Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is often compared to the great Michael Jordan for all the right reasons. Ant’s style of play and determination for the game often remind fans of Jordan‘s zeal for the sport. Edwards is aware of all such comparisons and embraces them as ‘humbly’ as possible.
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In a recent interaction with Cam Wilder, Edwards was asked how many points he would average as a player in the ’90s, the peak era of Michael Jordan’s dominance in the league. Not wanting to downplay the G.O.A.T’s scoring prowess in a physically demanding league, Edwards humbly admitted that he would probably average around 27 points if he played in that era.
Though Ant’s skillset and talent could have easily allowed him to say 30+ points, Edwards wanted to maintain a distance with the Chicago Bulls legend’s numbers out of respect. He claimed that if MJ was averaging 30-35 points, he would be tallying 27 points under similar conditions.
The young star explained, “It depends on what type of year I’m having. If I am stuck in first-team games, I’d have 35 in a row.” While Edwards definitely enjoys all these comparisons with the great Jordan, he still believes that he is nowhere near MJ and hopes the comparisons could end so that he can establish his separate identity in the league.
For Ant, MJ remains the greatest basketball player ever. However, when he was once asked if the six-time NBA Champion could guard him during the ’90s era, the Wolves guard promptly replied, “Hell nah! No.” Though Ant didn’t believe he could contain Jordan, he was confident that he could hold his own against the fierce competitor.
The NBA has become much more scorer-friendly now with new defensive and offensive rules. Therefore, Edwards mentioned a conservative average despite his high confidence in himself. He is currently averaging 25.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in his third year in the league. However, we know he could easily inflate his numbers if he wanted to, considering how easily he can put up 30 and 40-point nights.
How good is Anthony Edwards as a player?
Anthony Edwards has been relentlessly driven to establish himself as a premier player in the NBA. This season, the Timberwolves star is averaging 25.9 points, as mentioned earlier, shooting 46.3% from the field. He has also led Minnesota to the second seed in the Western Conference table, which was a recent demotion from their status as table toppers. Ant has significantly contributed to the Timberwolves’ impressive 32-14 record this season, regularly putting up big numbers.
Edwards is also one of the smoothest players in the league right now, given his sheer ability to make banked jump shots. The 2023 All-Star is also efficient on both ends of the floor. This season, Edwards was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career after leading the Timberwolves to an undefeated 4-0 run earlier in November. Perhaps, with such great form, Ant might be the key for the Timberwolves to contend for the championship this year.
