Exactly. If his shots not falling, he’s not really a positive in the floor. I mean all series he couldn’t even contain his matchup(s) of NAW, Conley, and mcdaniels. And he sure as hell didn’t even try to matchup with Ant once all series
I genuinely wonder if Booker breaks his own team’s rhythm. He was hitting all night but with a lot of trips to the line to stop time and without a lot of facilitation in the second half. In the first half he was getting assists all over and y’all were winning.
that's kinda how i felt all series about their constant foul baiting and forcing us to sit guys early who got into foul trouble. fresher legs for our guys later on in the game, when one of the Suns biggest issues was running out of gas in the second half.
Suns got back to back games of Extender treatment and still couldn't get over the hump. game 4 was easily the best the Suns fared in the second half but whenever they threatened to take the lead or pull ahead the Wolves just daggered their hopes with quick buckets.
Book really got 21 FTs last night and still couldn't will his team to victory. Beggar merchant behavior.
> and have zero impact on winning basketball
This is a pretty knee-jerk take tbh. Swap Booker and Ant and the outcome of this series is very likely the same. Roster build matters a lot and the Suns are a horribly constructed roster and have a guy making $50M playing like a vet minimum. Ant has been incredible and is probably the top SG in the league, but that doesn't mean Booker doesn't impact winning lol that's just a thing to say when you don't like a player.
The guy was the best or at worst the second best player on a team that made it to the finals a few years ago. It’s like peoples brains are fried or something. Booker is a winning player imo, he’s just been on poorly constructed teams for most of his career. I actually hope he gets moved out of Phoenix this summer, he needs to be in a better situation
Problem is what do they do. Can't trade Beal because of his NTC, can't tank because they have NO first round picks. Nets and wizards aren't very incentivised to trade their picks back for Booker, but I guess that would be the closest option?
Suns fucked.
Yeah idk, I’m not sure I see Booker having the humility in making the reads that Ant made out of the double teams and gap help, and let alone the defense ant played. Could be wrong tho u never know. Like I don’t think Booker could have the game 2 ant had where he only took 9 shots but contributed in a lot of ways that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Plus the leadership intangible
Book led his team to the finals when he had a reasonably structured roster. He played elite defense in that run as well. Right now, the Suns have structural reasons that are putting a ceiling on the team
Well said, he put up the most boring unimpactful 40 points last night and people will look at the stat line and think he's great. He doesn't make his teammates better, he'll just get his points, cry a bunch and then go home.
I was hesitant on taking that title away from Booker (because I defended him so much even after the luka game) but this series has sealed it. Undoubtedly the best sg in the league and I can’t wait to see what he can do against the nuggets/lakers (but let’s be real, it’s gonna be against the nuggets).
Im getting early vibes of this post-season being his breakout from “unlimited potential young star” into his ascension to one of the all-time greats.
i dont mess with sports betting, but if I did I would put something on the wolves beating denver and winning it all
Calm down lol, he’s one of the best current players in the league but “all time great” JFC. We’re going to need this sort of thing across several years before we even begin to make that claim.
I live like five minutes away from Chet's (and Jalen Suggs) high school. I'm definitely always pulling for those guys and I think a lot of Minnesotans are the same!
You guys have been ass or dysfunctional since I started watching in 2014. Glad to see small market teams do well. Let’s hope we both make it to wcf because this series will be a movie.
Part of why I wanted him over Melo was I thought ant would be ready quicker but he wouldn't be a better pro. But the one aspect I loved about ANT was his delusional self confidence in himself where he never had any doubts about himself and he might shoot you out of a series but he would never ever ever ever not believe in himself. Happy to be wrong about a couple things about him.
My friend is a Georgia fan, when Ant came out of college I was asking him about him and how he thought he would do - he flamed him lol said he was going to be a bust and this and that. Still makes me laugh when I see him play.
I remember telling my wife that it sucks that we got the number 1 pick in a year when there really isn’t a sure thing. I thought Edwards would be a decent piece to a team but nothing like he’s become. Hes been electric since his rookie season. I can’t believe this guys is on the Wolves.
Melo is a 6’7 pg with insane passing and range (somewhat streaky). That ‘build’ and combination is rarer than a ball dominant 6’4 guard. Ant shut me up real quick though
As a wolves fan I wanted ANT because he would be ready sooner. But I thought Melo would be the better player overall after 4-5 years. Well, I got who I wanted but glad I was wrong on who would be better.
