Tuesday was not the Minnesota Timberwolves’ night as the Oklahoma City Thunder controlled the game from start to finish. While the Timberwolves suffered a 129-106 loss to a very good Thunder team, Anthony Edwards flashed his talent yet again.
Edwards closed the game with an impressive 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Posting career-highs in points, assists, FG%, and 3P%, Edwards’ game has ascended to an all new level. Behind the increase in statistical production is meaningful improvements in a variety of areas. Here are two observations that show how much Edwards has grown offensively..
Pick and roll improvements
Following the D’Angelo Russell – Mike Conley trade last deadline, the Timberwolves have slowly leaned into increased utilization of their young star guard. With a consistent uptick as the pick and roll ball handler, Edwards’ frequency running the play has increased, as well as his usage rate.
Minnesota has effectively threaded the needle of playing a point guard next to Edwards while allowing him to grow in comfort as a lead guard. Tuesday night served as a good example of Edwards’ development from his time at Georgia as a draft prospect to who he is today.
The first example displays just how devastating Edwards can be when attacking downhill. Edwards finds a little bit of space from Rudy Gobert’s drag screen allowing him to enter attack mode. Edwards drives the gap and puts Chet Holmgren in a tough spot. Should Holmgren fully commit to help and leave Gobert open for a dunk or half help and make Edwards finish acrobatically? When Edwards gets to the rack, Gobert's rim pressure as a lob threat can be a unique combo of vertical spacing to beat rim protectors like Holmgren.
The second example flashes Edwards quickness when he’s decisive. Edwards immediately recognizes that Lugentz Dort is trying to ice the screen, Edwards rejects the screen completely and takes the straight line drive to the rim. A tough finish as OKC brings solid help, but Edwards’ strength and talent allow him to finish regardless.
The third clip showcases Ant’s ability to change direction on a dime. A unique athlete getting better at identifying how to attack out of the pick and roll. Similar to how we’ve seen Chris Paul dominate games by snaking screens, Edwards here finds downhill space directly between the screen and the hoop. Another creative finish opened up by Edwards’ manipulation of space out of the screen game.
In an overall standout game, this fourth clip may be Edwards' best play on Tuesday night. Anthony Edwards controls the defense by positioning his body in a way that prevents his defender from getting back in front of him.
Any effectively uses a crab dribble to stretch the defense downhill. Gobert rolls deep pulling Holmgren closer to the rim as well. Edwards again showcases his touch with another good finish at the rack.
In addition to Edwards’ impressive scoring out of the pick and roll, he also made multiple plays as a facilitator on Tuesday night. A big sign of increased maturity on the court for the star guard has come from making the simple play.
Edwards recorded six assists in the loss, but these two specifically stood out to me. Reading the defense, recognizing when the defense collapses and making the right play leading to easy looks for his teammates.
Trips to the free throw line
Another good sight to see on Tuesday night was Anthony Edwards getting to the free throw line consistently. With how talented and athletic Ant is, you would expect the All-Star guard to shoot a high volume of free throws each night. While his free throw attempts have increased each season, Edwards still has another level to get to as a foul drawer.
On Tuesday night, Edwards found his way to the free throw line early and often. In the first half, Edwards shot ten of Minnesota’s 19 free throws. Edwards consistently leveraged his strength and size into advantageous positions as a driver of the basketball.
While Edwards can be unstoppable when his pull-up jumper is falling, finding easy points will be a blessing for Edwards on a night-to-night basis. On the night, Edwards tallied 13 total free throws and converted on nine of those attempts. Not only does getting to the line help Edwards score the ball efficiently, it also places opposing defenders in foul trouble.
Now, the lack of free throw attempts some night isn’t always Edwards’ fault. Similar to a theme we’ve seen with LeBron James throughout his career, Ant’s strength sometimes hurts him. Refs are often slow to call the contact that Edwards draws due to his ability to play through minimal contact.
Tuesday night seemed to be a potential turning point for Edwards as he learns how to attack out of position defenders to draw foul calls similar to other superstar players. Players like Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Damian Lillard average more than eight free throw attempts per game. A potential uptick in FTA’s for Anthony Edwards can elevate him from a 26 point per game scorer to a potential 28-29 point per game player.
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