Speaking on NBA Today this week, former NBA big man turned analyst revealed his true thoughts on Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. According to Perkins, Ant this season is akin to Michael Jordan’s campaign from 1988-1989 and called on him to deliver “more.”
“We are talking about a guy that should be the frontrunner of being the face of the league right after LeBron James,” said Kendrick Perkins. “You know what we’re watching is the 1988-89 version of Michael Jordan, that is what we are seeing out of this young man. Playing both ends of the floor…Jimmy Butler couldn’t pull the things out of KAT that Anthony Edwards is doing. Donovan Mitchell couldn’t pull the tenacity out of Rudy Gobert that Anthony Edwards is doing. Ant-Man we need more!”
For reference, Michael Jordan was second in MVP voting in 1989 with averages of 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game on 53.8% shooting. He was just 25 at the time and while he hadn’t won a championship, he was widely considered one of the best players in the world. The same cannot be said of Anthony Edwards, who still has a lot to prove in the NBA.
Unfair Comparison
As good as Edwards has been with the Wolves this season, he just doesn’t compare to Michael Jordan and it’s unfair to put them in the same category. Currently in his fourth season, Anthony Edwards is considered one of the best young players in the league as a 1x All-Star and 26.0 point-per-game scorer. But when you look at where Jordan was at a similar point in his career, it’s clear that they are just on two different levels.
Michael was unstoppable during the 88-89 campaign and led the Bulls to 47 wins almost by himself. Most impressive is that Jordan was also one of the league’s best defenders during that time, as evidenced by his inclusion on the 1989 All-Defensive first team and his Defensive Player of the Year award that he had won the season prior. Very few players today, especially guys so young, can dominate consistently on both ends of the floor, but that’s what we saw from Jordan, and it was just a sign of things to come for him. It’s been over 20 years now since Jordan retired from the Bulls but he remains the greatest standard of excellence for every NBA superstar today.
The Future Is Bright For Anthony Edwards
While Ant may be no Jordan, he’s still someone with star potential and he has the chance to go down as a legend if he plays his cards right. This season, though 37 games, Edwards is averaging 26.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 46% shooting. He’s been the best player on a Timberwolves team that has the best record in the West halfway through the season.
But until Edwards can deliver in the postseason, he will never take that next level as a player. For Michael, his breakout moment in the playoffs happened in 1991 when he won his very first championship with the Chicago Bulls. Eight years later, and six championships, Jordan was widely considered the greatest player ever. Fortunately, Edwards still has plenty of time to win a title but this season is his best chance yet of putting his name in the NBA history books.
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