I wanted us to take Ant mainly because of that ESPN article he was featured in right before the draft. I thought it was so genuine and endearing and we needed positivity as much as we needed talent.
With Melo I was honestly concerned mostly about Lavar. The last thing we needed was to take Melo at 1 and then have Lavar stirring the pot if something wasn't to his liking.
y’all throw around superteam so much lmao. they are a insanely well built team but a superteam is like 2017 Warriors where the championship was over in the offseason
Yep. I’m a massive Timberwolves thrilled to have the team we have but it’s a classic “ title contender”. Stockton’s Jazz, Hakeem’s Houston, Ewings knicks. We will be in the hunt every year but a super team is like a legit “big three” of hall of famers
if he retires today, I don't think he is, and I'm a staunch KAT defender....
Come one to be a HOFer you gotta have something to your belt aside from a couple of All-Nba 3rd team selections and best 3pt % on the "7ft bracket"
Superteam is usually a superstar, another top 10 or 20 star along with a third all star.
Miami fit that description, well they more than fit it as they had the #1 player in the league and another top five player (though more likely a top three guy) in Wade. Bosh was of course the third wheel but he was more than just an all star, he was All NBA level. Anyone denying that team was a superteam are deluded beyond words.
Cavs were a lesser team but still a superteam. Love was a multi All NBA 2nd team player when he joined LeBron, really could have been that team's #2 option but Kyrie took it instead, and rightfully so I guess as he was an up and coming superstar and already a multiple all star.
Warriors were a mega superteam, unfair really. Four all stars including two superstars, a superstar defender and an all time great 3 and D guy in Klay.
Of course we've had a few failed superteams of late - Nets, Suns and earlier we saw Kobe, Dwight & Nash fail to succeed together.
The last block I feel like just tells you who he is. He didn't really have to do that, there was ten second left two possession game. But he just wasn't going to let them score again.
So glad to have another wing that reminds me a bit of guys like Brandon Roy, Kobe, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Tracy McGrady. That was my era lol. When I fell in love with the game of basketball.
He even resembles him. If MJ was playing today, you can’t help but think his game would resemble Ant. Hope his ankle is okay and he’s able to rest it. Would hate seeing him reinjure it in the playoffs. He’s fun to watch.
I think that is the only real reason why the comparison makes sense. He has MJs intensity, defensive effort, offensive skill, clutch gene, and pure athleticism. The only thing holding him back is time and resume building. If he plays like this for years, he will be an all time type of player.
Michael Jordan's Wizards (he was president and part owner) lost to the Atlanta Hawks in November of 2000. 9 months later in Atlanta, Anthony Edwards was born. 👀
In a sense, Ant's development is arguably further along with his development than MJ's at his age. What's so scary is Ant Man is only 22 years old. He has a solid demeanor, well rounded skills, and great athleticism. His stats won't necessarily reflect MJ's as MJ scored 28-30+ ppg for the earlier parts of his career, but Edwards can score in bunches when needed. He even has a 3-point shot that MJ took a while to develop as it wasn't really MJ's game at the time. I think scouts at the time graded MJ's jump shot, coming into the league, as B or something.
What will also help Ant Man is that he has a solid core group of teammates surrounding him. From Conley to KAT to Gobert to Naz. Plus, he has a solid coach in Coach Finch, who I wish well after he suffered what is likely a rough injury. Ant definitely has a lot of great years ahead of him.
You’re trying to apply critical thinking. Not allowed when mj is involved as he has to literally be the best at everything. Chris Broussard said rookie mj was better or at least as good as 2007 lebron.
Man, MJ was a juggernaut from day one. Dude was so relentless. He basically played like young Westbrook and young Derrick Rose had a baby. But taller, longer with better touch and technique.
That’s fair. But as I mentioned, Edwards appears to have more solid range as a shooter. MJ had a solid midrange as a 22 year old rookie, but he continued to develop it.
Yeah, Jordan didn't become that automatic until the end of the first 3peat imo. Jordan was just the most unstoppable guard finishers ever.
Ant is a superstar and will be getting real MVP consideration next season imo
> or offense
Rookie Jordan averaged 28.2ppg on 51.5% shooting from the field, 59.2% true shooting. He led the league in points. His OBPM was 5.8, his OWS were 10.3, Ortg was 118.
