The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off of a decent campaign, making it all the way to the playoffs last season. While their superstar Karl-Anthony Towns was great, it was their sophomore Anthony Edwards who really impressed with some amazing individual displays.
Playing 72 games in the regular season, Edwards averaged a career-high of 21.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. Not only that, but he also managed to take a leap in terms of his effective field goal percentage and his three-point shooting as well.
Given how impressive Edwards has been in the two seasons he has played, many pundits have been all praise about the 20-year-old. But it seems like the Warriors’ veteran and 4-time champion Andre Iguodala expects ‘Ant’ to be a superstar very soon. In a recent appearance, Iguodala had a bold claim that Edwards might be more talented than legendary shooting guard Dwyane Wade. (1:08 onwards):
“When I saw this guy he went in and out he turned the corner so fast, I said, ‘Oh my god, it took like a half-second for me.’ I think he has more talent than Dwyane Wade.”
“He has more talent than Dwyane Wade now will he fulfill his talent that remains to be seen… Anthony Edwards yeah man he got it man no he got it.”
Edwards, over the last two years, certainly has shown glimpses of becoming a superstar. Be it incredible scoring or else, but Ant hasn’t been as consistent, though. Comparing him with Dwyane Wade might be a different story.
While Edwards has to share the limelight with Karl-Anthony Towns, Wade became the star of the Miami Heat the moment he touched the court. By year 2, D-Wade was touted as one of the best shooting guards in the league. While he also had a superstar center in Shaquille O’Neal on his team, Wade made sure that he was the face of the franchise.
This was apparent in the 3rd season D-Wade played with the Heat. Leading the team in scoring, it was ‘the Flash’ who was the talisman for Miami winning the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks despite being 2-0 down in the first place. Not only was Wade a great scorer, but he was also perhaps one of the best defensive guards as well, an area that Edwards certainly needs to work on.
While there is no doubting that Anthony Edwards is one of the most talented players in his draft, comparing him to a prime Dwyane Wade might be far-fetched right now. But if the 6’4″ guard can iron out his flaws and become a two-way force, the Timberwolves might have something special in their hands.
