Post#42 » by ballzboyee » Sun May 5, 2024 5:22 pm
The incessant Kobe comparison threads always devolve into "my dad can beat up your dad" illogical rantings. Ant is a great athlete no doubt about it, but how much better if at all of an athlete can he possibly be compared to Jordan or Kobe? Forget Jordan, there is no way Edwards is a better athlete than Jordan. It's not even really close. Jordan is in the running for the greatest athlete ever in the history of the NBA. His wingspan, standing reach, leaping ability, hand size, strength, and quickness at the two position are basically unparalleled. Jordan was basically the blueprint for the perfect modern basketball player.
Just taking Kobe for comparisons sake, he was no slouch. Kobe's estimated max leaping vertical was between 38 to 40 inches and he was taller and probably bigger in terms of physical frame than Edwards. Kobe's vertical is disputed. Some reports that Kobe's vertical was actually 44 inches when leaping (estimated). Edwards has a 41.5 inch vertical. Reported wingspan is the similar between Kobe and Edwards at around 6'9.5. However, some scouting reports put Kobe's wingspan at 6'11". In any case, they are similar in terms of measurables at the two position, but Kobe clearly was closer to a small forward in terms of size than Edwards. Edwards has a slight edge in his vertical and Kobe has the bigger and probably stronger body but also the agility and quickness of a guard. Let's not forget that Kobe was big and strong enough to legit play in the post in the NBA and guard a prime Lebron James. Kobe was not a little guy, especially later in his career when he had beefed up his upper body. Kobe was also a two-way player who was both a scoring champ and All-NBA First Team Defense many times in his career, slam dunk champ, etc. You have to be a really physical player to be an All NBA defender. Edwards has done none of these things.
I give Edwards his props. If he keeps progressing, he's going to be something special, but he has not proven that he is on the level of Kobe or Jordan yet in terms of overall athleticism. He has some measurables that are comparable to those guys, but ultimately athleticism is determined by performance. He has a lot of milestones to achieve before I will say that he is a better athlete than Kobe or Jordan.