Anthony Edwards got exposed against Thunder

"I'm going to be so fascinated to see what Anthony Edwards adds to his game in the offseason. One of the things he's got to do is develop footwork in the post," ESPN's Doris Burke said in the waning seconds of the Timberwolves' season-ending loss to the Thunder on Wednesday.

Burke echoed the sentiments of many analysts who believe Edwards, while an impressive raw talent, is far from a polished product. 

Edwards averaged 23.0 points on 47 percent shooting in the five-game series. On the surface, his numbers weren't bad. However, he was too predictable with his moves on the court, making him an easy cover for OKC's top-ranked defense. Per Second Spectrum tracking data, Edwards attempted only 32 percent of his shots within 10 feet of the basket, meaning he couldn't handle the physicality of OKC's swarming defense. 

The 23-year-old also showed no semblance of a mid-range game. He shot 16-of-42 on pull-up jumpers (29 percent from three) and routinely settled for contested shots instead of hunting for better looks. Through the first four games, he took a whopping 24 shots early into the shot clock — the sign of an impatient player. In contrast, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted only 15 percent of his shots within the first nine seconds of the shot clock, suggesting he was composed and rarely settled.

Edwards is the first one to acknowledge that he needs to add to his offensive repertoire. If not, he'd likely find himself in the same position a year from now when going up against an elite defense.

"I'm going to work my butt off this summer," Edwards said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "Nobody's going to work harder than me this summer. I'll tell you that much."

Those are encouraging words from Edwards, and possibly an admission that he needs to refine his craft. The blossoming star can draw inspiration from LeBron James, who was similarly exposed against the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals when Gregg Popovich dared him to shoot by packing the paint. Even Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent similar trials — against the Raptors (2019) and Heat (2020) — before capturing his lone NBA title in 2021. 

The OKC beatdown might be the wake-up call Edwards needed.