs, Ant-Man has averaged 28.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. His field goal shooting stands at an impressive 50.4%, three-point shooting at 39.8% with 84.3% from the charity stripe.
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But what these stats can’t accurately convey is the impact that he has had on the Wolves. Based on everything he had seen from Edwards, Stephen A., on an episode of First Take said, “He is the Michael Jordan of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s the Kobe of the Minnesota Timberwolves.”
Despite being only 22, it’s clear the big names in and around the league have placed a lot of pressure on the young man with these comparisons. It’ll be interesting to see how he manages to live up to it against an offensive powerhouse like the Mavs.
