29 years ago, a young rookie by the name of Kevin Garnett joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and brought a substantial change to the standing of the franchise. Now, that same effect is being repeated by 22-year-old Anthony Edwards. Within four years, the shooting guard has helped the Timberwolves become a playoff contender, appearing in the post-season stage on three occasions and, most recently, making it to the Conference Finals. While the hooper also continues to make a difference during Team USA’s ongoing stint at the 2024 Paris Olympics, being not placed at the forefront may prove beneficial in the long run for him.

This is one of the discussion pointers on the latest segment of The Dane Moore Podcast. NBA journalist Kyle Theige highlighted ANT’s domestic and international run, and how this mentor-mentee relationship between him and Durant is the key to his development. “Anywhere Kevin Durant goes, Ant follows him.” Through this action, the host believes that the 22-year-old is growing as a player by following the veterans instead of leading the charge by himself. Stepping back is only allowing Edwards to be in a better position to take the reins in the future.

“He’s not starting on this Team USA team because there are still living legends, but I mean he’s the youngest guy on the team, and he’s going to be the face of that thing four years from now,” said Kyle Theige. “It’ll be him.”

The hosts highlighted that while Kevin Garnett was a unique force on the Timberwolves roster; he wasn’t necessarily considered the best player in the league then. After all, he had to compete against the likes of an up-and-coming Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, etc. For Anthony Edwards, the players that could prevent him from becoming the face of the league include LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić, and other stars.

However, with both LeBron and Curry in their late 30s, all that the Timberwolves star needs to do is continue dominating and let the future take its course.

“Kevin Garnett was a lot to this city, and this team, and this organization, this state, but he was never what Ant could be,” Theige continued. “‘ANT’s the guy on the globe’, what could that mean for this team, and it probably means that this team is just continuously going to be really really good regardless of who comes in or, you know, if they pivot from two bigs to being an up and down transition team.”

Now that we know what Theige had to say, let’s hear what the 2008 NBA champion had to say.

Kevin Garnett calls Anthony Edwards a “young ’84 Jordan boy”

For a former NBA player, it would not necessarily be easy to see a younger star hold the same position in a franchise as they did. However, since the beginning of Anthony Edwards’s stint, Kevin Garnett has been majorly supportive of the player. After all, nothing else but respect would cause him to compare the 22-year-old with one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Back in February, the 47-year-old legend and his former teammate Paul Pierce joined in for a ‘Trade Deadline’ segment. Garnett didn’t waste any time showering praises on Anthony Edwards, stating, “Imma put my bread on the young fella. He’s like a young’ 84 Jordan boy. You hear me?”

After Pierce jokingly ‘accused’ the player of “going too far”, Garnett continued, “That’s how I know you’re not watching the games.” From his scoring prowess to his ability to ‘turn the corner’, Edwards’s on-court performance was enough for Garnett to put down his ultimate title on him.

If there is one individual who Anthony Edwards cannot stop getting compared with, it is Michael Jordan himself. From the similarities in their competitive attitude to having attained success at such a young age, what else can NBA fans do but put their names together?

Furthermore, there is a gap in their scoring stats, but not by much, since Edwards averaged 25.9 points during the recent season while Jordan averaged 28.2 during the 1984-85 season. With this praise, Garnett has certainly blessed the Timberwolves star to become the next face of the NBA.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.