"Young man who is compared to Michael Jordan" - Kendrick Perkins reveals his early pick for NBA MVP passing on Luka Doncic & Ja Morant
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins thinks Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will win the regular season NBA MVP. Perkins was asked on ESPN's "NBA Today" who he thinks will win the MVP award for the 2024-25 NBA season. The 2008 champion didn't hesitate to name Edwards as his pick.
Edwards has emerged as one of the league's best stars. Last season, he earned his second All-Star nod and led the Wolves to the Western Conference finals. Although they lost to the Dallas Mavericks, he showed he's ready to win at the highest level.
Additionally, Ant-Man suited up for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the national team, he excelled in his game and was a significant contributor off the bench, helping them win the gold medal.
With how he's played, the NBA center turned ESPN analyst spoke highly of Edwards as his MVP pick next season.
"The young man that we've been comparing to Michael Jordan. The young man that actually took his team to the Western Conference finals. The young man that knocked off the defending champs out of the postseason. His name [is] Anthony Edwards," Perk said.
"Look, I think right now, from watching what I saw last year, especically in the Olympics, Edwards is out to get his. He wants to win, but this year, I wouldn't be surprised if leads the league in scoring. He's not waiting on anyone. I know he wants to win a championship, he has said that time and time again, but [he] also wants to stack up those individual accolades."
Perk shared that he believes Edwards wants to be the face of the league. To achieve that, the former player said that the Wolves star should set his eyes on winning the MVP award.
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Who are the other favorites to win the NBA MVP?
Aside from Edwards, other players were on the list of possible contenders for the prestigious award. With the Wolves star, ESPN mentioned Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as possible players to win the NBA MVP. All of the players on the list have not won the award in their career and experts believe they will have a grand year next season.
For Donic, he finished the 2023-24 season in the top 3 of the MVP race. He didn't win as his friend Nikola Jokic won his third award.
Morant wasn't in the MVP race last season as he was limited to nine games due to his suspension and injury. SGA, on the other hand, was second in the MVP race last season. He had a great year as he averaged 30 points for the second-straight season of his career.
Also read: Nikola Jokic's father explains 3x NBA MVP's humble lifestyle and upcoming projects - "Hard for him to accept new people"