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Kendrick Perkins Rips Luka Doncic While Praising Anthony Edwards

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 11:34 AM ET

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 3-1 lead over LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

The Timberwolves, who were underdogs in this series, are one win away from eliminating the Lakers, who were considered title contenders by many since they have James and Doncic.

Edwards has been terrific against the Lakers, averaging 29.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks while shooting 45.2% from the field, 43.2% from beyond the arc, and 82.6% from the free-throw line. The three-time All-Star scored 43 points in Game 4, helping the Timberwolves erase an 11-point deficit to win by a final score of 116-113.

Doncic had 38 points in Game 4, but he was targeted on defense by the Timberwolves several times in the fourth quarter. Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison traded Doncic because he didn't believe the franchise could win a championship with Doncic, who is not the greatest defender.

Harrison has been destroyed left and right for trading Doncic, but on Monday, former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said on First Take that he now understands why Harrison parted ways with Doncic.

Perkins, who played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, also stated that Edwards is a better player than Doncic and will win a championship first.

"Anthony Edwards is going to win a championship before Luka Doncic," Perkins said. "Anthony Edwards is built different. [Ant] is a better all-around basketball player than Luka Doncic. ... [Ant-Man] is a top 5 player in the game today."

Game 5 between the Lakers and Timberwolves is on Wednesday. It's in Los Angeles, but Minnesota won Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena.

Edwards guided the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals last season, where the team lost to Doncic and the Mavericks. It appears Edwards used that loss as fuel, as he has been a man on a mission in this Lakers series to send Doncic and James home.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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