(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Over the last few months, numerous people have compared Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves to NBA legend Michael Jordan.
On Sunday’s NBA tip-off show, Charles Barkley pushed back against those comparisons.
He doesn’t want to hold Edwards up against Jordan’s greatness and instead just wants to enjoy what he calls “the ascension of a star.”
“I’m watching the ascension of a star.”
Chuck is enjoying Ant’s rise to stardom pic.twitter.com/8orM3Zwzdb
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 12, 2024
While many other people will say that Edwards plays a lot like Jordan, Barkley is avoiding that and simply focusing on how amazing Edwards is.
He doesn’t see the point in comparison and believes that it takes away from truly respecting Edwards’ excellence.
No matter what Barkley says, other people will continue to see glimpses of Jordan when they watch Edwards play.
He moves and shoots like the Chicago Bulls icon, and he even sometimes acts like him during games.
For those reasons, a lot of fans believe that he’s the next Jordan, which is obviously a major claim.
But sometimes these sorts of comparisons only hurt young players because they put too much pressure on their shoulders and set expectations too high.
But Edwards has been hearing this for a while now and has found a way to tune it out and only focus on playing well.
He has been doing just that: during the regular season, Edwards averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.
During the playoffs, however, he has stepped that up to 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.
His Timberwolves are now tied with the Denver Nuggets, which means he has at least two more games to show his terrific skills.
With or without comparisons to Jordan and with or without a championship ring this year, this season has been a huge, life-changing one for Edwards.
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