A few months back, Stephen A. Smith dropped some big words, calling Anthony Edwards “Jordanesque,” sparking debates about the young star’s ceiling. But Edwards? He’s not buying the hype of being the next face of the NBA—at least not yet. This offseason, he’s grinding, trying to carve his own path, blending a little Kobe flair with MJ-level dominance. And here’s the kicker: an NBA champion is quietly tossing him some advice.
Kevin Garnett recently dropped a post that felt like it was aimed at Anthony Edwards. He wrote, “As one of the Masters of THE POST (RESPECTFULLY) I gotta say watching film is one thing…Learning that ish from one of the Mastersis is just a DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE…just saying….Future Greats get with the MASTERS OF THE GAME N GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED TO GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL…BIG RESPECT TO THE OTHER MASTERS OF THE GAME 🫡🫡💯..SALUTE 🫡 TIC…” He even added a side note: “No shade but advice.”
The assumption is clear—KG is telling Edwards that real growth comes from learning directly from post masters, not just watching film alone. It’s mentorship over theory — pure and simple.
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This advice came after Shams Charania broke the news that Anthony Edwards has been laser-focused on improving his post-up game this offseason. Charania explained, “This offseason, Ant’s number 1 focus is a new area of development: the post-up game, mid-post, high-post, low-post, establishing a midrange game, and the fadeaway shot from the post.” Edwards has been studying tapes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, soaking up how the legends consistently got their shots off from anywhere in the post.
Charania also shared how Minnesota sees this new skill shaping Edwards’ role: “Minnesota believes this part of his game will become a go-to element, especially as games stagnate down the stretch and get slower, particularly come playoff time.” Edwards, already averaging a career-high 27.6 points last season, is clearly aiming to make this post-up addition a lethal weapon in his offensive arsenal.
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When it comes to post-up prowess among perimeter players, Michael Jordan stands alone at the top. Even though he was a high-flyer early in his career, Jordan transformed his game after returning from his 1995 hiatus. Analysts like Hubie Brown have called him “nearly unstoppable” in the post, citing how he perfected his bump-and-fadeaway combination. In the 1995–96 season and the following years, Jordan converted 44.1% of his jump shots and consistently manufactured high-percentage looks. Videos from games against the Knicks and Jazz show him manipulating defenders with feints and positioning, freezing them with either a fadeaway or a baseline drive.
Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, took the lessons of the greats and elevated them to personal mastery. A student of Hakeem Olajuwon’s legendary footwork, Kobe famously spent a day at Olajuwon’s home dissecting the intricacies of post moves. “I watched Hakeem so much as a kid, and I learned so much from him,” Kobe said. Over his career, Kobe built a post-up game that combined jab steps, step-backs, turnaround jumpers, and spin moves, making him one of the most versatile scoring threats from the block in NBA history. Synergy Sports data shows he converted 48.5% of his post-up attempts since 2009–10, using his ball-handling and footwork to manipulate defenses and create high-quality shots even against elite defenders.
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But this won’t be the first time Anthony Edwards has borrowed a page from a legend’s playbook. He did it last year, and the results? Let’s just say the master might now regret sharing his secrets.
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Edwards’ Offseason Lessons
Just two players in NBA history have hit 50-plus three-pointers in the first nine games of a season: Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards. And the latter got his name on that elite list, thanks to Curry himself. Last season, after the Warriors beat the Timberwolves in Game 4, Edwards revealed on SportsCenter how much working with Stephen Curry over the summer transformed his shot.
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“It’s the same every night, man. Let it fly, I work on it, man. I told Steph I was working with him all summer. Big shoutout, big credit to him. He influenced me to be able to shoot the ball really well, so I went back in the summer and started working on it once I left him, and I got better at it,” he said. And it showed—Edwards torched the Warriors in that series, going 6 of 11 from three in Game 4 alone, and finishing with 30 points.
His overall three-point game last season exploded. Edwards attempted over 10 shots per game from deep and converted 39.5 percent, topping the league in volume with 548 attempts and 41.4% shooting on catch-and-shoot threes. Over Games 3 and 4 of the playoffs against Golden State, he drained 11 triples across two contests. He was also a pull-up specialist, taking 400 of those 548 shots off the dribble—one of only nine players in the league with over 250 pull-up threes.
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Of the 31 players with at least 150 pull-up attempts, only Zach LaVine’s 42.4% beat Edwards’ 41.5%—and Edwards had nearly double the attempts. Last season, he made it clear: high-volume, elite shooting isn’t just about natural talent; it’s about work, timing, and learning from the best. And Edwards isn’t just learning from Curry.
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Over the summer, he soaked up tips from Kevin Durant and studied the mechanics of Damian Lillard, experimenting with their footwork and release until he found what worked for him. “I tried [Durant’s] way, and it didn’t work. I tried [Curry’s] way, it didn’t work. And I watched [Lillard], and I start doing Dame’s shot, and it’s been working for me. I think watching Dame helped me a lot on being able to catch and shoot,” he said.
Edwards truly embodies what Kevin Garnett preached: greatness comes from gaining knowledge wherever and whenever possible. Like a sponge, he absorbs every lesson from the masters around him.