The Minnesota Timberwolves have barely slowed down after Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury. The foundation for this is the defense – but also the development of Anthony Edwards. Is the 22-year-old currently mastering the next step?
By Ole Frerks
It says a lot about Anthony Edwards that it’s debatable which of his moves in recent weeks was actually the best. The dunk of the year via John Collinswhose primal force resulted in Edwards dislocating the index finger on his right hand and Collins sustaining a bruise? Or maybe the block against Indianawhere his head collided with the board?
One action made the difference, the other changed lives. Felt. In any case, both would be qualified to be presented as the central, most important and most spectacular action of the career when looking back at the vast majority of players’ careers. At Edwards there were less than two weeks between them – and they have competition.
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Some people have athleticism oozing from every pore. Edwards is someone like that – the 22-year-old is the most explosive, imposing physical presence at the two-guard position since a young Dwyane Wade, at least. He believes he could have become a professional in any other sport if he had taken it seriously. You don’t want to contradict him.
However, it has long been known that he is in the 99th percentile of all NBA players when it comes to physical hardware. What is actually more important – for the big picture – is what is currently happening with the software.
the essentials in brief
On March 4th, Karl-Anthony Towns had to leave the Timberwolves’ game against Portland early. He has been out since then with a torn meniscus and there is no official indication of when he is expected back (internally, the hope is for the first round of the playoffs). You could and had to worry about the first seed in the West at the time – offense was already not the team’s specialty, and now the most efficient scoring option was missing indefinitely.
Minnesota actually no longer has the first seed, but that is more due to the strength of the competition. The Timberwolves didn’t collapse – they won six of nine games without KAT, with an overtime defeat and a narrow defeat against the Nuggets when, in addition to Towns, the other two centers were missing from the squad.
Minnesota is alive. The main reason for this remains the excellent defense throughout the year, but interestingly the offense has also remained stable. Minnesota scored 116.3 points per 100 possessions through March 4, until Towns’ injury. Since then it has been… 116.2. That definitely wasn’t predictable.
Anthony Edwards: More pressure than ever
Actually, Minnesota only has one “real” shot creator after all. The other players, including Naz Reid, who has been outstanding recently (19.4 PPG since Towns’ loss), are all primarily secondary options who cannot consistently create their own shots. They’re more likely to be dependent or, in Mike Conley’s case, too old to take 15 shots per game.
Of course, other teams know this and consequently put even more pressure on the only truly independent player in the squad. Edwards sees even more double and triple teams than before, especially since he is known for often switching into hero mode and not always having an eye for the open teammate.
Which isn’t surprising – players with his athletic abilities can go far in Hero mode. Edwards needed little balance to become a No. 1 pick and a two-time All-Star in four seasons. It works, obviously. However, he needs balance in order to master the next step.
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Edwards: No constant hero mode
His team needs this too, especially in this situation. The good news: it will. Since Towns has been out, Edwards has led his team with 28.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists while being only slightly less efficient than before.
Edwards throws a little more, but that’s what he’s supposed to do. It also fits more. He spends sequences, but not entire games, in Hero Mode. The situations in which he plays the right pass against opposing pressure are becoming more and more common.
Against Denver, for example, Edwards didn’t score at all in the last quarter, but prepared three three-pointers with good passes that kept his team in a game that had actually already been decided. In total, in addition to his 30 points, he distributed 8 assists, which he achieved in three of the last four games. His passing was again positive in the narrow win against the Warriors.
Edwards is getting better at staying patient and using the attention he receives to his team’s advantage. The level of difficulty increases, as with such skip passes to the opposite corner, which makes it all the more impressive that Ant’s turnover numbers have actually decreased slightly since Towns’ loss (2.8 over the last nine games).
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Can Edwards also solve the last problem?
Edwards doesn’t read every situation perfectly and there are still throws that he forces. But that’s okay, especially since the ability to hit forced shots is one of his greatest strengths and is important for Minnesota. It’s about finding the right balance. In the current situation, but also beyond.
The Wolves will need Towns to achieve their now quite lofty goals in the playoffs. With his elite throw, KAT is a player who always creates space and can decide games single-handedly on good days. He can also create offense for himself, although he has had to do that a little less this season than in previous years.
Ideally, he does this in a supporting role, especially at the end of games, especially since he is not the best decision-maker with the ball in his hand. Neither does Edwards – it speaks volumes that the ball often finds Conley in crunch time, who is supposed to bring calm into the game via pick’n’roll with Rudy Gobert. Crunchtime offense is still a work in progress: Only eight teams have a weaker offensive rating in clutch situations, according to nba.com’s definition.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Time is running out
Edwards is the person who can and should best solve this problem. Ideally tomorrow – considering that Minnesota already has almost 186 million dollars in the books for the coming season and, among other things, is paying over 100 million for its three centers, this team cannot wait long for success.
Maybe the current situation without Towns will ultimately prove to be helpful because it forces Edwards to swim even deeper in the cold water and become even more of a focal point of the offense. It currently looks as if he is growing with this task – without losing sight of the defense, where he can also decide games depending on the situation.
The highlights will be the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Anthony Edwards for the time being. However, it speaks for his talent that the overall package could sooner or later compete with these highlights. The search for balance will determine whether and when he can master the step from subscription All-Star to legitimate MVP candidate.
2024-03-26 18:01:00
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