Anthony Edwards is establishing himself as a superstar in the NBA. He's the No. 1 option on the best team in the West and pulled out a season-defining highlight in the Minnesota Timberwolves' win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Edwards threw the ball off the backboard in a congested lane for a thunderous self-lob dunk.
He reacted to the sensational highlight and called it his favorite dunk of all time.
“Snatch-back, he played great defense. I ran out of options. This sh*t was nasty, I’m not going to lie. I'm glad I didn't shoot the middy because when I did the last between the legs, I thought I lost him but I didn't. He played great defense. When I saw he was still there, I pump faked and I was like, 'Ain't nobody open but I might as well try it'. I threw it perfectly off the glass too, that's the crazy thing. Favorite dunk of all time.”
Edwards overcame a slow start in this win over the Grizzlies last night to end the night with 28 points, five rebounds, and five assists. It was another starring display for the young star as he hopes to finally lead the Timberwolves to contention for the first time since the Kevin Garnett era.
He's averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season and will likely make the 2024 All-Star Game.
Joel Embiid had a sensational performance against the Orlando Magic tonight., scoring 36 points in just 30 minutes during a blowout win. During the game, Embiid pulled off a nasty self-lob himself, similar to what Edwards did against the Grizzlies.
The reigning MVP discussed the dunk after the game and said Anthony Edwards' effort against Memphis inspired him to try that.
"I've done it before. I like to challenge myself, and Anthony Edwards is one of my top 3 favorite players in the league. He's up there. I mean, the dude is so nice. And I saw it last night. I was like, 'If he can do it, why can’t I do it, too?' I'm a big fan of his, I love him and I love his game."
This is a show of respect from Embiid to Edwards, who is living up to his potential as one of the best players in the NBA. If he keeps adding to his game, he will be a problem.
Ever since Edwards was drafted, he has been compared to Michael Jordan. Kendrick Perkins thinks Edwards is the heir to Jordan and the face of the league when LeBron James retires.
“We are talking about a guy that should be the frontrunner of being the face of the league right after LeBron James. 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!”
Edwards has a long way of living up to what Jordan achieved in the NBA, but there are stylistic similarities between the players. Edwards is in a unique position to put the Wolves as a franchise on the map. It may not be the same as Jordan, but it could be impactful enough to change the history of the NBA and this franchise.
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