Why Anthony Edwards-powered Timberwolves are a threat in the West
Led by 22-year-old rising star Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-2) have started the season as giant slayers, beating playoff contenders Boston, Denver and Golden State (twice).
In Minnesota's 104-101 win over the Warriors on Tuesday — highlighted by Golden State's Draymond Green putting Rudy Gobert in sleeper hold — Edwards scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. For the season, the shooting guard is averaging 27.6 points, six rebounds and 5.3 assists and shooting a career-best 48.3 percent from the field.
Edwards' defensive skills have improved each season, and when locked in, his athletic ability makes him one of the better point-of-attack defenders in the league. In leading Minnesota to a 4-0 record, he recently was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Edwards' ascension and the team's well-constructed roster make the Timberwolves a serious contender in the loaded Western Conference.
Besides a rising star, Minnesota has (by far) the best defensive team in the NBA, with a ridiculously impressive defensive rating of 101.9. The next-closest team is the Celtics (106.5).
Minnesota has a top-tier defender in Gobert and two outstanding perimeter defenders in Jaden McDaniels and Edwards. They are the chief reasons the Timberwolves had the best half-court defense in the NBA through nine games (.855 points per possession).
Gobert said he and his teammates take pride in playing hard-nosed defense.
"I feel like I'm playing at a much higher level than I was early last season," he told Andscape's Marc Spears. "But the main thing, too, is our group level of accountability, awareness, toughness, our attention [to detail], just our pride [is better]. "
The Timberwolves and head coach Chris Finch have clearly made defense a point of emphasis, with Gobert's rim protection being a major factor in the team's defensive success.
Offensively, the team has made significant strides compared to last season. The roster appears more cohesive, and the offensive flow and ball movement are smoother. Point guard Mike Conley plays a pivotal role in orchestrating their sets and boasts one of the NBA's best assists-to-turnover ratios (7.6).
The big question is Karl-Anthony Towns, who's averaging 20.6 points, roughly what he did last season and only 2.3 points off his career low. The Timberwolves finished 42-40 last season and exited the playoffs in the first round. To make a deeper run, they need more from Towns.
Defensively, Gobert does a lot to clean up and compensate for Towns' mistakes.
"I'm not sure [Minnesota] could get picks for Towns right now," ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said on Towns' crashing trade value throughout the league.
If Towns establishes himself as a consistent No. 2 offensive weapon behind Edwards, the Timberwolves would become that much more dangerous and have a chance to make a lot of noise in the Western Conference.
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