NBA players are always compared to legends of the past, oftentimes leading to insurmountable expectations. For Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, his comparison has suddenly become none other than the one and only Michael Jordan. The similarities between Edwards' game at 22 years old and Jordan's when he was early in his career with the Chicago Bulls are eerily comparable. This is especially true given what the young All-Star has achieved at this point in the playoffs with the Timberwolves.
However, Edwards is not painting his own narrative and is not embracing these comparisons to who many deem the greatest basketball player that has ever lived. While everyone wants to keep calling him this generation's Jordan, Edwards wants these conversations to end.
“I want it to stop,” Edwards told Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports. “He's the greatest of all time. I can't be compared to him.”
Whether it is the way he glides through the air on a dunk attempt or just the energy he plays with, Edwards can't run away from looking like a mirror image of what Jordan was in the 1980s and 1990s in Chicago. Perhaps the biggest trait these two share is the need to dominate their opponents and win by any means necessary when on the court. Just the way Edwards conducts himself both on and off the court is very symbolic of who Jordan was during his playing days.
This comparison is not going anywhere anytime soon, regardless of what Edwards thinks.
NBA world compares Edwards to Jordan
As much as he may not like it, Edwards can't escape all the Jordan talk. Everything about his game looks like that of the Hall of Famer's, and Edwards' peers across the NBA seem to think the same as well.
“Obviously, they have a lot of the same mannerisms,” Timberwolves veteran guard Mike Conley told FOX Sports. “The moves, the fadeaways, the athleticism, the poster dunks, the blocks, the defensive stuff that he does. But really, just his drive is kinda the main thing. That same kind of work ethic, that same kind of ‘I don't sleep at all at night because I'm ready to play, I'm ready to hoop.'”
Even former Timberwolves great Kevin Garnett has made this comparison, stating earlier in the season that Edwards looks a lot like Jordan from 1984, when he first started out with the Bulls and won the Rookie of the Year award. That was the start of Jordan's transcendence to being the face of the NBA. Edwards responded to Garnett's take by claiming that he definitely sees the similarities regarding his game to when Jordan was first figuring things out.
There has been a lot of discussion about who the next face of the league will be after LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant retire. Nikola Jokic is not going anywhere, nor is Luka Doncic. Giannis Antetokounmpo will also remain one of those focal points, as long as he is healthy. In Edwards' case, he is so unique because he has that “it” factor nobody else in the league truly has. Everyone wants to win, but in addition to this desire, Edwards always has the belief that he will win.
That is what makes him different than everyone else.
“I don't really care. Whoever they make the face of the league — they don't pick me or if they pick me — it doesn't really bother me,” Edwards continued. “I'm just trying to win with my teammates. I don't really care about being the face of the league.
“If my team could be the face of the league, that would be great.”
Doesn't that just sound like something Jordan would say if he was asked this question during his playing days? Whether he likes it or not, Edwards is not going to put an end to all the talk about him being this generation's greatest player. He has been chosen for a very exclusive title that was last held by Kobe Bryant. There are no expectations higher than the ones Edwards now holds since his future is tied to Jordan's past. The only way to silence any doubters and critics is to win his first championship.
From there, Edwards' story does not follow in Jordan's footsteps, but a new chapter in basketball lore is written. That is when Edwards gets to prove that he can hold his own place in NBA history — one that stands alongside the same as Jordan.
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