Jaden McDaniels — a teammate of Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards — recently drew a comparison between Edwards and former Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan.
“Man, he’s just passing,” McDaniels told Sportskeeda as he reflected on Edwards’ growth this season. “He’s passing better. He’s like Michael Jordan. That’s all I can say. He’s like Michael Jordan. If you didn’t watch Mike, you can watch Ant.”
McDaniels also elaborated on the similarities between Edwards and Jordan.
“They’re relentless,” he said. “They got the athleticism, fadeaways, midrange and all of that.”
Edwards won’t turn 23 years old until August, yet he has already staked his claim as one of the NBA’s more unstoppable offensive players. In 75 games played so far in the 2023-24 regular season — his fourth season in the NBA — Edwards is averaging 25.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.0 percent shooting from deep.
To further put Edwards’ season from an offensive standpoint into perspective, he is averaging the 11th-most points per contest of any player in the league, ahead of names such as Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis.
He has scored 20-plus points in five of his last six appearances with the Timberwolves, including a 26-point performance on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor and 3-of-8 shooting from deep in the team’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 7.
The play of Edwards has been a vital component behind the Timberwolves’ collective success in the 2023-24 regular season. Minnesota is perched atop the Western Conference standings right now at 54-24 but shares an identical record with the Denver Nuggets, who are the reigning NBA champions.
While the Timberwolves have already clinched a playoff spot, it’s unclear as to exactly where Minnesota will end up in the Western Conference standings. The team is just one game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are the conference’s No. 3 seed.
Fortunately for Edwards and company, they will play three of their final four games of the regular season at home, while the Nuggets will have three contests during the same span on the road. It’s worth noting, however, that Denver will have the luxury of hosting Minnesota in a pivotal matchup on April 10.
The last game of the Timberwolves’ 2023-24 regular season is slated for April 14 against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and a formidable Phoenix Suns team.
