"Never played with a young great player like that": Kendrick Perkins lauds Anthony Edwards's leadership skills
NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins was impressed with how Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards led his team in their first-round playoff series-opener victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. He highlighted how the leadership of 'Ant-Man' was better than some of the league MVPs he played with back in the day.
The Timberwolves took an early advantage over the Suns in their best-of-seven playoff series by winning Game One, 120-95, in Minnesota. Edwards, 22, led the charge for his team in the convincing victory, finishing with a game-high 33 points, in addition to having nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 36 minutes of play.
On ESPN's NBA Countdown, Perkins, a one-time NBA champion (Boston/2008), highlighted the leadership that the young Edwards showed in Game One, which he said was comparatively better than former MVPs Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, who he played with during his time with the OKC Thunder.
Perkins said:
"I never played with a young great player like that. No disprespect to 'KD'. No disrespect to Russ or James Harden. That type of leader."
After a close opening quarter, the Timberwolves put the pedal to the metal in the middle quarters to create considerable separation from the Suns.
Anthony Edwards was stellar in the third quarter, where he poured in 18 of his 33 points to help his team to a 92-72 lead heading into the fourth and final frame.
From there, Minnesota never looked back en route to the Game One win.
Edwards was backstopped in the win by fellow All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 19 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 18 while Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards basks in showdown with Kevin Durant in Game One
Apart from claiming Game One of their playoff series with the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards said what made it all the more special was the showdown he had with NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who is his favorite player.
'Ant-Man' and 'KD' had themselves a battle in their series-opener in Minnesota as they tried to lead their respective teams to the win.
They almost ended up with identical numbers, with Edwards finishing with 33 points, nine rebounds, and six assists while Durant had 31 points and seven rebounds.
In the end though, the Timberwolves had the last laugh as they went on to win, 120-95.
Following the game, Anthony Edwards spoke about the showdown he had with Durant, saying:
"I think everybody here know that's my favorite player of all time, so that was probably one of the best feelings ever in my whole life, for sure."
Durant, for his part, gave props to Edwards for the performance he had and is looking forward to their next duel, saying by way of FOX Sports:
"He got his rhythm... Now he's got confidence. He's always had confidence as a player ... He made some tough ones (shots). You've just got to live it and move on to the next game."
Game Two of the Timberwolves-Suns series is on Tuesday in Minnesota.