Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves announced themselves as legitimate contenders for the NBA title with their systematic thrashing of the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The 4-0 series win against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Booker, and co. was equally impressive and shocking. The Suns were touted as one of the title favorites before the season began, but the Timberwolves had little regard for their reputation, as they bundled them out of the playoffs.
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While every Timberwolves star deserves credit for the series win, the player that stood out most was Edwards. The young guard ran his mouth against Kevin Durant, but backed it up on the court, and sent the two-time Finals MVP and his team packing. Edwards’ stature, speed, and playstyle are mesmerizing to watch and have even earned him comparisons to six-time NBA champion, and the player regarded as the greatest of all time, Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan. Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal furthered that narrative on his Instagram stories. He shared a split-screen clip of Jordan’s dunk against the Suns from a regular season game in 1989 and Edwards’ dunk on Durant in Game 4, highlighting the similarities in their movement.
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In both clips, Jordan and Edwards identified the open space, whizzed by their defender, before finishing with authority despite a taller defender trying to disrupt their dunk attempt. The eerie similarity in these dunks is just one example of Edwards playing like the greatest of all time did. Earning comparisons to Jordan is a badge of honor that the Timberwolves star should wear proudly as he brings his unmatched energy, effort, and drive to every game he plays.
Michael Jordan is keeping close tabs on Anthony Edwards
Michael Jordan may be out of the public eye, but when he wants to send a message, he finds a way. With Edwards earning comparisons to him, the Bulls icon unsurprisingly did not stay quiet and made his opinion known through Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard. Fortunately for the Timberwolves star, Jordan agrees with the notion. Broussard revealed on an episode of FS1’s First Things First,
“I reached out to the GOAT (Michael Jordan) today. Michael Jordan said there are similarities in their games, he agreed!”
Jordan also told ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith that Edwards is special after the Timberwolves’ Game 1 win over the Suns. The greatest player in NBA history is an admirer of the young guard. Knowing that Jordan is watching him closely and acknowledges the similarities between them will only fuel Edwards to continue dismantling every team standing in his and the Timberwolves’ way as they look to bring the franchise its first title like the Bulls icon and his teammates did in 1991.
