The sports media so badly wants Anthony Edwards to be that guy.
But he is not. At least not yet.
The NBA has been in search of a new "face of the league" for nearly five seasons. LeBron James is now 40 years old and no longer consistently great on the court. And with a new 11-year television deal with three different networks, the urgency to find the next guy has increased.
The NFL has Patrick Mahomes. MLB has Shohei Ohtani. The WNBA has Caitlin Clark. Meanwhile, the NBA just has a bunch of guys – no one guy.
Interestingly, Nikola Jokic is as dominant at his sport as Mahomes or Ohtani are at theirs. However, he's foreign-born and hardly charismatic. In the NBA, those characteristics matter – they matter almost as much as play on the court.
Thus, ESPN has chosen to coronate Anthony Edwards. For over two years, the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins, and Richard Jefferson have called upon Edwards to snatch that mantle.
So much so, Charles Barkley mocked the network this week.
"Hey, ESPN, I love you guys. Don't try to make Anthony Edwards the face of the NBA," Sir Charles said. "The face of the NBA is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joker and Giannis. You can't give it to people. They have to take it, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is taking it."
We understand the fascination with Anthony Edwards. He has a big personality and has a catchy nickname. His style of play reminds fans of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
However, Edwards is still only a good player. He's not great.
Edwards averaged just 23 points per game in the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder and failed to score more than 20 points three different times. He has shot just 44 percent in the past two conference finals series in which his team is 2-10. In crunch time, when stars are officially cast, Edwards has often been non-existent.
As sports radio Hall of Famer Chris "Mad Dog" Russo ranted this week, Edwards hasn't earned the pedestal on which ESPN has placed him.
"He’s 23 years old," Russo said on ESPN. "And ESPN, more than anybody else, has put him on a pedestal, ‘the face of the league,’ which is the biggest bunch of garbage I’ve ever heard in my life. And I think that hurts him."
"No, he’s not the face of the league!" Russo continued. "He plays in Minnesota and they’ve never been in a Final and they almost got swept in the Conference Final last year. Let’s take it easy. Will you please take it easy? Face of the league? That’s LeBron, that’s Bird, that’s Jordan. That’s a high level. He’s not on that level!"
In fact, Edwards isn't even on the level of some of his peers.
At best, Edwards is what, the seventh-best player in the NBA? He's certainly not a better basketball player right now than Jokic, SGA, Antetokounmpo, Doncic, Tatum, Wembanyama, and Anthony Davis. There's an argument that LeBron and Curry are also still better overall players. Jalen Brunson? Tyrese Haliburton?
Russo is also correct in that how ESPN covers Edwards hurts his reputation among fans. Fans are told Edwards is the next Michael Jordan. Then they see him play and are understandably disappointed.
As a result, Skip Bayless recently nicknamed him Can't Man. Credit where it's due, Bayless is quite clever.
Ultimately, the NBA might not have a current player qualified to succeed LeBron as the face of the league. That was the case after Jordan retired.
Fans and commentators spent years trying to bill some as the new guy. In reality, it took almost 15 years to find the new guy in LeBron. Kobe Bryant and Shaq were close, but always a tier below.
Twenty years later, the NBA finds itself in a nearly identical situation. And so far, Anthony Edwards is more Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. The hype doesn't match the play.
Again, at least not yet.
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