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Anthony Edwards Is Leading The Timberwolves With His Playmaking

Originally posted on Sportscasting
By Esfandiar Baraheni | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 11:02 AM ET

One of the biggest questions heading into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round series versus the Los Angeles Lakers was how Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle could keep up as shot creators against Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

On the surface, the Lakers have a pretty clear advantage there. James and Doncic are two all-time point forwards who can manipulate defenses with the best of them. Reaves has grown into a proficient shot creator and pick-and-roll ball handler, worthy of being a potent third option to the Lakers’ star-studded duo.

While Los Angeles’ three-headed monster has had its fair share of impressive moments through four games, the Lakers finds themselves in a 3-1 hole against the Timberwolves. Much that has to do with Edwards and the leap he’s made as a playmaker.

Edwards has 23 assists to just six turnovers in 162 minutes of postseason action. For context, his 5.4 percent turnover rate in this series is drastically lower than his 11.9 percent mark of the regular season, per Cleaning the Glass.

His efficiency as a playmaker has come in a few different ways in this series. Let’s discuss it.

Simple Reads

While a lead ball-handler will often be graded on their ability to make complex reads which can break down multiple levels of any defense, it’s usually the simplest play that becomes underrated.

Edwards has thrived in the simple play department all season, sporting the second-highest usage rate and assist percentage of his career. These passes are primarily about working within the flow of the offense, managing the pace and tempo of the game to best suit a team.

Taking what the defense gives you is the best way to describe these plays. Through four games, Edwards has used the Lakers’ aggressive defensive scheme to his advantage.

He’s been superb in the pick-and-roll, generating 1.263 points per pick run (including passes), which ranks in the 87th percentile this postseason. Properly dealing with traps and blitzes — typically a sore spot for him as a playmaker — has produced good opportunities for his teammates. Edwards is making the Lakers’ defense pay by executing these simple reads.

Leveraging His Shooting Gravity

One of the most significant developments in Edwards’ career has been his remarkable growth as a pull-up shooter. He was the league’s most prolific 3-point shooter this season and knocked down 39.5 percent of his long balls (10.5 attempts per game), including 38 percent on pull-up attempts.

It has transformed an already lethal scorer into an unstoppable one, particularly this postseason. Edwards poured in 43 points in Game 4 and is averaging 30 points on 45-43-82 shooting splits this series, while often converting that scoring gravity into playmaking opportunities for others.

Including passes, he’s logged the most isolation possessions (58) of anyone this postseason, 14 more than the second-place Doncic and 18 more than James Harden. He’s generating 0.98 points per isolation — a respectable mark, given the amount of attention he’s received from the Lakers’ defense in these moments.

Drive And Kick

Now, let’s put all of that together.

The Lakers’ defensive scheme is allowing Edwards to assert himself more as a passer. They’re crowding him in isolation, trapping or blitzing him in pick-and-rolls and helping off the Timberwolves’ shooters on his drives. Due to his pull-up shooting, they’re picking him up early and pressuring the ball, which provides an athlete of his caliber an easy runway to get downhill.

At 16.8, Edwards is eighth in drives per game this postseason, well above his regular season average of 13.2, per NBA.com. Despite shooting just 45 percent on these drives, he’s No. 1 in assists per game (2.3) and has just three total turnovers.

This has undoubtedly been Edwards’ most fruitful and complex leap. He’s showing off a level of poise and maturity as a playmaker we hadn’t previously seen, even during the regular season.

A New Level As A Superstar

It comes as no surprise the only game the Lakers won this series was when Edwards registered zero assists. It’s not enough for him to just be a scoring machine. As Minnesota’s offensive nucleus, he has to consistently leverage that scoring into opportunities for his teammates.

Edwards isn’t the first scoring wing to take this necessary step of evolving as a playmaker. Jayson Tatum went through a grueling process to grow and adapt as a playmaker. Now, he’s a championship-level engine. Elsewhere around the league, Devin Booker and Giannis Antetokounmpo are ball-dominant scorers who had to elevate as passers and best capitalize on all the attention they receive.

It’s the natural progression of a superstar. It just so happens it’s coming for Edwards in the playoffs, where he’s been the best player in a series featuring Doncic and James.

That’s the level he can reach now. And it’s all because of the passing growth, which has been on full display through four games.

All stats are accurate prior to games played on April 29.

This article first appeared on Sportscasting and was syndicated with permission.

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