While late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was renowned for being Michael Jordan’s heir apparent, it seems Anthony Edwards is next in line.
Earlier in the 2023-24 campaign, Stephen A. Smith compared the Minnesota Timberwolves star to Bryant, Jordan and Vince Carter.
According to basketball commentator Fran Fraschilla, a longtime NBA coach who had the opportunity to face Jordan in the playoffs a couple of times told him Edwards is the “closest thing he’s seen” to the Chicago Bulls icon and Bryant.
Have an @NBA friend who coached in 16 straight playoffs, including a couple times against MJ. Says Anthony Edwards is the closest thing he’s seen to MJ & Kobe in his lifetime. At 22 years old, he’s in that conversation.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) May 5, 2024
Based on what the sports world has seen from the Wolves guard in this postseason, the assertion doesn’t appear too far-fetched.
In the first round of the 2024 playoffs, Edwards faced off against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and didn’t flinch. He helped the Wolves sweep the Phoenix Suns by averaging 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on a 51.2 percent shooting clip.
The former No. 1 draft pick also had his way against Durant throughout the series, talking trash to the two-time champion seemingly every chance he got.
Some people were anticipating how Edwards would fare against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. He didn’t disappoint, recording a game-high 43 points in Game 1 to lead Minnesota to a 106-99 victory on the road. He was also incredibly efficient, shooting 17-for-29 from the field and committing just one turnover.
One of the shooting guard’s signature plays of the day was putting Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon on skates in the fourth quarter.
ANTHONY EDWARDS IS TOO SMOOTH 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/7vnUIlGVff
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) May 5, 2024
Gordon had a solid defensive showing against the Lakers in the previous round, but Edwards had him on his toes on that particular possession. It remains to be seen if the two-time All-Star can continue dominating Denver’s defense, although his Game 1 performance should give Wolves fans confidence for the remainder of the series.
If Edwards can lead Minnesota to the conference finals, people can expect more comparisons of him to Jordan, Bryant and other NBA legends. The Timberwolves advancing might also appease some Lakers fans who are still reeling from the squad’s loss to Denver in the first round.
