Shaquille O'Neal demands Anthony Edwards be consistent, compares situation to forgotten NBA champ: "We all remember Jeremy Lin, what happened to him?"

Shaquille O'Neal has advised rising star Anthony Edwards to sustain his status as one of the best players in the NBA. O'Neal didn't hesitate in bringing up one of the league's most significant one-season wonder examples of Jeremy Lin when talking about Edwards. Here's what Shaq said on TNT's "Inside The NBA" show (via James Burns on Twitter):

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"It's not my place to say he's great now or not great. But I think he's a fabulous player. Where I come from, watching people like Candace [Parker] and Jamal [Crawford], you have to be great for a long period of time, cause' we all remember Jeremy Lin. What happened to him?"

James Burnes

@JamesBurnes8

ShaqLin

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ShaqLin https://t.co/oN93P3txRh

Jeremy Lin had the NBA world on its feet in 2012. The former New York Knicks guard had a stellar run of performances as he consistently outduelled the best players in the league.

Lin averaged 25.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 9.2 assists over a nine-game stretch. He also made 2.2 steals per contest. He earned himself a spot on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" magazine. Fans labeled the run as "Linsanity," losing it over how special the international star performed.

Lin, unfortunately, couldn't keep up with his run. He bounced around the league for the next few years before eventually finding himself out of the NBA.

Shaquille O'Neal's Jeremy Lin example seems extreme for a player of Anthony Edwards' caliber

Anthony Edwards didn't enter the league as an underrated prospect who made it big with a productive stretch out of nowhere. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft and has played like one since this debut. Edwards' production steadily improved in his first two seasons, but his third year has seen him make significant strides.

The former Georgia prospect has averaged 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, shooting on a 46/36/78 clip. Edwards has also improved defensively and has relished the opportunity to guard the opposing team's best perimeter players.

John Meyer

@meyerNBA

Perfect example of Anthony Edwards’ improvement in Year 3 on nights like this when he struggled badly with his shot and his handle was v loose — 4 stocks + elite iso defense on the other end. Ant brought it defensively and that was a big difference in this outcome. Two-way star!

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Perfect example of Anthony Edwards’ improvement in Year 3 on nights like this when he struggled badly with his shot and his handle was v loose — 4 stocks + elite iso defense on the other end. Ant brought it defensively and that was a big difference in this outcome. Two-way star!

Shaquille O'Neal's advice about being consistent is viable, but it doesn't necessarily need a Jeremy Lin comparison. Edwards' career graph is far more different than Lin's. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward is a franchise cornerstone and is unfazed by the challenge of guiding them to postseason success, despite being only 21 years old.

Anthony Edwards made his All-Star debut this season after keeping the Timberwolves afloat in the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns, who has played only 21 games this year. Edwards has been the ultimate iron man, playing all of his team's 63 games this year. Minnesota is eighth in the West with a 32-32 record and has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs as a top-six seed.

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