Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is building up. He was often the best player on the U.S. team at this summer’s World Cup. The hype might have gone further had he led Team USA to a gold medal instead of a fourth-place finish. He also stars in the 2022 feature film directed by Adam Sandler. Things are going well for the 22-year-old.
He may be one of the best young players in the NBA, but he’s no Michael Jordan. At least not yet. It’s too early to compare Edwards to “his air.”
Let’s see how the two differ.
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Of course, the main difference is obvious. Edwards is not the greatest player of all time. He still has a lot left to play for in his career.
We can compare the two at this stage of their careers. So, let’s look at how Edwards’ statistics fall below what Jordan did at the same age and time in his own NBA career.
3 reasons why Anthony Edwards isn’t quite at Michael Jordan level yet
Anthony Edwards’ resume is not as good as Jordan’s. Almost no player who has ever put on an NBA jersey can match the career of this GOAT.
Edwards has zero championships, while Jordan has six rings. To date, Edwards has been selected to the All-Star game once, while Jordan has appeared in 14 games. In addition, before entering the NBA, Jordan won an NCAA championship as a freshman with the North Carolina Tar Heels and won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. The list goes on.
So let’s focus on how the two compare. For example, we can look at Jordan’s performance after his third season in the NBA and how it compares to Anthony Edwards’ career to date.
Here are three reasons why Edwards isn’t the next Michael Jordan.
#3: Anthony Edwards doesn’t score like Michael Jordan
Jordan is one of the greatest scorers in basketball history. He may have the greatest mid-range jumper of all time. He can jump over any big man who dwarfs him. His shot at the rim is smoother than a jar of creamy peanut butter.
Edwards also had a complete game. He can shoot 3-pointers and finish games with ferocious dunks. But he doesn’t have Jordan’s finishing ability and mid-range efficiency. He’s also not a scorer like Jordan.
Last season was Edward’s third year in the league. He averaged 24.6 points per game in his career. I’ve done 79 games. Jordan played 82 games in his third year and reached the peak of his career.
In his third season, he led the league in scoring with 37.1 points per game (in the 1986 playoffs at the Boston Garden against one of the greatest teams in NBA history, he set a single-game record against the Boston Celtics). Postseason record 63 points). Edwards has yet to touch those scoring numbers in his career and likely never will.
In fact, Jordan has the highest scoring average in NBA history (30.12 points per game) and led the league in scoring in 10 of his 11 seasons with Chicago.
#2, Jordan is a better defender
Jordan is known for his ability on both sides of the ball. Anthony Edwards has yet to become an elite defender. The Minnesota guard has a career defensive rating of 113.7.
The Bulls legend has a defensive rating of 102.7. The NBA historical record is 95.3, created by Gar Heard. Jordan was elected Defensive Player of the Year in 1987-88, his fourth season in the NBA, and was named to the All-Defensive Team nine times in an era when defense was paramount.
As an elite defender, Edwards still has a long way to go before he can live up to Jordan’s power. Jordan averaged more than two steals per game in his first three years in the league. Edwards is averaging 1.4 points per game so far.
#1, Jordan will surpass Anthony Edwards
Both players are high-flying defenders. Jordan used his leaping ability to rebound in ways that Anthony Edwards has yet to fully master.
Last season, Edwards averaged a career-high 5.8 rebounds per game. This is a respectable number. However, Jordan averaged more than that number nine times in his career.
Of course, Edwards can improve on this skill just as Jordan did throughout his career. That might be more difficult, though, because in today’s game, players like Edwards will spend more time on the perimeter and away from rebounding opportunities.
It’s unfair to compare anyone to Jordan except for a few. However, it is clear that Edwards may not be the legal heir to GOAT. There may be some similarities between the guards, but Edwards has so far fallen short of Jordan’s greatness.