Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves scores on a layup in front of Gabe Vincent #7, Rui Hachimura #28 and Jarred Vanderbilt #2 (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Former NBA veteran and current Gil’s Arena co-host Rashaad McCants knows an alpha when he sees one. And he definitely sees one in Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
The 40-year-old McCants is best known for leading the North Carolina Tar Heels to the national championship in 2005, a stacked roster that included the likes of not only himself, but fellow future first-round picks in Sean May, Raymond Felton, and Marvin Williams. McCants’ college success led to him being selected by the Timberwolves with the 14th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Edwards just recently led the Timberwolves to an upset over the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, eliminating them in five games. The NBA’s fastest-rising young star averaged a team-high 26.8 points and 6.2 assists per game to go along with 8.4 rebounds per game.
To top it all off, Edwards showed off that same swagger and confidence while eliminating the LeBron James-led Lakers. And he was unapologetic in trolling those who had picked the Lakers to win the series before it started.
Edwards: Built Like Mike and Kobe
“Anthony Edwards is a monster among monsters,” says McCants in a one-on-one interview with RG. “He’s a real monster. I commend him wholeheartedly. I’m loving how he’s taking the criticism, and he’s adjusting it to his game and it’s making him more relentless. He’s going towards Mike and Kobe, and he’s going away from Durant and LeBron, and I think that’s his best dynamic is to go towards the killers.”
McCants says it was no surprise that the Edwards-led Timberwolves ousted the favored Lakers, saying it was the “expectation” that Minnesota would defeat Los Angeles.
“It definitely was the expectation,” says McCants of the Timberwolves’ victory over the Lakers.
“The Lakers weren’t supposed to be there anyway. That was all huff and fluff for the whole Laker thing, that whole story. Not without Anthony Davis, I don’t think you can neutralize the Minnesota Timberwolves without a defensive threat. Rudy Gobert exposed them completely, which I’m glad, because I like Rudy a lot. I think he’s a good big in the league and he doesn’t get enough credit for the things that he does well.”
Edwards’ personality and swagger on the court—despite being just 23 years old and a Gen Z’er—is more similar to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, two of the biggest NBA players considered “killers,” rather than Kevin Durant and LeBron James. It also doesn’t hurt that Edwards plays the same position (shooting guard) as Jordan and Bryant did and is of more similar stature to the latter pair.
“Absolutely,” McCants says when asked if Edwards’ swagger reminds him of Bryant and Jordan during their playing careers. “When you come where most of us come from, where you have to survive and there’s a certain swagger and confidence you have to have to emerge as a leader."
A Future Face of the NBA
Many are eager to crown Edwards as the next face of the NBA. His aggressive play style, infectious personality, and nostalgic demeanor (comparable to Jordan and Bryant) have made him a favorite among NBA fans. Edwards led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals last year, and McCants believes he’s destined to lead Minnesota to another deep playoff run this season.
McCants predicts the Timberwolves to beat the Golden State Warriors in six games.
“I believe that Anthony Edwards and his crew are not going to let Steph Curry and those guys out of this round without a loss,” says McCants.
In fact, McCants predicts the Timberwolves to advance to the NBA Finals. However, he does predict the defending champion Boston Celtics to put an end to the sixth-seeded Timberwolves’ quest to win a championship. The Celtics also played a similar spoiler role when they defeated the No. 5-seeded Dallas Mavericks in five games in last year’s NBA Finals.
“It’s going to be Boston versus Timberwolves,” said McCants just before the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks. “That goes against my original pick, which was Nuggets-Knicks. I’m going to be realistic and I’m going to throw that out there, T-Wolves-Celtics.”
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports
