Shaq Might Have Clinched The Worst Take Of 2023 By Comparing Anthony Edwards' Potential For Greatness To Jeremy Lin's Trajectory

Shaquille O'Neal. My guy. What are we doing here? And why are you trying to fire strays off at Jeremy Lin when he's just over here minding his own business and playing in Taiwan?

That whole magical "Linsanity" run Lin went on electrified New York City and captured the imagination of the basketball world. The whole reason it was so compelling was because Lin went from an obscure, undrafted benchwarmer out of Harvard to All-Star-caliber lead guard overnight.

And you know what, Shaq? Had Lin not suffered so many injuries as his career went on, I think he could've achieved more than that quick run with the Knicks. Before I digress...

I remember during the Warriors' season before their latest championship, when they fought their way into the play-in tourney and Steph Curry led the league in scoring, they had Lin toiling away on their G League team. After years of injuries and lacking opportunities, he was lighting it up at that level, averaging 19.8 points on 50.5/42.6/87.9 shooting splits, plus 3.2 boards and 6.4 assists. You're telling me a Lin Last Stand in Golden State alongside Curry wouldn't have been electric as fuck? I'm still low-key bitter the Dubs didn't make that call-up.

OK. Didn't expect to go on that tangent. Hope you enjoyed. So let's pull this back around to why we're here in the first place and why this Shaq take sucks.

Do I really need to even pull it apart that much, though? Lin goes from NBA Nowheresville to the biggest single story and fades out. Uh...Anthony Edwards is on a Minnesota Timberwolves franchise that just traded FIVE FIRST-ROUND PICKS for Rudy Gobert. Let's just say Gobert doesn't exactly help space the floor. Edwards is a former No. 1 overall pick. Karl-Anthony Towns has been out injured. Ant-Man is keeping the Wolves inside the play-in bubble for now. 

This caught my eye a couple weeks ago and speaks to just how much Edwards has evolved his game in just his age-21 season:

Like, OK sure, February was a bit of a rough month overall individually, but the needle is only pointing in a skyward, upward direction for Anthony Edwards at age 21 and all Shaq wants to do is take a Shaqtus-sized-and-feeling shit on Ant's coming-of-age story.

How about the young man locking in on the defensive end!?

And taking a refreshing, decidedly different approach to Load Management Kawhi Leonard by playing every single night and making plays like this on dudes like Kawhi?

I wish Ant were in a bigger market and that the Wolves didn't make that Gobert trade so they were more relevant from a basketball standpoint. He's one of the best personalities and pure talents in the NBA right now. It's unavoidable that he'll keep blowing up. Like I just went to the Google Machine to find examples of how endearing this guy is and I found Edwards splicing himself into Adam Driver's new movie 65. 

This is majestic. Adam Driver is my favorite actor of all-time, so I will die even harder on the Anthony Edwards hill.

Haven't Minnesota's major sports franchises suffered enough? Ant represents their biggest hope in many, many years. Comparing a top-10-caliber player like Edwards at such an early phase of his career to the odyssey that was Jeremy Lin's basketball life makes zero sense.

I feel like Shaq must be out of whack whenever Chuck isn't on the set with him. Imagining what Sir Charles' retort to this might've been and the hilarious argument that would've ensued is making me upset that he wasn't there for it. Maybe the next show they can circle back to this topic and Chuck can call Shaq a knucklehead and what not.

Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok