Timberwolves’ Trade Move Faces Blame for Anthony Edwards Not Reaching Michael Jordan’s Level

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA’s most talented rosters and are capable of deep playoff runs, making it to two consecutive conference finals despite making a major trade between campaigns. Anthony Edwards has emerged as a real-deal superstar with dazzling bursts of offense, and fans hope that he can evolve into a player capable of carrying the team in crunch time.

However, that very trade might be limiting his ability in ways we may not realize. Trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle has altered the team’s spacing and offensive identity, and have left opportunities for Edwards to devel0p a one major scoring ability limited.

League insider Zach Lowe highlighted recently that Edwards’ post-up development has been slower than usual. “Three years ago…Anthony Edwards was in my most intriguing players column at ESPN, and he and I talked on the phone about developing a post-up game…Since then, essentially nothing has happened,” Lowe said, bringing attention to the point that this is a critical skill for Edwards to learn that would help him become a fully versatile scorer. Lowe emphasized that Edwards’ midrange pullup efficiency hovered around 39%, highlighting the need for him to diversify his scoring beyond drives and pullups.

The current Timberwolves roster is constructed in a way that complicates Edward’s ability to expand his game in the post. Lowe highlighted that Randle’s interior-heavy style and inconsistent shooting has reduced Ant’s touches in the post, whereas KAT’s spacing gave him lanes to increase his post touches if needed. He specified, “If it’s Randle and Reid or Reid and Gobert, you have a little more space to work with,” Indicating backup forward-center Naz Reid’s ability to provide similar spacing to Towns. Lowe also added, “He needs to get better at hitting pull-up twos off the dribble. That’s the playmaking dimension I’m talking about.”

Edwards has already shown an ability to develop his scoring skills, going from shooting 35.7% on 6.7 attempts in 2023-24 to 37.5% on 10.3 attempts last seasons, which has made his stalled post game even more puzzling, averaging just 0.5 post-ups last year. However, unlocking this skill could help transform the team. Adjustments, like running inverted pick-and-rolls on smaller defenders and lineups which prioritize spacing by running Reid, would help create the post touches he need needs to develop his skills. This would add a new dimension to Ant’s scoring, moving him closer to top-tier status, as well as maximizing his impact in high stakes moments.

Anthony Edwards Chasing Michael Jordan’s Greatness

Anthony Edwards, after the 2023-24 playoffs, drew a lot of comparisons to Michael Jordan, and it wasn’t as outlandish as you might thing. Many former and current players have pointed to similarities. Legend Kevin Garnett, who played against Jordan, noted that, “I saw that same fire,” and even his Timberwolves teammate, Mike Conley, said, “They have a lot of the same mannerisms… that same kind of work ethic, that same kind of ‘I don’t sleep at all at night because I’m ready to play, I’m ready to hoop.” Even the man himself, Jordan, said that, “I see similarities between Anthony Edwards’ game and mine.” These endorsements showcase the combination of his electric mix of talent and determination that has observers awestruck.