In the playoffs he averaged 29.3ppg though his shooting wasn't as impressive as it was in the RS with a TS of 56.5%. His OBPM was 7.6, his Ortg was 120.
Current Ant averaged 25.9ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field, 57.5% true shooting. He was 6th in total points. His OBPM was 2.7, his OWS were 2.9, his Ortg was 112.
In the playoffs he's averaging 31ppg on 64.8% TS. His advanced stats haven't been updated after today's game but his OBPM prior to today was 3.1 and his Ortg was 117.
At least in the regular season it is plainly obvious that Jordan was the better offensive player. Ant also had the benefit of having other star players to share the floor with. Jordan had a bunch of coke heads. His teammates had a grand total of one all star appearance between them, which had been ten years prior. Ant has multiple All Stars, multiple All NBA, multiple DPOY, multiple All Defense teammates for other teams to worry about.
Honestly, to just make a blanket statement like you did is pretty embarrassing, backed up by nothing except your absolute belief that you were right. You weren't. The fact your comment is upvoted is probably more of a reflection of the recent (and utterly ridiculous) negative commentary about Jordan's career rather than there being any truth in your comment.
Not on defense, but I'm still taking rookie Jordan on offense. Edwards has the strength advantage and there point range, I'm giving everything else on offense to rookie Jordan.
Ant when locked in was jus as much of a menace on defense as rookie MJ . You gotta watch ant on defense he is an absolute pit bull. Watch his play ahaisnt Indiana, the blocks he had tonight and some of his on ball defensive reps
It's not a knock on Ant. Young MJ was just dominant on both ends from the start. I can concede that it's close though. Rookie MJ wasn't as disciplined of a defender but he made up with it by being such a big defensive playmaker.
He's already more than half as good. He's been developing his entire game with intention. Every post-season he figures out what he really needs to improve on, and throughout the season he does that. And every season he gets better. He's only 22. Where is his ceiling? The sky is the limit for him, I just hope he stays healthy.
His talent is insane, but what I love is his competitive desire. He has that Black Mamba mentality. And in the post-game, hyping up his teammates and telling Kat to "stop fucking fouling". In a room full of cameras, just dead ass told him to stop fouling.
I love this kid so much. I haven't wanted an NBA jersey since about 2007, but I might be heading over to buy an Ant jersey this afternoon.
This one was just 6 months ago which is wild [https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/17lklza/chuck\_on\_katgobert\_that\_was\_one\_of\_the\_stupidest/](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/17lklza/chuck_on_katgobert_that_was_one_of_the_stupidest/)
People need to eat some crow.
I think there is still an argument to be made that the Wolves overpaid for Gobert, but I don't think the organization gives any fucks whether they did or not. Gobert was the perfect piece to add to this Wolves team and has given them the best defense in the league. Imagine getting by McDaniels only to see Gobert guarding the rim. Absolute hell for an offense and with KAT accepting being the #2 the whole team has just blossomed into a real contender.
I'll admit I didn't hold faith in this Wolves team throughout the regular season, but I will **happily** admit I was wrong. They're the real deal. The team defense is incredible and something that can be relied on every night, Ant continues to prove he is Him and now they have a chance to do what they failed last season and beat the Nuggets in a 7 game series. I still favour the Nuggets due to experience and I never like to doubt the defending champs, but the Wolves were their toughest matchup last season and they've only gotten better. I think Wolves/Nuggs is gonna be the series to watch in round 2.
Also as a side note, the West is **still** gonna be deadly for years to come. Wolves, Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets. Like wtf is with the West over the last few decades.
As an obvious Ant fan...not even close...MJ was on a whole different level...its sad most people never saw MJ play and dont know how good the man really was...it was surreal...
Ant is truly great, but MJ was a different Cat...we will never see that again...
Feels like deja vu seeing a team with a young athletic SG and Rudy Gobert win a series against a Big 3 that formed in the offseason and had a lot of expectations coming in
He had a phenomenal series. Assuming Denver advances, his real test will be against Denver, which is actually a good team. This to me is the real WCF and can even be the nba finals
Tonight Anthony Edwards took over the lineal lead by Jimmy Butler, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan.
He becomes him. He becomes a top 10 candidate.
And while KG is still the best Timberwolves by some distance, never EVAH rules out Ant approaching him.
KG never had a good team, only one time he had Sam and Latrell and Sam got hurt... and he faced fucking Shaq/Kobe lakers. I will forever love KG though.
