Over the last few years, Anthony Edwards has been one of the NBA‘s brightest rising young stars. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard has attracted many fans thanks to his high-flying game, 3-point shooting and defensive prowess, and he has made the All-Star team in each of the last three seasons.
But Edwards still has some room for improvement that he must fulfill if he is to be considered a true, full-fledged superstar and franchise player. Even though he has led Minnesota to the Western Conference finals in both of the last two seasons, he has been inconsistent come playoff time.
He isn’t quite at the level of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, the two legends of the past he’s most often compared to. According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Edwards has been studying both legends and looking to add a post game and midrange game to his arsenal.
“I’ve been told this offseason, Anthony Edwards’s No. 1 1 focus, a new area of development: the post up game, mid post, high post, low post, establishing a midrange game and the fadeaway shot from the post, a la Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“I’m told he’s been watching a lot of tape of Kobe and MJ, studying their game and how they were able to get the shot off from the post-up game.”
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Edwards averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game and shot 39.5% from 3-point range this past regular season. In the playoffs, however, his scoring average dipped to 25.3 points per game, and his 3-point accuracy fell to 35.4%, and in five of his 15 playoff games, he shot under 40% from the field.
Developing a post game and midrange game may be the final thing he needs to become a truly great player, not to mention find better consistency when it comes to his shooting efficiency. Just over half of his shot attempts last season came from 3-point range, and he made just 34.1% of his shot attempts from 10 to 16 feet out, which is very poor.
By comparison, Bryant shot 43% from 10 to 16 feet away throughout his 20-year career. He leaned on that type of shot over the years, especially as his athleticism waned.
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It will be very difficult for the Timberwolves to return to the West finals next spring, even if Edwards takes that next step in his development. They lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a key 3-and-D wing, in free agency this summer, and outside of Edwards and big man Julius Randle, the roster greatly lacks offensive firepower.
A strong argument could be made that had Stephen Curry not gotten injured in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves, they would’ve lost the series, and Curry’s Golden State Warriors would’ve ended up playing the Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot in the NBA Finals.
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