Magic Johnson hails Anthony Edwards as the NBA’s ‘most exciting player’ ahead of Lakers series

Magic Johnson dwells on the Anthony Edwards matchup problem for the Lakers ahead of their playoff series against the Timberwolves.

Magic Johnson hails Anthony Edwards as the NBA’s ‘most exciting player’ ahead of Lakers series

Magic Johnson, Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards might be the single best crowd-pulling player in the NBA today. The 23-year-old has set himself apart as one of the league’s most exciting, yet effective players over the past four seasons. Edwards has been instrumental in Minnesota making the NBA playoffs in each of these years. His contributions also led to the Timberwolves earning the third seed and a WCF appearance in 2024.

The former no. 1 overall pick has been saddled with an even heavier burden than ever in 2024-25. He had to deal with injuries to Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle for extended periods in the winter. This came after the franchise’s decision to trade their other former no. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns in the summer. Faced with these challenges, Edwards has elevated his game significantly and helped Minnesota maintain their championship contention window.

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Lakers legend Magic Johnson had a few tweets to get off ahead of the NBA’s first round playoff matchups. The 65-year-old has been extremely appreciative of Edwards in the past, and his tone remains the same as the Lakers look ahead to their playoff matchup against Minnesota. According to the legendary point guard, the Lakers undoubtedly have a big matchup problem to deal with against the Wolves.

Johnson fired off two tweets about the Lakers’ upcoming first round series against Minnesota. He acknowledged the threat posed by Edwards and the Lakers’ inability to deal with his offensive firepower and athleticism. However, he went on to pick the Lakers to win their upcoming series in six games. He also challenged Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura to up the ante in order for his prediction to come true.

I’m scared for my Lakers because the game’s most exciting player, superstar Anthony Edwards, is a matchup problem. If the Timberwolves beat my Lakers it’s because Naz Reid and Donte DiVenczo both have a big series. I’m picking my Lakers in 6, led by superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Austin Reaves will be the third man in the ring for the Lakers and he has to have a big series as well as Rui Hachimara. Rui has to come up big for the Lakers to win.

Magic Johnson stated in his tweets

How Anthony Edwards presents a matchup problem in the Timberwolves vs Lakers series

Anthony Edwards is a 99.9th percentile athlete in league history. His ability to elevate off either foot, off both feet and in traffic is legendary. His first step is also extremely elite, as is his ability to change directions with and without the ball. The Lakers’ best guard defender Gabe Vincent is undersized and will hardly pose a challenge to Edwards, nor will Austin Reaves, who is notoriously a porous defender.

The Lakers will look to stick Dorian Finney-Smith on Edwards as often as they can. They will also have to employ some measure of a ‘wall’ – blocking Edwards’ route to the basket off with help defense. However, Edwards has also evolved into a lethal shooter, especially from 3-point range. The 23-year-old led the league in 3s made this year with 320, making his shots at a 39.5% clip.

The Lakers’ route to win the series will have to be by outscoring the Timberwolves and overpowering their offense. Luckily for them, they have two of the best playoff performers of all time on their ranks in Luka Doncic and LeBron James. No other NBA team has a duo quite like these two, who can drop 40 points against any team any time they need to.