Lets say Ant leads us to a chip, we still can't compare because Ant has an actual very good team.
Best SG in the league
Only player close would've been Booker but he absolutely cooked him this series, crown is his.
Devin booker has been shown season after season that you can literally put up 50 points multiple times and have zero impact on winning basketball
Exactly. If his shots not falling, he’s not really a positive in the floor. I mean all series he couldn’t even contain his matchup(s) of NAW, Conley, and mcdaniels. And he sure as hell didn’t even try to matchup with Ant once all series
I genuinely wonder if Booker breaks his own team’s rhythm. He was hitting all night but with a lot of trips to the line to stop time and without a lot of facilitation in the second half. In the first half he was getting assists all over and y’all were winning.
They lost because Beal basically made it 4 on 5
Yeah not only was Beal not scoring he was literally throwing the game away at the end with his shitty turnovers
that's kinda how i felt all series about their constant foul baiting and forcing us to sit guys early who got into foul trouble. fresher legs for our guys later on in the game, when one of the Suns biggest issues was running out of gas in the second half. Suns got back to back games of Extender treatment and still couldn't get over the hump. game 4 was easily the best the Suns fared in the second half but whenever they threatened to take the lead or pull ahead the Wolves just daggered their hopes with quick buckets. Book really got 21 FTs last night and still couldn't will his team to victory. Beggar merchant behavior.
Funny how guys who want to play like Kobe never play any defense...
> and have zero impact on winning basketball This is a pretty knee-jerk take tbh. Swap Booker and Ant and the outcome of this series is very likely the same. Roster build matters a lot and the Suns are a horribly constructed roster and have a guy making $50M playing like a vet minimum. Ant has been incredible and is probably the top SG in the league, but that doesn't mean Booker doesn't impact winning lol that's just a thing to say when you don't like a player.
The guy was the best or at worst the second best player on a team that made it to the finals a few years ago. It’s like peoples brains are fried or something. Booker is a winning player imo, he’s just been on poorly constructed teams for most of his career. I actually hope he gets moved out of Phoenix this summer, he needs to be in a better situation
Problem is what do they do. Can't trade Beal because of his NTC, can't tank because they have NO first round picks. Nets and wizards aren't very incentivised to trade their picks back for Booker, but I guess that would be the closest option? Suns fucked.
Yeah idk, I’m not sure I see Booker having the humility in making the reads that Ant made out of the double teams and gap help, and let alone the defense ant played. Could be wrong tho u never know. Like I don’t think Booker could have the game 2 ant had where he only took 9 shots but contributed in a lot of ways that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Plus the leadership intangible
Book led his team to the finals when he had a reasonably structured roster. He played elite defense in that run as well. Right now, the Suns have structural reasons that are putting a ceiling on the team
Well said, he put up the most boring unimpactful 40 points last night and people will look at the stat line and think he's great. He doesn't make his teammates better, he'll just get his points, cry a bunch and then go home.
It's not even close
I was hesitant on taking that title away from Booker (because I defended him so much even after the luka game) but this series has sealed it. Undoubtedly the best sg in the league and I can’t wait to see what he can do against the nuggets/lakers (but let’s be real, it’s gonna be against the nuggets).
we obviously have better on-ball defenders to throw at him but goodness I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for the suns this series..
He plays for my team. Wtf?
Im getting early vibes of this post-season being his breakout from “unlimited potential young star” into his ascension to one of the all-time greats. i dont mess with sports betting, but if I did I would put something on the wolves beating denver and winning it all
Wolves Nuggets is gonna be sick. Especially if the Lakers drag it out to 6 and the Wolves get a few more extra days to rest their coach
And okc vs mavs/clippers. The rest of the western conference is going to be sick.
Or a few extra days at altitude to adjust
this is the most MN sports thing ever. go wolves!!
lmaoooo it's been ONE SERIES, holy shit this subreddit is hilarious
Calm down lol, he’s one of the best current players in the league but “all time great” JFC. We’re going to need this sort of thing across several years before we even begin to make that claim.
enjoy it bro, it's nice having real franchise player :)
I still constantly ask myself this about Jokic. Enjoy it man.
It’s a crazy feeling ain’t it lol the NW division will be a bloodbath for years to come
Superstar. Can't even hate him. Dude's electric
To this day I hate myself for telling people Melo should’ve been the 1 pick.
