While NBA teams' floor are determined by their depth, their ceilings are often only as high as their best player can take them. Karl Anthony-Towns has been the pride of the Minnesota Timberwolves' franchise through the past seven seasons, this team's ceiling will ultimately be determined by Anthony Edwards. How good can the former #1 pick be?
Timberwolves' X-factor: Anthony Edwards
Being the top selection in the NBA Draft comes with expectations, and Edwards has absolutely looked the part in his first two seasons. He has shown the ability to score the ball, averaging 19.3 points as a rookie and 21.3 points as a sophomore. We will most likely see a jump in that number in his third season, but the question is whether he can do it efficiently from all three levels for the Timberwolves. He shot 44.1% from the field and 35.7% from three last season — not bad, but not superstar numbers. And there's no question Edwards views himself as a superstar.
Another big question mark in Edwards' game is his playmaking. As a No.1 offensive option, Edwards must be able to see the entire floor. In the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics thrived when Jayson Tatum was able to accumulate large assist numbers and struggled when he was forcing up tough contested jump shots, despite Tatum's scoring mastery. A similar archetype to Tatum, Edwards needs to be able to bend defenses in pick-and-roll and post positions, especially when defenses key in on him in the playoffs.
Edwards will have D'Angelo Russell as his starting point guard on the Timberwolves, with Russell's role focused on getting his teammates involved. Edwards can thrive as a secondary playmaker, and play off Russell in many actions to develop his off-ball offensive game as well. For the former Georgia Bulldog, he must continue to develop all aspects of his offensive game — he has the tools to be unstoppable on that end, he just has to be willing to put in the work.
Edwards will take large offensive strides in his third season, but the defensive side of the ball is where Edwards must stake his claim as one of the best two-way players in the league. Edwards recently said, “I feel like I'm the best defender in the NBA” during an interview on ESPN.
In the offseason, Edwards did what all superstars need to do, what Kobe Bryant taught all up-and-coming basketball players — be the best version of yourself. The 21-year old added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, claiming it will make him more effective attacking the rim and as a tougher on-ball defender. We saw glimpses of that as the Timberwolves guard stood up Kevin Durant in a preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets and met him at the summit to block his jump shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6VepqC8woA&ab_channel=ChazNBA
Edwards' added strength will allow head coach Chris Finch to utilize Edwards in a variety of different lineups, as both a shooting guard and a small forward, and at times, potentially even a small-ball four.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert catches a fair share of slack for his offensive game, but he is a defense unto himself, swallowing up any rim attempts. Edwards' defensive job becomes a lot easier with Gobert behind him — stay in front of the opposing star, contest their jump shot, and give Gobert enough time to recover. The Edwards-Gobert elite defensive duo could mask the defensive deficiencies of Russell and Towns.
Anthony Edwards' goals for the 2022-23 season are simple: make the All-Star team and an All-NBA team, and lead his Timberwolves to another playoff appearance.
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