You got a chance, brother, to be Michael Jordan. "But, I told him, 'Man, you got a chance, man. Redick's "The Old Man and the Three" podcast in March 2022. "If I say this, I know you guys are going to look at me like I'm crazy, and I'm going to put all that pressure on that kid," Philadelphia 76ers guard and three-time All-Defensive selection Patrick Beverley said of Edwards on J.J. He has this blend of confidence and competitiveness with just the right amount of humility and humor, and we are starting to see trickles of the deluge that is about to come once Edwards realizes his full potential. if we told Rudy to just goaltend everything." "Only way we was beating this team tonight is if we goaltended. "Supreme confidence and just a fearless player in the clutch."Įdwards scored a season-low 13 points Thursday, losing to a Phoenix Suns team that shot 60% in a loss he dubbed "an old-fashioned butt whooping," per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Chris Hine. He loves the moment and embraces it, but is also a great teammate. He knows he’s the best player on the floor. Green probably should have known already, since Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of mentoring Edwards for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup over the summer, "His talent stood out on a team of super-talented young guys. Two nights later, following another win over the Warriors - one marred by a scuffle between Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson and Green's headlock on Rudy Gobert - Edwards walked into the locker room and told media awaiting McDaniels, " Slim is not guilty on all counts." This was the same game that saw Edwards draw a technical foul for dunking over and staring down Golden State's Dario Šarić in one motion. Stop talking." To which Edwards replied, "Man, ain't nobody worried about you, bruh," before icing a 116-110 victory with eight points on the next four possessions over a span of 72 seconds.ĭraymond asked Ant what he was going to do about it. Golden State Warriors bully Draymond Green, the self-proclaimed " best defender to ever play in the NBA," learned, too, when he fouled Edwards and asked, "What are you gonna do about it? You’re not gonna do nothing about it. "Luckily, he called me up for an iso and tried to iso me, and I'm like, 'I play defense, I just got five fouls,' so I had to show him." "He was talking smack at jump ball of overtime, and I told him, 'I'm coming again,'" Edwards said of Tatum after posting 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists opposite him in the win. He entered with seven minutes remaining and a three-point deficit and proceeded to score or assist on 24 of the Timberwolves' final 27 points of the fourth quarter and overtime, all the while putting the clamps to both Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, no slouch himself, learned last week, when Edwards made a 114-109 overtime victory against the NBA's last undefeated team his own. Normally, I might hate on someone for this conceit, but in Edwards' case, I believe it. It is why "Be Like Mike" resonated on playgrounds everywhere in the 1990s. What we really want is to think we could do it all if we were just a little taller, and to look smooth doing it. We like to think we could catch fire like Curry if we got up enough shots, but the truth is we are neither children nor siblings of shooting royalty. Much of the past decade has been dominated by James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jokić, all of whom boast a singular quality that makes them special, whether it be a preternatural body, a generational skill or a unique combination of both. The strokes of their art are just so damn smooth. This is why Julius Erving was your parents' favorite player, why Michael Jordan is my greatest of all time and why Kobe Bryant was him for a whole new generation. He is making the leap, and the imprint he leaves will be a beautiful thing. I am here to tell you that Edwards is knocking on the door of getting there for good. Jimmy Butler gets there every so often in the playoffs. It has been a minute since we have seen one put his stamp on an era. We get to watch him unfold this new NBA reality. You can practically see Edwards palming the sport, molding it into his own likeness and rolling it over the rest of the league. It is as difficult to describe as it is clear on the court. We respect the craft in Kyrie Irving's handles, LeBron James' forcefulness and Nikola Jokić's vision, but every so often there is a player so fluid he kind of becomes the game, and Edwards is him.
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