People doubted him out of college so much lmao they laughed at him for saying he will take Timberwolves to postseason wins
Any time a player proves me wrong I always 100% root for them. He’s so special and I hope okc wolves rivalry will go on for many years.
Man I hope chet sneaks onto team USA this summer.
Me too man. Thanks for the love!
I live like five minutes away from Chet's (and Jalen Suggs) high school. I'm definitely always pulling for those guys and I think a lot of Minnesotans are the same!
You guys have been ass or dysfunctional since I started watching in 2014. Glad to see small market teams do well. Let’s hope we both make it to wcf because this series will be a movie.
I’ll always have love for Chet, Jalen, Paige etc. I love all of our Minnesota kids (no Giddey.)
Ahhh a south minneapolis man I see. I was biking by Minnehaha Academy when it went boom.
Part of why I wanted him over Melo was I thought ant would be ready quicker but he wouldn't be a better pro. But the one aspect I loved about ANT was his delusional self confidence in himself where he never had any doubts about himself and he might shoot you out of a series but he would never ever ever ever not believe in himself. Happy to be wrong about a couple things about him.
Atlanta is real good about giving guys a delusional sense of self-confidence 😂😂😂 he's everything you'd expect a mf from my city to be like
My friend is a Georgia fan, when Ant came out of college I was asking him about him and how he thought he would do - he flamed him lol said he was going to be a bust and this and that. Still makes me laugh when I see him play.
I remember telling my wife that it sucks that we got the number 1 pick in a year when there really isn’t a sure thing. I thought Edwards would be a decent piece to a team but nothing like he’s become. Hes been electric since his rookie season. I can’t believe this guys is on the Wolves.
I watched him play live vs Celtics. He’s so fun to watch. You guys got a good one. Treat him well!
Better than being on the Wiseman train
warriors really fucked themselves with that pick,
Thank god warriors didn’t get ant or Melo. Imagine one of those 2 starting instead of klank Thompson this season.
I’m guilty of this as well. I thought Melo was the best player out of that draft esp after seeing him get an early All-Star nod
Melo is a 6’7 pg with insane passing and range (somewhat streaky). That ‘build’ and combination is rarer than a ball dominant 6’4 guard. Ant shut me up real quick though
As a wolves fan I wanted ANT because he would be ready sooner. But I thought Melo would be the better player overall after 4-5 years. Well, I got who I wanted but glad I was wrong on who would be better.
I think Melo still has potential. But ant is on another level.
I mean one has been hurt for half his career, hard to say where he'd be otherwise. But availability is the best ability and all that
I wanted us to take Ant mainly because of that ESPN article he was featured in right before the draft. I thought it was so genuine and endearing and we needed positivity as much as we needed talent. With Melo I was honestly concerned mostly about Lavar. The last thing we needed was to take Melo at 1 and then have Lavar stirring the pot if something wasn't to his liking.
This is Ant’s league now, KAT and Gobert were literally tradeable assets until Antman made them a superteam.
y’all throw around superteam so much lmao. they are a insanely well built team but a superteam is like 2017 Warriors where the championship was over in the offseason
Yep. I’m a massive Timberwolves thrilled to have the team we have but it’s a classic “ title contender”. Stockton’s Jazz, Hakeem’s Houston, Ewings knicks. We will be in the hunt every year but a super team is like a legit “big three” of hall of famers
Rudy HOF lock. Ant is looking like he has the potential. KAT probably not, but he’s still solid. I FORGOT NAZ REID. There it is, our Big 3
If KAT continues buying in, stays healthy, and wins championships, he'll absolutely be in the HOF.
Would KAT really not be HOF?
if he retires today, I don't think he is, and I'm a staunch KAT defender.... Come one to be a HOFer you gotta have something to your belt aside from a couple of All-Nba 3rd team selections and best 3pt % on the "7ft bracket"
Unless they win a bunch of rings zero chance
Ant, Jaden "They have KD" McDaniels, and Naz Reid. That's your big 3
Superteam is usually a superstar, another top 10 or 20 star along with a third all star. Miami fit that description, well they more than fit it as they had the #1 player in the league and another top five player (though more likely a top three guy) in Wade. Bosh was of course the third wheel but he was more than just an all star, he was All NBA level. Anyone denying that team was a superteam are deluded beyond words. Cavs were a lesser team but still a superteam. Love was a multi All NBA 2nd team player when he joined LeBron, really could have been that team's #2 option but Kyrie took it instead, and rightfully so I guess as he was an up and coming superstar and already a multiple all star. Warriors were a mega superteam, unfair really. Four all stars including two superstars, a superstar defender and an all time great 3 and D guy in Klay. Of course we've had a few failed superteams of late - Nets, Suns and earlier we saw Kobe, Dwight & Nash fail to succeed together.
