Magic Johnson: Anthony Edwards Should Do Homework Before Calling Out Former Players

Magic Johnson called Anthony Edwards "the most exciting player to watch in the NBA" during an appearance on Byron Scott's Fast Break show on Monday, but also appeared to take issue with critical comments from Edwards over the summer about previous generations of players, which Johnson felt were disrespectful.

"Don't attack all the old-school guys when you haven't done your homework," Johnson said [42:00 mark].  "... And so I had to just hit him with the, 'Look, man, talk to me when you've won something.'"

Johnson believed Edwards had insulted a lack of athleticism in the game back in the day, though Edwards' comments were actually in regard to the skill level of previous players.

"I didn't watch it back in the day so I can't speak on it. They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don't think anybody had skill back then," he told The Wall Street Journal's Lane Florsheim. "[Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that's why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill."

"Skill" is a fairly broad adjective in general, though in basketball it often refers to a player's shooting ability and handle, as opposed to the more physical aspects of the game. And while previous generations absolutely featured incredibly skilled players, there's no doubt that the modern NBA features more players who can shoot from beyond the arc and handle the ball. Even centers in the modern NBA game stretch the floor and operate as secondary (or even primary) playmakers.

Modern NBA players are also more athletic in general than previous generations, which could be said about the athletes of any sport. Nonetheless, Edwards may want to be a touch less sweeping with his generalizations going forward.