"Ant has better stats": Anthony Edwards outpaces Kobe Bryant, leaving NBA fans shaken and fueling debate

Anthony Edwards has been on a tear this season. In his fourth year in the league, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard has been propping up consistent performances that have been key in propelling them to the top of the Western Conference standings. After inking a plush five-year, $260 million contract last summer, Edwards has proved that he is the franchise's cornerstone and worth every bit of that moolah by showing out in virtually every game. Amid his meteoric rise, Statmuse did some digging and compared his numbers with that of the late great Kobe Bryant, when he was in his fourth NBA season.

And safe to say that Edwards has outpaced the guard in both points and assists drawing jaw-dropping reactions from fans:

One of them kept it real, and perhaps a tad brutal on Bryant:

"Ant has better stats & didn't rape anyone."

While the second part of the statement drew wrath from "Mamba" fans, the focus was primarily on the first bit where the Minnesota star was a better player in his fourth season:

NBA fans gave Anthony Edwards his flowers upon learning that his fourth-year numbers were better than Kobe Bryant

This season, Anthony Edwards is averaging 26.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists. His last five games have seen him notch up 34.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. While the stats show how impressive he has been, there's nothing to take away from the LA Lakers legend who was one of the most lethal scorers in the league.

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Anthony Edwards unhappy after Timberwolves' back-to-back losses

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the teams to beat this season, but they endured a two-game skid, dropping contests against the New York Knicks and the New Orleans Pelicans. And Edwards wasn't pleased with the double whammy. On his part, the guard had 35 points, four rebounds and five assists in the Timberwolves' 117-106 loss to the Pelicans at home.

In his postgame interview, Edwards was asked about his thoughts on Minnesota's first losing streak of the season. He was straightforward in calling out their recent performances and expects them to bounce back and figure things out:

"We got to figure it out. We s**k right now."

Edwards and the T-Wolves have a shot at snapping the skid against the Houston Rockets on Friday. They get back home and play three home games against three equally impressive teams. Up first will be the Dallas Mavericks, followed by two interconference clashes against the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics.

Much depends on the likes of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. The question is whether Minnesota can bounce back against three formidable sides in the days to come.