“It’s Not Disrespect to KD”: Ex-NBA Champ Claims Anthony Edwards Is Crushing 3 MVPs Including Kevin Durant

An electric Anthony Edwards mocked his personal GOAT pick, Kevin Durant, after hitting a big three over him. He garnered an offensive foul for that and followed up by mounting another long-ranger over KD. “That’s my favorite player of all time so that was probably one of the best feelings ever in my whole life,” he said in the post-game conference after the Minnesota Timberwolves clinched Game 1. The fans are in awe of Edwards. So, when the crew at NBA Countdown sat to discuss his ongoing surge, Kendrick Perkins labeled him as a one-of-a-kind young leader, outshining a trio of hall-of-famers from the 2012 OKC rendition.

When asked about the impact of a leader on a good team, Perkins said, “I never played with a young great player like that! It’s not disrespect to KD, no disrespect to Russ or James Harden. That type of leader, that type of leader. He’s the best young leader that’s a superstar in the league.” Anthony Edwards is coming out of a breakout season this year. Apart from being the ultimate leader for the top-heavy Wolves, he’s averaged career-high in points (25.9), efficiency (46.1% from the field), and assists (5.1). With that, he has carried out some of the most furious dunks, blocks, and defensive plays, highlighting his unique competitive edge.

Moreover, he topped that with increased production when Minnesota lost Karl-Anthony Towns to an injury earlier this March. Now, as Edwards shines through the heightened playoff intensity, he pits his name alongside the emerging superstars in the league. Moreover, he is slowly checking off all the boxes for being the next face of the NBA and has a stunning history backing him up.

Anthony Edwards’ stats in the playoffs

The playoff effect is real, at least for Anthony Edwards. Even though he has never played in a game past the first round, the 22-year-old sees a spike in his performance during the pressurized games. With his career stats sitting at nearly 23 points per game, Edwards records a 28.5-point average across his 12 playoff games. With that, he posts 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists alongside a 48% field goal clip and 41.6% from 3s.

A more significant mark of his elevation during playoffs is that Edwards averaged 21.3 points on 35.7% connection from 3s in the 2021-22 NBA season. With that, he put up 36 points in his first playoff game, posting an average of 25.2 points and over 40% three-ball shooting in the losing series. Edwards’ stats rest as the best amongst the players with similar experience.

Key players matching with Ant’s playoff tenure are Kristaps Porzingis (16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 49.1% clip in 10 games) and his Ant-man’s teammate Anthony Towns (18.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 47.5% efficiency in 17 games).

Behind Edwards’ athleticism and growing skills, the Wolves blazed to 25-point blowout destruction.

With that and Ant’s 33 points, Perkins claimed the youngsters to shine bright in the sun, saying, “I got him [Edwards] picked to win the series because of what he brings on both ends of the floor.”

However, the Suns can bounce back. They swept the Wolves in their season series and with one of the most talented backcourt. With that, they are still in the series and have equal chances of proceeding to the next round, courtesy of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant’s shooting touch.