Stop me if you’ve heard this before…”This guy is the future of the NBA!

He’s the next

So is Anthony Edwards aka The Ant-Man different? Stick around as we have a look at the
Minnesota Timberwolves emerging star and find out if he has what it takes to become the NBA’s
next Superstar!!

Paul George is an 8 time all-star who is universally respected throughout the NBA. His words
carry weight. He made some strong statements on his podcast about 22 year-old Anthony
Edwards recently. He said, "It's pretty special with who he is becoming. At that age, at this
stage, you're putting him amongst the young stars he's gonna be competing with for the next
10-15 years, and now he's becoming the Alpha of them... That's a special kid, man. He's the
future." Game recognizes game. So how did we get here?

Even though he entered the league as the number one pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Anthony
Edwards was one of the most polarizing prospects in recent memory. He played his lone
season of college ball at Georgia and his team wasn’t very good. They finished the season with
a record of 16-16, placing 13th in the SEC conference. While some scouts recognized that he
had every physical attribute that could make him an all-star, others could not overlook his erratic
shot selection and poor effort on defense. They saw him as a black hole on offense, often
settling for wild three point shots and as a disinterested defender a majority of the time. In a
draft that was very thin on high caliber talent, many saw LaMelo Ball or James Wiseman as
safer choices for the top spot in the draft.

Anthony Edwards proved himself to be a big time scorer from day one in the league. He
averaged 19.4 points as a rookie and showed off a rare combination of power and athleticism
that separated him from all the other rookies. Never was this more apparent than when Ant-
Man drove baseline and posterized Toronto Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe with a vicious
gravity defying slam that many fans considered the dunk of the year. Anthony Edwards Dunk of
the Year

But Edwards did more than score and dunk in his rookie campaign. He played in all 72 games
during the covid-shortened season and averaged 32 minutes per contest. Many NBA fans and
observers were a bit surprised when Edwards finished a distant second to Charlotte Hornets
rookie point guard LaMelo Ball in the rookie of the year voting. Ball took home the hardware
despite missing over twenty games due to injury. But leading the Hornets to the playoffs
probably was a key factor that pushed Ball over the top. Conversely, the Timberwolves
struggled to win a measly 23 games as injuries to Karl Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell
derailed their season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves could not have been happier that Anthony Edwards came into his
sophomore season with a big chip on his shoulder over the rookie of the year voting. He was
determined to prove his doubters wrong and get his club back to the playoffs, which was a place
the Wolves had only been once in their previous 17 seasons.

Like any 20 year old playing in the NBA, Edwards had his ups and downs during year 2. But
there was so much to like! He was bigger, stronger, and more sure of himself. He improved on
his shooting percentages, becoming a legitimate knockdown shooter that teams could not leave
open. He made big strides defensively, showing an ability to be a problem both on the ball and
in the passing lanes. Most importantly, he proved he had the game to match his swagger when
he led the Timberwolves back to the playoffs.

Ant-Man wasted no time in announcing his arrival in a play-in game vs none other than Paul
George and the Clippers. While Wolves star center Karl Anthony Towns endured a nightmarish
game, shooting 3 for 11 for 11 points and fouling out with 7 minutes remaining in the fourth
quarter, Edwards rose to the occasion, pouring in 30 points to secure the biggest win of the
season. And while Minnesota went on to lose to Memphis in six games in the 1st round of the
playoffs, Anthony Edwards averaged 25 points per game to further cement his status as a big
game performer.

Anthony Edwards continued on his upward trajectory this past season. He raised his scoring
average to 24.6 points per game and upped his defensive game to new heights. Because to be
mentioned amongst the best of the best in the NBA, you need to have an impact on both ends
of the floor. In a testament to how well-rounded a player he’s willed himself into, he became the
only NBA player with 1,500 points and 100 steals in each of the past two seasons. He made his
first all-star game a year after being snubbed. And while he led the Wolves back to the playoffs,
they again fell in the 1st round, this time to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Despite the
loss, Edwards was sensational, averaging 31.6 points in the series, including a 41 point outburst
in game 2. Now that he has helped turn Minnesota into a perennial playoff team, the next step is
helping make them contenders.

The summer of 2023 has only added to Ant-Man’s rise to glory. In July, he signed a five-year,
rookie maximum contract extension with Minnesota that could be worth as much as $260M with
incentives. And it didn’t take him long to become the go-to guy for Team USA.

As the US men’s team prepared for the 2023 FIBA World Cup Tournament, Anthony Edwards
quickly asserted himself as the Alpha Dog that Paul George raved about. Head Coach Steve
Kerr pulled Edwards aside during the team’s training camp held during early August in Las
Vegas. He proposed having Edwards come off the bench to provide some extra firepower to the
second unit. Kerr pointed out that Dwyane Wade came off the bench when Kobe played for the
gold medal winning “Redeem Team” at the 2008 Olympics. Wade managed to lead the team in
scoring in his reserve role.
Ant-Man WAS NOT buying it! He later explained,“I mean, of course I wasn’t cool with it, if that’s
what it takes, I mean, I am willing to do it, but nah, I’m never cool with that. Coach said Dwyane
Wade came off the bench when Kobe played. I was like, all right, we don’t have a Kobe!”

Kerr wisely abandoned the idea. It quickly proved to be a solid decision. The US found itself
down 16 in the second half during an exhibition game against Germany. Dennis Schroder
carved up the US guards for a large stretch of the game.But Anthony Edwards took it upon
himself to make sure the US would not lose. Over the final 13-plus minutes of action, Team
USA outscored Germany 44-20 thanks in part to Edwards scoring 17 points, half of his total of
34, in the final period alone. The Americans held a jaw-dropping plus-37 advantage on the
scoreboard when Edwards was on the floor. His outburst was not a one-time event as Edwards
has been Team USA’s leading scorer both during their 5 exhibition tune-ups and in World Cup
play.

Edwards’ strong play has received glowing reviews all around the league. Miami Heat head
coach and Team USA assistant coach Erik Spoelstra said Edwards reminds him of Heat legend
Dwyane Wade. In a recent interview he said, "It's hard not to look at Anthony Edwards and not
see Dwayne Wade in him. I'm not a guy for comparisons, But the way he moves, the way he
competes, the way he electrifies a crowd. Yes, that reminds me of number three and I have told
Anthony that. I feel like I'm going back in time.”

Social media took the accolades to a whole different level. Around the time Ant-Man was
leading the charge for Team USA, viral videos started popping up in places like Twitter and
Reddit comparing him to the GOAT - Michael Jordan! From hitting fadeaway shots, driving past
opponents, finishing in traffic, throwing down vicious slam dunks to their defensive presence,
the clip displaying the comparisons was surprising in how similar the two play alike. There were
even a bunch of posts commenting on how Edwards physically resembles Jordan which led to
some light-hearted speculation that Edwards could be Jordan’s son! Just for the record he’s not.

But ever since Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, countless players have been dubbed
the next Jordan. While most of these players never panned out that way, there is growing
sentiment that Anthony Edwards might have what it takes to come close. Even Shaq has gotten
on the Edwards bandwagon. O'Neal shared a post on his Instagram account that dubbed
Edwards as the “Michael Jordan of Our Generation.”

At only 22 years old, Anthony Edwards is most certainly a star on the rise. Whether or not he
can replicate what Michael Jordan did remains to be seen. But he word is out around the
league…Ant-Man is a force to be reckoned with!!