T’Wolves’ star Anthony Edwards seemingly vows to live up to the (young Michael Joran) tag
Playing in his fourth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards is having a career year. The former No. 1 pick is coming off an excellent outing with Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. As the Timberwolves star continues to impress, 2008 NBA Champion Kevin Garnett had high praises for him. The comments were later brought to Edwards' attention by FS1's Rachel Nichols.
Anthony Edwards was honored by the praise given by Kevin Garnett as the similarities are backed up by his production on the court along with the eye test of how consistent he plays. The hunger and the competitiveness are also there, which the Celtics legend is a big fan of.
"That's the OG man," Edwards said. "Whatever he say goes, anybody want to argue with him, you got to take it up with Michael Jordan. I think he's right for sure, '84 Jordan. He didn't say '96, '97, it's '84. It's fine in of itself."
Being the number one option on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Edwards is leading the team to first place (38-16 record) in the Western Conference standings. Powered with a strong defense and the two-time NBA All-Star's scoring efforts, Minnesota has caused numerous headaches to their competitors in the league.
While some will agree with the comparison made by Kevin Garnett, there's no denying that Anthony Edwards has lived up to the expectations placed on him.
What did Kevin Garnett say about his comparison between Anthony Edwards and Michael Jordan?
Speaking on "All The Smoke Productions," Kevin Garnett saw strong similarities between Anthony Edwards and Michael Jordan. From the elite shotmaking to the competitive nature, the comparison has never been more obvious for the 2004 NBA MVP.
"He's like a young '84 Jordan, boy," Garnett said. "You hear me? If [Karl-Anthony Towns] weren't on his team, he'd be averaging 30-something points per game. You hear what I'm saying to you? '84, go back and look at it. Look at this young boy."
During the 1984-85 season, Michael Jordan immediately made a strong impression in the NBA as a rookie. He posted 28.2 points (51.5% FG, 17.3% 3P), 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
Anthony Edwards, on the other hand, is averaging 26.1 points (46.8% FG, 38.5% 3P), 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season.
The strong offensive production is evident from the two elite players, with the three-point shooting efficiency being the only difference. Mainly because Jordan played in an era that didn't utilize shooting from beyond the arc and spacing as much compared to today's league.
The rebounding and assist numbers are all similar as well with Edwards' game slowly maturing from his rookie numbers back in the 2020-21 regular season.