After losing their previous matchup, the Minnesota Timberwolves are now looking to make a comeback during the ongoing Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks. The first half saw Anthony Edwards and co put up a strong offensive play, securing 32 and 28 points within the initial quarters. However, their rivals were not exactly far from them. Although he was seen suffering from pain during the game, Mavericks’ lead scorer Luka Doncic continued leading the scoring effort through his 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists within 31 minutes. Through this effort, the Mavericks recently took the lead by bringing the score to 87-86.

With 10 minutes remaining in the game, NBA enthusiasts have started to question why the Minnesota Timberwolves let go of such a comfortable lead. Furthermore, a couple of them aren’t impressed that Anthony Edwards only managed to score 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists within his initial 34 minutes. This caused many of them to take to social media to make their voice heard.

Fans react to Anthony Edwards’ abysmal performance

Amidst the reactions, one individual attempted to make use of his platform to roast the Timberwolves star while placing another player on a pedestal. He highlighted Edwards’ abysmal performance in the recent game by stating that the player is “lucky” that he isn’t named after Boston Celtics scorer Jayson Tatum.

Jayson Tatum has been an instrumental factor in bringing the Celtics to the Conference Finals for the third consecutive time. He led the scoring in the majority of games during the regular season and continues to do so in the playoffs with his 25.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. Ironically, Edwards holds a higher scoring average than Tatum in the playoffs. However, given how his previous performance went and how his recent performance is going, the NBA follower is convinced that the player should not be compared to the Celtics small forward.

One X user stated that Anthony Edwards’ prowess had been built up in his mind by other people almost a week ago. However, he has now been left unconvinced after seeing what the player is currently dropping within the confines of the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards sure has been building up a unique perspective in the minds of NBA enthusiasts for quite some time now. After all, under his leadership, the Timberwolves were able to reach the Conference Finals for the first time since the 2003-04 season. This feat caused many people to refer to Edwards as ‘the next Michael Jordan’. However, the 22-year-old is currently in the middle of a bad streak. A streak that certainly places his Michael Jordan persona under threat.

Another individual on social media roasted the Timberwolves star by stating that the officials need to find a “missing persons report” under his name.

The remark seems to be a reference to Anthony Edwards’ repeated attempts at failing to connect with the hoop through his shots. The player made 5-17 field goals and 2-7 three-pointers. The success rate of both was lower than what he had recorded during his previous game against the Mavericks and much lower than the 50.0% FG and the 37.3% 3P% that he had been averaging during the second round of the playoffs. However, with 9-10 ‘Ant-Man’ was able to connect with his free throws.

One follower made it clear that Anthony Edwards is “NOT him”. Through this, he implied that the shooting guard no longer has the standing to be described as a star player.

The ‘He’s Him’ or ‘I’m Him’ term has been popularized across the sports spectrum over the past couple of months. From the NBA’s All-Time Lead Scorer LeBron James to NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs, everyone seems to be using it to highlight their stardom.

Overall, the reactions of fans on social media were dismissive towards the Timberwolves star. By temporarily forgetting everything that the player had achieved over the past few months, they chose to belittle Edwards for not being effective enough during the Conference Finals. Even though he ended the matchup with 21 points, it was still not enough, and the Timberwolves took home the win by a score of 109-108. While all hope is not lost for ‘Ant-Man’ and his franchise, they have faced a major setback that will be difficult to overcome.