Timberwolves-Thunder: Anthony Edwards is dealing with the superstar’s dilemma against OKC. How will he respond?

On five occasions this season, Anthony Edwards has performed greater than 35 minutes and tried 13 or fewer pictures. The one time his Minnesota Timberwolves received, he was sick. In one other occasion, he was so offended with the officers that he flipped them off on a number of events, incomes himself a $50,000 tremendous.

Each different time he was being defended by the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.

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On New 12 months’s Eve, Edwards tried simply 12 pictures, his fewest in a loss this season, and dedicated extra turnovers (three) than he had assists (two), because the Thunder rolled, 113-105. Afterward, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch made the daring declare that Oklahoma Metropolis is committing fouls “everywhere” directly.

“They’re super physical,” he advised reporters of a Thunder group that led the NBA in defensive ranking. “They foul you everywhere, every time down, and we have to be able to fight through that and play through it.”

If it appeared like Finch was greedy at straws, who may blame him? Oklahoma Metropolis had simply proven a blueprint for how one can beat the Timberwolves, the identical one it has adopted to a 3-1 lead within the Western Convention finals: Present a ton of assist, primarily doubling Edwards on each drive try and forcing the ball elsewhere; and as soon as the ball is out of Minnesota’s greatest participant’s palms, by no means cease stealing it.

The Thunder have performed simply that, twice holding Edwards to 13 pictures — Minnesota losses in Video games 1 and 4. In those self same video games, the Timberwolves’ offense dedicated a complete of 42 turnovers (and allowed 53 factors off them.) It’s simpler mentioned than performed for a protection, however between Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s chief final season in steals per sport, the Thunder have the weapons.

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Superstars are taught to proceed to make the best play each time down the ground in these conditions: When assist comes, discover the open man. Pressure defenses into rotation, belief the ball to search out an open shot.

The Wolves did this to nice impact in Recreation 4, as their position gamers shot a mixed 17 of 31 from 3 (55%), and as a group they scored 129.9 factors per 100 possessions, equal to the best offense ever. They didn’t win, since they dedicated 23 turnovers and allowed 19 offensive rebounds. You can not anticipate to win if you give a group of OKC’s caliber that many further possessions, and nonetheless the Wolves virtually did.

This was affirmation that Edwards’ course of was proper. Make the best reads, be in place to win. Solely they didn’t, which naturally raised questions on whether or not Edwards had performed sufficient. If he had performed an excessive amount of, forcing contested pictures, he would have had blame for that, too. This can be a famous person’s dilemma.

“I don’t look at it like I struggled, or [Julius Randle] struggled,” Edwards mentioned of Recreation 4. “That they had sport plan, making us get off the ball. Particularly for me, man. They were super in the gaps, I made the best play all night time, so I do not actually have a look at it like I struggled. I did not get sufficient pictures to say I struggled, in order that is perhaps the way you guys have a look at it. However, yeah, I did not wrestle in any respect. I simply made the best play.”

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The standard of right now’s NBA calls for perfection from its superstars. They have to strike the best stability between creating high quality appears to be like for themselves and producing them for his or her teammates, and even then, if the pictures will not be falling, they obtain a larger slice of the blame pie than any of their supporting solid.

Edwards belongs among the many superstars from whom we will demand perfection. Along with Edwards, the listing of gamers who’ve appeared in no less than three All-Star Video games and 40 playoff video games by the age of 23 contains all champions: Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum. The listing of those that averaged a 27-7-6 in these playoff video games options solely Edwards, James and Durant.

And the place have been James and Durant after they have been 23? They, too, have been toiling for contenders, nonetheless attempting to strike that stability between how a lot to create for themselves and for others. Finally, each left to search out higher teammates to belief. James didn’t win till he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Durant didn’t win till he joined Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Inexperienced in Golden State.

And possibly that’s the reply. Possibly Edwards wants a greater enjoying companion. Wade and Curry have been all-timers, too, they usually helped draw a number of the gravity from James and Durant. Randle is simply too inconsistent to belief in the identical manner, and the protection is aware of it, daring him to problem the identical heavy-help protection.

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And he didn’t try this in Recreation 4, by his personal admission. “To be honest, I think it was a lot of me just, like, spectating,” mentioned Randle. “I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself involved in actions. I think I didn’t take my first shot of the second half until there was 20 seconds left in the third quarter. I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself into positions to be more aggressive, rather than just standing or spectating.”

If a famous person is bottled up, his co-star can’t be stagnant. There are methods to penetrate the gap help that the Thunder are using, all of which contain motion with out the ball — dribble hand-offs, cuts behind the assistance. Pressure the protection to assume, even earlier than Edwards has given up the ball, and also you give him a combating probability, provided that he can outthink them. It’s all quite a bit to course of for somebody studying on the job.

And there are methods for Edwards to assist himself. He can play sooner, difficult the protection earlier than it’s set. And the Timberwolves can decide to getting the ball again to Edwards as soon as he eliminates it. He must be transferring always, doing the identical auxiliary issues he would anticipate Randle to do for him.

It doesn’t assist that Edwards’ bounce shot has deserted him. Throughout the common season, he shot 36.8% on a handful of pull-up 3-point makes an attempt per sport. That equated to 1.104 factors per possession, higher than one of the best half-court offenses within the league. Within the playoffs, he’s 16 for 60 (27%) on pull-up 3s, which has translated to 0.8 factors per possession, worse than the worst half-court-offenses within the league.

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You possibly can lose video games in these margins of 5 possessions per sport. Edwards has additionally been virtually absent from midrange, the place he’s taking pictures 8 for 28 (29%) for the playoffs. That’s two midrange jumpers per sport, which is the type of shot weight-reduction plan you need within the common season, since lengthy 2-pointers are the NBA’s least environment friendly shot. However it’s not essentially the shot weight-reduction plan you want within the playoffs. In contrast, Gilgeous-Alexander is 43 of 89 (48%) from the midrange on this postseason, making an attempt six such pictures per sport.

That leaves the rim, the place Edwards has been hyper-efficient towards the Thunder on restricted makes an attempt. He obtained to the basket twice in Recreation 1 and thrice in Recreation 4. OKC doesn’t make it straightforward on anybody. If Edwards can penetrate the Thunder’s first line of protection, past a sea of swiping arms, he’s welcomed by both Isaiah Hartenstein, who’s tied to Rudy Gobert on the block, or Chet Holmgren — or each.

That is the lesson Edwards is studying — the scar he’s incomes: how one can navigate the world’s greatest protection. And it’s not straightforward. You want the entire bundle, and at 23 years outdated, Edwards isn’t all the time that … but.

How a lot of Minnesota’s struggles on this collection are attributable to Edwards’ inexperience as an offensive hub and the way a lot has to do with the expertise hole between the 2 groups is tough to inform. It’s in all probability a little bit of each. Even when the Timberwolves can not full a comeback towards the Thunder, they’ll go away this season realizing: Edwards is their man. He simply wants a little bit extra seasoning and possibly some extra assist.