Anthony Edwards has raised his game to another level during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, eliciting comparisons to the greatest guard of all time.

The Timberwolves star is not at Michael Jordan’s level yet, but the gap between those two is undeniably narrowing. 

The link between Edwards and Jordan is natural given that both are among the greatest athletes that the league has ever seen. Their highlight plays are mesmerizing and can be eerily similar at times. 

That similarity in style extends past their dunking feats. Whether intentional or not, Edwards is looking more and more like Jordan with every passing day.

The younger superstar is pulling from MJ’s playbook, in terms of moves, defense and attitude. 

MORE: Edwards earns Nikola Jokic’s praise, Jordan comps after Timberwolves win Game 1

Jordan dominated right off the bat due to his sheer speed and leaping ability. But if there was one shot that defined the second half of his career, it was his post fadeaway. It was completely unstoppable and helped him lead the league in scoring through his 30s after his legs had started to age. 

Jordan’s success with his fadeaway was based on three things. First, he was way ahead of the curve when it came to strength training. He used that power to back down players and create separation. Second, he had amazing footwork, using counters so that defenders couldn’t sit on his moves. And third, he still had good hops, which allowed him to get that shot off in traffic. 

Edwards has all three of those components as well. He can absolutely muscle defenders down low, and that MJ fade has become a go-to shot for him down the stretch of close games. 

The similarity in technique between the two is uncanny. It’s no wonder that fans are wondering if the two are related. 

MORE: The photo that made Anthony Edwards-Michael Jordan parallels impossible to ignore

Jordan is remembered primarily as an electric scorer, but he could defend. He made nine All-Defensive teams and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988. 

Jordan didn’t start getting that defensive recognition until his fourth season. Edwards is on a similar trajectory. 

Edwards was known first and foremost as a scorer through his first three seasons. His on-ball defense started to pick up at the end of his third year, but he was thought of as a poor defender overall because he made far too many mistakes away from the ball. 

Edwards has embraced that defensive challenge in his fourth year, asking for the toughest assignments at the end of games. Jaren Jackson Jr. was destroying the Wolves earlier in the season, making it look like Memphis was poised for a big upset. Edwards asked to guard the much bigger forward, completely locking him down in the fourth quarter to lead Minnesota to a comeback win. 

“I have nights like this all the time where somebody gets hot or their best player gets hot and I shut them down the rest of the game,” Ant said afterward.

Edwards has done the same against the Nuggets to start the team’s second-round series, surprisingly taking on the Jamal Murray assignment. He forced Murray into a tough 6-of-14 shooting night in Game 1, limiting him to just 17 points and sticking like glue to him.

Jordan used to do the same in the playoffs, taking on some of the toughest guard matchups one-on-one. Doc Rivers called him “a suffocating defender.”

“You’re bringing the ball up thinking, ‘Man, is this guy even going to let me get over half court?’ It was unbearable,” he told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan back in 2020.