Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle compared Anthony Edwards to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Julius Randle knows a thing or two about having a supremely confident teammate, and he put Anthony Edwards on that level. Edwards's postseason play has raised eyebrows around the NBA this season as he has taken his game to another level.

Minnesota is 8-2 in the playoffs and back in the Western Conference Finals. Julius Randle is a big reason why.

On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight year. To do so, they had to get past the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors,

Randle was the unofficial MVP of Minnesota's second-round series against the Warriors. He's playing some of the best basketball of his career right now.

Fast forward a few months, and Minnesota is headed back to the conference finals in no small part because of Randle, who continued the best stretch of basketball of his postseason -- and probably professional -- life with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting on Wednesday as the Wolves eliminated the Warriors in five games.

Timberwolves' power forward has finally emerged as a playoff force to complement superstar Anthony Edwards. 'I had a great mentor in Kobe Bryant,' he says.