With the upcoming Western Conference Finals featuring a matchup between Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic, several members of the basketball community have their own personal opinions on how this series could unfold. To those who do not know, Edwards is the franchise star for the Dallas Mavericks and recently led his team to victory over the defending NBA champions.
On the other hand, Doncic and the Mavs did the same to the OKC Thunder, a team that finished this season with the best record in the Western Conference. Although the Mavs and Timberwolves have not started their series, a former NBA player has made his opinion on Doncic and Edwards quite clear. With that being said, let us take a closer look and find out more.
Rashad McCants thinks Anthony Edwards does more than Luka Doncic on the defensive end
Since he played for 4 seasons in the NBA, there are not too many fans who will know a great deal about Rashad McCants. He spent his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings. After retiring from the league, McCants has done his best to remain relevant through his appearances on podcasts such as the one organized by Gilbert Arenas.
During the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, McCants shared quite a controversial take on the major differences between Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards.
“Like Luka [Doncic] has an off game, he just packs it in. I think [Anthony Edwards] just shows I gotta play defense if I’m not scoring.”
Rashad McCants on the difference between Luka and Ant-Man 👀
(via @GilsArenaShow)pic.twitter.com/p73hjops3Y
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 20, 2024
“That’s the difference between him and Luka. When Luka have an off game, he just packs it in. I think Antman just shows I gotta play defense if I’m not scoring. That’s a liability for a star player. If you think about a lot of star players who pack it in when they’re not shooting well, they just don’t know how to cover the basis because they’re used to scoring.”
Since Anthony Edwards did well on the defensive end while struggling to score in Game 7, McCant credited him and inadvertently ended up taking a shot at the Mavs’ star. Upon hearing this, fans soon got on social media to make their feelings about McCants’ statement clear.
Fans accuse McCants of not watching Luka Doncic play
Considering that Luka Doncic is more than proficient in terms of facilitating his teammates or rebounding, fans instantly called out Rashad and even accused him of not watching any games that Luka has played in all season long. After all, Luka is arguably one of the most well-balanced players in the league.
Luka was 7th in steals and opponents shot 32% against him (90th percentile). Only transition defense is lacking.
— Quaeriste (@Quaeriste) May 20, 2024
this is so untrue its not even funny
— Edgar Alan Dough🏋🏼♂️📈🅱️ (@edgaralandough) May 21, 2024
Moreover, Doncic’s defense against the Los Angeles Clippers while dealing with an injury was also mentioned to challenge the notion that he does not ‘pack it in’ and plays quite well on the defensive end. In any case, this 7 game series between Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards will throw light on who is the better player.
