On the same day he was quoted for wanting his comparisons to an all-time great to stop, Anthony Edwards put on another show in a Minnesota Timberwolves 106-80 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their conference semifinal series. Playing with the confidence and swagger that paints an eerily similar picture to that of Michael Jordan, Edwards flashed some post-bucket moves that only fueled the comparisons even more.
During his 27-point performance Monday night, Edwards buried a three midway through the fourth quarter to give the Timberwolves a 23-point lead. After the shot went down, Edwards delivered a shrug that looked plenty familiar to NBA fans who know about Jordan's iconic shrug during the 1992 NBA Finals.
There were other moments as well, like in the first half when Edwards got Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson to fall to his knees which prompted the Timberwolves star to point at Jackson. He also had several flexes after key baskets, including on an and-one shortly after his shrug-inducing three.
Edwards is as flashy as it gets on the court. He said after the win that his reactions after scoring are nothing new and give him energy throughout the game.
“If I do something nice, I got to let it be known,” Edwards said, per the NBA. “Whether I get an and-1, I got to flex. Make somebody fall, I'm going to point at them. And it brings excitement to the game.”
Anthony Edwards, Michael Jordan similarities won’t stop
It's easy to see why Anthony Edwards is not fond of being compared to one of basketball's greatest players given it's only his fourth year in the NBA. Perhaps it's absurd even to put Edwards and Jordan in the same light this early in the former's career.
That won’t stop people from doing it though, and with each highlight-reel play the Timberwolves guard pulls off, the more people will join in on the conversation.
Watching Edwards during this Timberwolves playoff run has brought back flashes of Jordan's early career for a ton of NBA personalities. The finesse and relative ease that Edwards plays with emulates that of a young Jordan. It's hard to fathom sometimes how the 22-year-old makes things look so natural on the court.
Following a 40-point display to clinch a series sweep over the Phoenix Suns in the first round, Edwards dropped a playoff career-high 43 in Game 1 against the Nuggets. Through six games this postseason, he's averaging 32.3 points per game on nearly 55 percent shooting. He's also knocking down just shy of 42 percent of his 3-pointers while adding 6.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
It's not quite Jordan dropping 63 at the Boston Garden or averaging over 45 points across a five-game series, but the way Edwards is moving on the court and the energy he brings is Jordan-esque.
If we're ever truly going to compare Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan, results have to follow for the Timberwolves. Regarding team success, Edwards and Minnesota have a chance to surpass Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the latter's fourth NBA season. Both players lost multiple first-round playoff matchups before finally breaking through with a series win in year four.
The Timberwolves still have work to do just to reach the NBA Finals. A championship for Minnesota and Anthony Edwards this season would be a phenomenal starting point for the superstar's legacy.
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