The YouTube video broke it down in a clear way. The host pulled real numbers and said what many older fans have been saying. People watch Anthony Edwards fly to the rim and they remember young Michael Jordan. People see the swagger and they want to say it. He looks like Michael. The video said slow down. It said go to the 1986 to 1987 Jordan season and you will see that the gap is still big. That is the whole point of this piece.
Numbers that show two different levels
The best way to judge is to place the two seasons beside each other. Anthony Edwards in 2023 to 2024 was 22. He played 79 games, scored 25.9 points per game, shot 46.1 percent from the field, and hit 83.6 percent from the line. That is a strong year for a young guard, an All Star level year. That is the kind of season that tells the league he is a real number one option.
Now look at Michael Jordan at 23. He played all 82 games, played 40 minutes nightly, scored 37.1 points per game, shot 48.2 percent from the field, hit 85.7 percent from the line, grabbed 5.2 rebounds, passed for 4.6 assists, took 2.9 steals, and he did all of it while being the only constant force on that Bulls team. This is where the comparison breaks. Jordan was scoring 11.2 more points every night. He was doing it with better accuracy. He was doing it for the whole season.
Here is the part many people forget. Jordan was doing that while playing real defense. He led the league in steals at 2.9. He was already guarding wings and guards for long stretches. His All Defensive First Team streak would start later. Even then it was obvious. He was not only an offensive show. He was defending at a level that front offices noticed. Anthony Edwards is a good defender right now. He can guard up and can switch. Anthony showed it in the playoffs. He has not had a season yet where the whole league said this guy is the best offensive player on the floor and also one of the best defensive players on the floor. Jordan had already started to build that kind of profile.
“Michael Jordan was doing it at a higher level and at a higher pace.” said the video host.
Why people still match them
So why do people keep putting Edwards near Jordan. There are a few simple reasons. First is style. Edwards dunks with force. He moves like a two guard from the 1990s. That tricks people. Second is personality. Edwards talks like a star and people love that. Jordan did too. Third is the way people online work now. Many fans enjoy lifting up the new player by putting down the legend. It creates comments and short videos. It does not always create truth.
There is a context part too. Edwards is playing on a Minnesota team that needs shots for Karl Anthony Towns, for Mike Conley, for others. Jordan in the late 1980s was the Chicago offense. Even with that context the gap stays wide. Jordan scored more, more efficiently, played more minutes, and defended harder. He was closer to winning hardware on both ends of the floor.
A smarter road for Edwards is to let him be great on his own line. Think about a prime Dwyane Wade kind of path. Strong guard. Explosive scoring. Real defense. A leader who can take over playoff games. That is already an amazing ceiling. It does not need to be called Michael Jordan for it to matter.
Calling out bad takes. Living for the game and the post-game drama.
