Anthony Edwards’ outstanding performance in the first-round series against the Phoenix Suns garnered widespread admiration. Some enthusiasts even ventured to liken Ant-Man to the legendary Michael Jordan, given his remarkable displays. However, a former associate of Jordan seeks to temper these comparisons.

During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Sixers Hall of Famer Charles Barkley suggested that it might be premature to equate Ant-Man with Jordan, proposing that it could take another 5 to 10 years before such comparisons are warranted.

“People forget he averaged 38 a game back when you could really knock the hell out of people,” argued Barkley. “He averaged 38 points a game. People forget that and then you know, Anthony – who I love, he doesn’t have to go through the Bad Boys Pistons when they just beat the hell out of you, three or four years in a row.”

Mike had to go through the Bad Boys

It’s unclear which 38-point average Barkley was referring to, but Jordan was one of the most prolific scorers of any era. MJ won the NBA scoring title 10 times during his 15-year career. For Sir Charles, the most impressive thing about Mike was that he was a volume scorer in an era when people could ‘take your head off.’

His Ariness also had to go through the Detroit Pistons before reaching the summit. Bad Boys eliminated his Bulls team in the playoffs during three consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1990, but Jordan never backed down. Instead, his team got better after each defeat and finally dethroned the Pistons on their fourth meeting.

That physicality from the 80s and early 90s is gone. And people from those eras – like Barkley, consider the modern times to be ‘softer.’ Although that isn’t a knock on Ant-Man and the current generation, it’s one thing that made winning back then tougher to do.

Chuck loves the Ant-Man mentality

Barkley went on to say that one of the best things he saw on TV this year was Edwards’ interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt after Game 3 of the Timberwolves’ first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. In that interview, Ant-Man talked about wanting to ‘kill’ everybody in front of him.

“I haven’t seen but two players in my NBA career that said that. And that’s Michael and Kobre. They didn’t care about anybody. They didn’t want any friends. They didn’t want any frenemies. They just want to kill everything in front of them. I love Anthony Edwards. He’s my favorite player in the NBA now because all of these guys out here want to hug and kiss and sing Kum-ba-yah. Anthony Edwards just wants to kill everyone in front of him,” concluded Chuckster.