Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards enjoyed a breakout season in 2022-23, powering the club to a playoff berth while averaging 24.6 points on .459/.369/.756 shooting splits, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per day in 79 contests.
Now, former USC Trojans standout Nick Young, who enjoyed a 12-year NBA career that included helping capture the 2018 championship with the Golden State Warriors, has weighed in on the young fella's development.
Young took to his Instagram Stories (as captured by Landon Buford of Forbes) to sing the praises of the 22-year-old All-Star out of Georgia, following his standout performance for Team USA over the summer, during an overall disappointing FIBA World Cup run that ended without a medal.
"They don't see that no more. They don't see that at all. All we see now is step backs, and crossovers and isos. We don't see people trying to play like Michael [Jordan] and Kobe [Bryant]," Young claimed. "That's why I say that the league is about to be Anthony Edwards'. This is Anthony Edwards' league now, the new MJ. That boy looks just like MJ out there."
"They should have gave [the ball] to Anthony Edwards," Young added. "They would have never lost to Lithuania... Anthony Edwards is looking like a star."
Young, who's played alongside Hall of Fame luminaries including the aforementioned Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Nikola Jokic, knows of what he speaks in this regard.
But still, to compare Edwards to two of the best 12-15 players ever in Jordan and Bryant is a pretty bold proclamation. Edwards' team will have to do a lot more than lose a first round playoff series for him to ascend the proverbial NBA mountain and land among the league's true elites.
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