Anthony Edwards looks set up to be the biggest winner from Minnesota’s reshaped roster.
Last season was a mess for the Timberwolves from a spacing standpoint, and Edwards felt that more than anyone. He was already one of the league’s most heavily double-teamed players, and the way the lineup was built around him only made life harder. That part should look very different now.
The big issue was simple: Rudy Gobert needs real shooting around him for an offense to function, especially when the games get tight in the playoffs. Minnesota never really had that.
Julius Randle, who shot 31.5 percent from 3-point range, was a poor fit next to Gobert. Jaden McDaniels has been streaky from deep throughout his career, and Mike Conley, even as a solid shooter, had lost much of his ability to create his own perimeter looks.
The result was a spacing disaster.
Now the Wolves’ starting group has a very different feel. There’s much more shooting, and that should open the floor for Edwards in a major way.
He should get cleaner lanes to the basket and better looks from three. It wouldn’t be a shock if he ends up leading the league in scoring this season.
There was already a clue last year that a more balanced setup could unlock Minnesota’s offense. The attack looked smoother when Naz Reid was playing the four instead of Randle. More shooting and quicker decisions next to a center like Gobert is the formula.
Compared with last year’s lineup of Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Randle and Gobert - not counting Donte DiVincenzo - the changes are significant. Conley’s 33.7 percent shooting from three and limited creation are out, replaced by LaMelo Ball, who shot 36.5 percent from deep on 8.8 attempts per game and brings elite creation.
Randle’s 31.5 percent from three is out too, with McDaniels likely sliding to the four and Ayo Dosunmu stepping into the starting lineup. Dosunmu shot 43.9 percent from three last season, and even with some regression, the expectation here is that he can stay around 40 percent.
That kind of shooting does more than just space the floor. It means Edwards won’t be seeing as many double teams, and once he gets past his first defender, he won’t have the whole defense flooding the paint.
He put up 28.8 points per game last season, and with more shooting and playmaking around him, a jump to around 32 doesn’t sound far-fetched. If that scoring comes with a strong regular-season record, Ant-Man could be in the mix for the 2026-2027 MVP award.
At the very least, Minnesota’s new-look roster appears built to help Edwards thrive.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Set The Tone On Timberwolves Chemistry Trip
The Timberwolves did more than just log workouts this offseason. They also took a team trip to France in an effort to strengthen chemistry before a season that will ask a little more of them after roster changes, and Rudy Gobert even played tour guide through Paris as the group got a different kind of bonding experience away from the gym.
Anthony Edwards helped set the tone for the trip with his easygoing humor, even drawing a comparison between the Eiffel Tower and the Disney castle. For a team trying to reconnect and settle in ahead of the new season, those little moments can matter as much as anything on the court, especially when the goal is making the group feel closer before the real grind begins. [Read more 🡒]
Rudy Gobert Just Gave Timberwolves Fans A Reason To Feel Good
Rudy Goberts offseason has taken him back to France, and it turns out hes not exactly flying solo. A recent get-together in Paris brought together Gobert and a few familiar NBA faces, including Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards and new arrival LaMelo Ball, and the photo quickly made the rounds with Minnesota fans happy to see the group together away from the court.
It was the kind of small summer snapshot that can carry extra weight for a team like this, especially with Ball now in the mix alongside Edwards after the trade. The Timberwolves still have Gobert as a major piece of their frontcourt, but the image of him linking up with teammates overseas gave supporters a little offseason reminder that the roster conversation in Minnesota is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Tim Connelly Just Put His Timberwolves Legacy On This Gamble
Tim Connelly has never been shy about swinging big since taking over the Timberwolves in 2022, and this offseason brought another move that fits that pattern. The general manager has spent his time in Minnesota trying to push the roster closer to true Western Conference contention, building around a team that has shown it can matter in the race but still needs the right kind of star power to take the next step.
This latest gamble is the kind that can define a front office tenure, because it ties a major piece of the Wolves rotation to a much bigger vision for what the team can become. It also lands with some added weight for Connelly himself, since his future in Minnesota is not guaranteed beyond this season, turning every bold decision into part of a larger question about what his final imprint on the franchise will look like. [Read more 🡒]