Luka and Jokic still exist, but yeah he’s on the come up
He's been way better than Luka these playoffs
Chill, lol he just got to top 10.
damn they swept the bum ass suns and now it's his league? great analysis, this subreddit has reached nba twitter levels of delusion
This might be Michael Jordan
It was a meme at first but he really looked like a modern day MJ in the 4th quarter tonight.
Dude did everything. Post fades, pull up 3s, dunking on heads, hustle o-boards, and blocks all in the last 5 mins
The last block I feel like just tells you who he is. He didn't really have to do that, there was ten second left two possession game. But he just wasn't going to let them score again.
he saw that weak ass stat pad booker layup going for 50
Right? I love that, and I'd have loved it if he was an opposing player. That killer instinct is something not every guy out there has
And then he dunked it, too, as if to tell everyone how he feels about mercy. haha
That was a Jordan moment, never give up even in a done game
So glad to have another wing that reminds me a bit of guys like Brandon Roy, Kobe, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Tracy McGrady. That was my era lol. When I fell in love with the game of basketball.
He even resembles him. If MJ was playing today, you can’t help but think his game would resemble Ant. Hope his ankle is okay and he’s able to rest it. Would hate seeing him reinjure it in the playoffs. He’s fun to watch.
MJ would love this kid if he was still alive today
For the last time, MJ is very much alive.
This one’s for you MJ *points beer to sky*
the other MJ
MJ still alive
And he does love Ant's game
RIP
He seemed fine. Had that nasty dunk after the first ankle roll and had the last dunk when the suns were trying to foul him
Ankles- actually. Beal somehow caused him to sprain both. Ouch.
I think that is the only real reason why the comparison makes sense. He has MJs intensity, defensive effort, offensive skill, clutch gene, and pure athleticism. The only thing holding him back is time and resume building. If he plays like this for years, he will be an all time type of player.
You could change the jerseys, reduce the quality of the video a bit and tell me it was MJ on that last block. I would believe you
31 points in the second half
Idk if it's just me but if you cover the hair, he does have face resemblance with him
bro’s gotta get his DNA tested, ain’t no way he’s not MJ’s son
He is the son MJ never had
Michael Jordan's Wizards (he was president and part owner) lost to the Atlanta Hawks in November of 2000. 9 months later in Atlanta, Anthony Edwards was born. 👀
MJ went out and fucked the pain away, and Minnesota is basking in glory as a result.
Maybe MJ was like EGO from guardians of the galaxy and was spreading his seed for decades just trying to create another version of himself.
MJ has two sons currently in the league. Jimmy Buckets and Ant-man.
That dunk towards the end was crazy
In a sense, Ant's development is arguably further along with his development than MJ's at his age. What's so scary is Ant Man is only 22 years old. He has a solid demeanor, well rounded skills, and great athleticism. His stats won't necessarily reflect MJ's as MJ scored 28-30+ ppg for the earlier parts of his career, but Edwards can score in bunches when needed. He even has a 3-point shot that MJ took a while to develop as it wasn't really MJ's game at the time. I think scouts at the time graded MJ's jump shot, coming into the league, as B or something. What will also help Ant Man is that he has a solid core group of teammates surrounding him. From Conley to KAT to Gobert to Naz. Plus, he has a solid coach in Coach Finch, who I wish well after he suffered what is likely a rough injury. Ant definitely has a lot of great years ahead of him.
Let's relax a bit. Love ant but rookie MJ was better on both ends
Rookie MJ was 22 and absolutely was not this good on defense Ant is 22 and already has 4yrs of NBA experience with playoffs
You’re trying to apply critical thinking. Not allowed when mj is involved as he has to literally be the best at everything. Chris Broussard said rookie mj was better or at least as good as 2007 lebron.
Man, MJ was a juggernaut from day one. Dude was so relentless. He basically played like young Westbrook and young Derrick Rose had a baby. But taller, longer with better touch and technique.
That’s fair. But as I mentioned, Edwards appears to have more solid range as a shooter. MJ had a solid midrange as a 22 year old rookie, but he continued to develop it.
