When it comes to comparing rising NBA stars to legends of the past, it’s always a delicate balance. Too much comparison can feel unfair. Too little, and you risk missing history repeat itself. That’s why when Minnesota Timberwolves veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. was asked who Anthony Edwards reminds him of, he didn’t hesitate to reach for greatness. But he also made it clear: Edwards is carving out something all his own.
“I think his game is more like a D-Wade mix,” Conley told me.
“With a…I don’t know of another player because I think the other player is just himself.”
It’s high praise coming from a seasoned floor general like Conley, who has seen — and defended — some of the game’s best in his 18-year career. Comparing Edwards to Miami Heat icon Dwyane Wade is no small compliment. But Conley wasn’t just echoing talking points. He was pointing to the how and the why behind the similarity.
“So it’s like it’s Ant all to himself and it’s D-Wade, you know?” Conley continued. “Because his body and the way he gets in the paint, wiggle around in there being unbalanced and finishing and defending the rim.”
That blend of power and finesse, the ability to contort in the air while still finishing through contact and the two-way explosiveness — those are the traits that made Wade a Hall of Famer and three-time NBA champion. Now they’re the same traits that have made Edwards the face of a surging Timberwolves team and one of the NBA’s most electrifying young stars.
Conley’s perspective carries weight because he’s seen Ant’s evolution up close. As a calming, cerebral veteran presence next to the relentless energy of Edwards, Conley has watched the 23-year-old rise not just as a scorer, but as a leader and playmaker on both ends of the floor.
And yet, what makes the comparison even more intriguing is Conley’s ultimate conclusion: Edwards isn’t a copy. He isn’t a remix. He’s a one of one.
“It’s Ant all to himself,” said Conley.
In other words, the league has seen players like him. But it hasn’t quite seen him before.
And if Anthony Edwards continues on his current trajectory, one day soon, it won’t be about who he reminds us of — it’ll be about who reminds us of him.