Anthony Edwards has emerged as a superstar so far in the 2025 NBA playoffs. And while NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith may be a die-hard New York Knicks fan, he couldn’t help but speak to Edwards’ greatness.
Advertisement
Ahead of the WCF matchup, he believed the Timberwolves star had the makings of following in Michael Jordan’s footsteps. But Stephen A’s bold assertion isn’t holding up too well at the moment. Unfortunately for Edwards, he seems to have hit a roadblock in the form of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC have jumped out to a convincing 2-0 lead. In both of the contests, the Timberwolves didn’t stand much of a chance. Although a consecutive Western Conference Finals elimination seems imminent, it may be what Edwards needs to reach the next level.
The 23-year-old star has received significant praise throughout the 2024-25 season. He began the postseason on fire, dethroning ‘The King’, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Edwards followed that up by convincingly defeating the Golden State Warriors in the second round.
Defeat the stepping stone to greatness?
“Anthony Edwards, the brother’s spectacular,” Smith proclaimed on The Rich Eisen Show. “I think he’s Jordanesque. I think he has that kind of potential, and I think that if he ever gets to a point where he’s winning championships, we will be talking about him being Jordanesque even more.”
On ESPN’s First Take, Smith and the crew discussed the disparity in talent favoring the Thunder. Nonetheless, this doesn’t change Stephen A’s opinion on Edwards. Matter of fact, he believes this development is crucial to Edwards entering a new gear.
“You got to pay a price. You got to go through it before you ascend to the mountaintop,” Smith said. “Anthony Edwards being demolished in this series is what it’s going to take for him to ascend to the heights that we’re talking about.”
Smith’s assertion of the required struggles Edwards has to face falls in line with his Michael Jordan-like prophecy. The Chicago Bulls legend didn’t experience success immediately in his NBA career. The Detroit Pistons were his obstacle, similar to Edwards and his two Western Conference Finals opponents so far.
Jordan had to lose to the Pistons from 1988 to 1990 in the playoffs before overcoming them to register his first three-peat from 1991 to 1993. Failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to Smith.
Of course, the series is still anyone’s for the taking. Edwards flipped the switch in Game 2 but didn’t have support from the rest of his team. If the Timberwolves want to have at least a sliver of a chance, they need a complete team performance.
Julius Randle needs to get back to being the Randle we saw against the Lakers and the Warriors. Role players such as Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo need to step up for Minnesota. If they are unable to do so, this series will be over just as quickly as it started.