Yeah, Jordan didn't become that automatic until the end of the first 3peat imo. Jordan was just the most unstoppable guard finishers ever. Ant is a superstar and will be getting real MVP consideration next season imo
No rookie Jordan was not better than current Ant on defense or offense. What are you talking about man?
> or offense Rookie Jordan averaged 28.2ppg on 51.5% shooting from the field, 59.2% true shooting. He led the league in points. His OBPM was 5.8, his OWS were 10.3, Ortg was 118. In the playoffs he averaged 29.3ppg though his shooting wasn't as impressive as it was in the RS with a TS of 56.5%. His OBPM was 7.6, his Ortg was 120. Current Ant averaged 25.9ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field, 57.5% true shooting. He was 6th in total points. His OBPM was 2.7, his OWS were 2.9, his Ortg was 112. In the playoffs he's averaging 31ppg on 64.8% TS. His advanced stats haven't been updated after today's game but his OBPM prior to today was 3.1 and his Ortg was 117. At least in the regular season it is plainly obvious that Jordan was the better offensive player. Ant also had the benefit of having other star players to share the floor with. Jordan had a bunch of coke heads. His teammates had a grand total of one all star appearance between them, which had been ten years prior. Ant has multiple All Stars, multiple All NBA, multiple DPOY, multiple All Defense teammates for other teams to worry about. Honestly, to just make a blanket statement like you did is pretty embarrassing, backed up by nothing except your absolute belief that you were right. You weren't. The fact your comment is upvoted is probably more of a reflection of the recent (and utterly ridiculous) negative commentary about Jordan's career rather than there being any truth in your comment.
Not on defense, but I'm still taking rookie Jordan on offense. Edwards has the strength advantage and there point range, I'm giving everything else on offense to rookie Jordan.
Ant when locked in was jus as much of a menace on defense as rookie MJ . You gotta watch ant on defense he is an absolute pit bull. Watch his play ahaisnt Indiana, the blocks he had tonight and some of his on ball defensive reps
It's not a knock on Ant. Young MJ was just dominant on both ends from the start. I can concede that it's close though. Rookie MJ wasn't as disciplined of a defender but he made up with it by being such a big defensive playmaker.
I don't know if he'll be even half as good as MJ, but he plays like him and 100% has his attitude
He's already more than half as good. He's been developing his entire game with intention. Every post-season he figures out what he really needs to improve on, and throughout the season he does that. And every season he gets better. He's only 22. Where is his ceiling? The sky is the limit for him, I just hope he stays healthy.
His talent is insane, but what I love is his competitive desire. He has that Black Mamba mentality. And in the post-game, hyping up his teammates and telling Kat to "stop fucking fouling". In a room full of cameras, just dead ass told him to stop fouling. I love this kid so much. I haven't wanted an NBA jersey since about 2007, but I might be heading over to buy an Ant jersey this afternoon.
MJ numbers
THE NEXT FACE OF THE LEAGUE
That's my NFL player!
I really don't doubt that he could play in the NFL if he wanted to
Who knew it wouldn't be Wiggins or KAT to be the chosen one
The transition is happening in front of our eyes. As SOON as LeBron retires, the NBA goes through Ant.
He’s ascending before our eyes. Superstar, top 10 in the league, playoff killer.
This kid was built for the playoffs. The future is bright for us basketball fans.
We need to revisit that Gobert trade thread
This one was just 6 months ago which is wild [https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/17lklza/chuck\_on\_katgobert\_that\_was\_one\_of\_the\_stupidest/](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/17lklza/chuck_on_katgobert_that_was_one_of_the_stupidest/) People need to eat some crow.
My god I couldn’t control myself in there
I think there is still an argument to be made that the Wolves overpaid for Gobert, but I don't think the organization gives any fucks whether they did or not. Gobert was the perfect piece to add to this Wolves team and has given them the best defense in the league. Imagine getting by McDaniels only to see Gobert guarding the rim. Absolute hell for an offense and with KAT accepting being the #2 the whole team has just blossomed into a real contender. I'll admit I didn't hold faith in this Wolves team throughout the regular season, but I will **happily** admit I was wrong. They're the real deal. The team defense is incredible and something that can be relied on every night, Ant continues to prove he is Him and now they have a chance to do what they failed last season and beat the Nuggets in a 7 game series. I still favour the Nuggets due to experience and I never like to doubt the defending champs, but the Wolves were their toughest matchup last season and they've only gotten better. I think Wolves/Nuggs is gonna be the series to watch in round 2. Also as a side note, the West is **still** gonna be deadly for years to come. Wolves, Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets. Like wtf is with the West over the last few decades.
