Who’s the best shooting guard in the NBA right now? Chances are, your answer wasn’t Minnesota Timberwolves’ budding superstar Anthony Edwards. But the former No. 1 overall pick hopes to change that by next season.
Except, even if/when Edwards accomplishes the goal of becoming the NBA’s best two-guard, he won’t relax. Instead, the 21-year-old says he’s “chasing MJ” in his quest to become the best shooting guard in NBA history.
They’re lofty goals for a player who has made just one All-Star team and has yet to win a playoff series, but it’s not hard to see the potential from the explosive scorer who’s also become quite the nuisance on defense as well.
In a recent interview with Chris Hine of the Star Tribune, Edwards laid out just how he plans on accomplishing his courageous goal of being mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan.
“I’m chasing my boy M.J., for sure. It’ll be hard, but I’m chasing him. I want to be in better shape than everybody else in the league. The basketball stuff is going to come. It’s like second nature to me. I just want to be in the best shape ever.”
Minnesota Timberwolves’ guard Anthony Edwards on his career goals
Edwards mentioned that he plans to key in on improving in clutch situations where his team continues to look to him for the final shot. Clearly, missing a chance to extend the playoff against Denver, where his game-tying 3-point attempt bounced off the back iron, still stings for the rising star.
While many may have been impressed by Edwards’ game, when even LeBron James made the young hooper his first ‘draft choice’ on All-Star Weekend, Edwards says his season was just “OK, it could have been a lot better.”
Ultimately, Edwards already says he can “score with the best of them” while making one comment that might surprise some outsiders. In talking about how he figured out how to score in the paint, even with both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor, Edwards stated: “It was actually fun once I figured it out, man. I’m looking forward to it again.”
Edwards continued, saying he plans to work with Gobert in France this offseason, where he says the Frenchman will “pay for everything.”
Related: Minnesota Timberwolves GM states obvious: Every decision we make centers around Anthony Edwards