Lately on social media there has been discussion of Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards. Here is an example from Fran Fraschilla who posted this about 12 hours ago.
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
Simply put with the way the NBA has evolved, Edwards cannot get compared to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Why? The point guard, power forward, and center position is officially extinct. Beyond that today’s players have a hard time dribbling legally most cannot make moves unless there is a carry or get away with blatant travels. Physicality and defense is gone and now it is a matter of which team can make the most threes or flop their way to the free throw line.
Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has admitted that the fouling situation has gotten out of hand.
Also, when Jordan and Bryant were in the NBA there were numerous hall of fame point guards, power forwards, and centers. Yet in today’s NBA there are hardly any that will eventually get inducted.
Looking at a random season for Jordan, say 1992-1993: There were 10 players who averaged at least eight assists per game, 16 averaging 10 or more rebounds per game, 10 averaging at least two blocks per game, and 11 averaging two or more steals per game.
When it comes to Kobe, looking at the 2000-2001 season: There were seven players averaging eight or more assists, 10 players averaging 10 or more rebounds per game, 12 averaging two or more blocks per game, and seven averaging two or more steals per game.
For Edwards will look at the 2023-2024 season: Only four point guards averaged eight or more assists, 12 averaged 10 or more rebounds per game, eight averaged two or more blocks per game, and two averaged two steals per game.
Hall of Fame players from the aforementioned extinct positions include: Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Patrick Ewing, Chris Webber, John Stockton, Moses Malone, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Johnson, Robert Parish, Dikembe Mutombo and Dennis Rodman to name a few.
As for Bryant: Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Love, and Gary Payton to name a few.
For Edwards this is his fourth season in the NBA and the most obvious likely Hall of Fame players are: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Damontas Sabonis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Rudy Gobert.
2023-2024 did mark the third straight postseason appearance for the Timberwolves and Edwards. He also had a career year in which he averaged 25.9 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals, shot 46.1 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three, and 83.6 percent from the free throw line.
Overall he averages 22.9 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals and shoots 44.6 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.3 percent from the free throw line.
Those numbers will certainly go up as his career progresses. Still when it comes to past shooting guards, he does not even pass a prime Latrell Sprewell and Mitch Richmond who Jordan said “he’s always gonna be a challenge.” would torch Edwards.
Which is why it is better to let Edwards be himself and not make any comparison between him and NBA legends, he is not there yet and there is no guarantee he will ever get there with how the game has evolved.
Still instead of getting bogged down with comparisons, enjoy this impressive run to start the postseson for Edwards. Who is averaging 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and a block per game. Just enjoy it.