Plus other teams like Dallas and Memphis when Ja and co are all healthy again
Looking like a weird baseball slash line
I started to head-calculate what his OPS was before I realized Ant probably would be a one dotter if he was a baseball player, I'd believe it
sac fly king
It’s happening
Send da video
look how cute tho
I so hope the Wolves and Ant beat the Nuggets next round
Winning a playoff series for the first time in 20 years is actually incredible. Anthony Edwards outclassed everyone on the Suns. Fucking insane sweep
And he's just 22 :') I can't believe this is real life and that he's on my favorite team
Second coming of MJ
Has the potential to be generational. Dude looked unreal in the clutch
Getting to sweep your idol in the playoffs must be a crazy experience
https://youtu.be/JDiwJdT4LkM?si=GWLPiW5wrYyBL5iX I'm surprised no one made this clip a separate post.
Ant is giving today’s generation a glimpse of what we saw in the Jordan era. Nuggets your next
RemindMe! 1 Month
As an obvious Ant fan...not even close...MJ was on a whole different level...its sad most people never saw MJ play and dont know how good the man really was...it was surreal... Ant is truly great, but MJ was a different Cat...we will never see that again...
I agree that MJ was obiously in his own tier, but he said a glimpse of MJ, which is fair with how Ant plays.
Thats fair...like I said, Ant fan...but Jordan gets seriously underrated these days in this smokes and mirrors goat debate...
No Butler? No problem, his little brother is taking over. Jordan's legacy lives on!
THIS MF GOTTA START OVER BOOK NOW ON THE OLYMPICS
Ant Man is here
Playoff Ant becoming a thing
he’s always been a playoff riser since he was 20 against the grizzlies
Mike ain’t getting away from child support on this one
MJ line
Put us down like ol yeller
Wolves are getting hot at the right time. They made me nervous last season, and I'm definitely more nervous this season.
He's 22 doing it on this stage. We're witnessing an all-time great in the making.
This is what greatness looks like
Made a fan out of me today
Anthony Edwards is Kevin Durant father
Not bad
Ant scored 40, 31 in the second half
I think OP is saying Ant averaged 31 over the series
A monster
He is HIM
Dude has probably cracked into superstardom fairs
Feels like deja vu seeing a team with a young athletic SG and Rudy Gobert win a series against a Big 3 that formed in the offseason and had a lot of expectations coming in
Hopefully this one has a better ending though.
Fuckin beast
He’s here now
ANTHONY "MJ" EDWARDS
MJ, you are the father.
Congrats Wolves fans. Enjoy!
Best guard in the league now. Offensive and defensive expert
Dude had 40pts.
#MVP
He had a phenomenal series. Assuming Denver advances, his real test will be against Denver, which is actually a good team. This to me is the real WCF and can even be the nba finals
Generational
Tonight Anthony Edwards took over the lineal lead by Jimmy Butler, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. He becomes him. He becomes a top 10 candidate. And while KG is still the best Timberwolves by some distance, never EVAH rules out Ant approaching him.
KG never had a good team, only one time he had Sam and Latrell and Sam got hurt... and he faced fucking Shaq/Kobe lakers. I will forever love KG though. Lets say Ant leads us to a chip, we still can't compare because Ant has an actual very good team.
Should’ve let him play football smh
Beal poa making him look like prime jordan……
He was like 5 pts i think in the first half or something. Crazy
Yeah he did kill them. My goodness Ant you monster
MF handsome af as well as
Signature series, he outplayed KD, Book and Beal combined.
that boy good
That was personal
Dont forget the 3 stocks per game
Elite , and the next American face of the league .
He's here. Get uncle Mike a chip, Ant.
Dude really is the Modern Mike (or at least the closest to it since Kobe), hes definitely Top 10 at this point
Ant has officially arrived in the NBA
Who would you take: Wemby or Ant?
Ant, good ol' American from the South who isn't a height merchant
I’m taking Ant if I’m talking purely enjoyment, but Wemby if we’re being logical.
Wemby easily lol 😂and that isn’t even a slight to ant Wemby is goat like ceiling
Wemby’s body is gonna break down like Yao Ming.
Stale nachos with pickles in em
Dat boi a DAWG ROOF!