It’s strange for Minnesota Timberwolves fans to see Naz Reid in a different uniform. After seven years with the franchise, Reid got traded to the Charlotte Hornets in the offseason.
For the last six of those seasons, Reid was teammates with Anthony Edwards. Now, Reid is comparing the leap forward one of his current teammates could make to what Ant-Man experienced.
“I was with Ant (Edwards), and I started to see the shift he made going from his third year to his fourth,” Reid said. “I think Brandon (Miller) can do the same. This is his team, him and Kon (Knueppel), and I’m here to help in a big way.”
That’s a lofty goal for Miller, but one that isn't reachable, especially since Miller and the Hornets will not experience the team success Edwards and the Timberwolves did in his Year 4.
Ant is the more athletic player
Miller can make a fourth-year leap and become at least an All-Star-level player. However, leveling up to Edwards' top-10 level is too high a bar.
The 6-foot-7 forward has averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the last two seasons. Now, Miller has been a more accurate 3-point shooter over his first three years than Edwards was during his first three. Edwards was much stronger at finishing near the rim, though.
Edwards is just the better athlete. That's not to say Miller isn't athletic, because he absolutely is. Very few can match Edwards' athleticism then (2023-24) and now. Miller doesn't possess that level of athleticism to get to the rim as frequently. That's also because Edwards can absorb contact better. Even though Miller is three inches taller, Edwards outweighs him by 25 lbs.
Edwards also didn’t have a point guard early in his career to find him easy buckets, as Miller did with LaMelo Ball. To be fair, Ball missed a lot of time during Miller’s first two seasons. Still, Edwards often had to create his own offense. Edwards proved to be an elite scorer during his first three years and was still leveling up. I don't see Miller's scoring efficiency improving sans Ball.
Edwards was more durable, playing in 223 games during his first three years compared to Miller’s 166. That number would have been even higher for Edwards, but his rookie year in 2020-21 was a 72-game season, and he didn’t miss any.
By his fourth year, Edwards was the clear top guy in Minnesota's pecking order. Opposing teams developed game plans to try to slow him down. It was the Wolves' first full season with Mike Conley, but he was already 36, and Edwards often had the ball in his hands.
Miller will be a larger focus for Charlotte's opponents now that Ball is no longer on the Hornets. He won't be asked to ball-handle nearly as much as Edwards did in his 2023-24 season because the Hornets still have Coby White, Dennis Schroder, and Kon Knueppel to handle the ball. Right now, it's between him and Kon as the team's No. 1 option.
Miller won’t have the team success that Edwards did
Edwards was an ascending talent after his first three years, but he hadn’t won a playoff series yet. Edwards’ fourth season saw the Timberwolves reach the conference finals in 2023-24 and go 56-26 during the regular season. He made the All-NBA Second Team that year and finished seventh in MVP voting.
Turning 24 on November 22, Miller is one of the top young NBA talents, but it’s extremely unlikely that he will have the same team success Edwards did in Year 4. The Eastern Conference is loaded, and it will be difficult for Charlotte to even be a play-in team. They currently have an over/under win total of 38.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Personally, I would take the under. The Hornets' second-half surge nearly got them to the postseason last year, but that team is without its offensive ringleader. The on/off splits with LaMelo Ball show how the team scored the ball at an elite level with him on the floor the last few years, but they fell off a cliff when he sat.
Miller can be a great player, and he is already very good. Likening him to Anthony Edwards isn't a fair comparison, though.
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