The Minnesota Timberwolves star also had the backing of members of the media and his peers.

His style of play might not be as explosive as Jordan's was, but it was close enough for many to regard him as a future candidate to become the Face of the NBA. All he had to do was to lead his team like a true leader and at least battle for the NBA title.

This season, if the 1st two rounds were anything to go by, fans and media members felt the 23-year-old was primed to make the leap. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, all he had to do was do his part well, and his teammates would have followed.

Unfortunately, that did not happen, as the Atlanta native failed to even have a meaningful series. That led ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who had been one of his biggest supporters, to say this while on the PBD Podcast.

When I saw him resign himself to circumstances in Game 5, I changed my mind. I see a phenomenal talent who has the potential to be the face of the league if he really wants it. I didn't see a guy who said, 'This is what they are doing to me, let me figure this out.'

The analyst believes Anthony Edwards has everything to be as great as Jordan. But he has yet to put in the work, both on and off the court. If he can figure it out, as he has promised he would, the chances of him succeeding are high.

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Anthony Edwards has to figure out how to adjust like Michael Jordan did

As Stephen A. Smith mentioned earlier, Anthony Edwards has the skills and the athleticism to become a great player. He went on to explain on the PBD Podcast with an example of one of Michael Jordan's playoff games to highlight what the Minnesota Timberwolves star needs to figure out.

I remember when Pat Riley with the Knicks would take a 250lb forward named Anthony Mason, and he would put him on Michael Jordan. Jordan knew that dribbling the ball out front….made it easier for him to be guarded. He had to get stronger, play with his back to the basket, and kill you with his midrange game.

The 57-year-old analyst believes figuring out and adjusting to the situation was one of the reasons Michael Jordan is one of the greatest to ever play the sport. He wants the Wolves star to become a similar student of the game. Only then can he learn how to adjust when required.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his lack of adjustments became his undoing as his opponents smothered him. Even though the series loss exposed a lot of problems on the team, Edwards' inability to overcome the obstacles and play great basketball was looked at as a major issue.

Anthony Edwards said he will be the hardest-working player this offseason

Before the Western Conference Finals ended, Anthony Edwards used his cocky attitude to deflect criticism. But after his embarrassing Game 5 performance, a reporter asked how he was going to be inspired by Michael Jordan.

I'm going to work my b**t off this summer. Nobody's gonna work harder than me this summer. I'll try to make it happen again for Mike.