Anthony Edwards won’t be carrying the same kind of offensive load anymore, and that changes the conversation around what comes next for him on defense.
For the last couple of seasons, Edwards has been forced into a much bigger on-ball burden than the Wolves probably wanted. With Mike Conley’s production slipping as the starting point guard over the past two seasons and Donte DiVincenzo not showing much playmaking when he was pushed into the starting point guard job at the start of last year, Edwards had to become the engine.
That meant bringing the ball up, dealing with pressure, and seeing extra defenders at a rate that was hard to ignore. As of January last season, he was facing a double team almost 20 percent of the time, which ranked fourth in the league according to the All City NBA Network.
That offensive strain didn’t just affect what he was doing with the ball. It also took away from the defensive flashes that made him so dangerous in the first place. Edwards was frequently frustrated by the extra attention he drew, and it was something that came up both with him and coach Chris Finch: the heavier offensive responsibility on the Wolves’ centerpiece seemed to pull energy away from the other end.
The numbers from 2023-24 hinted at how complicated that balance was. Minnesota posted a 108 defensive rating with Edwards off the floor and a 110 rating with him on, a difference that was small enough to be explained in part by the smaller, offense-first lineups he often shared the court with. Even so, Edwards still did one thing at a high level that season: he held opponents to 34 percent shooting on attempts from outside 15 feet, the best mark among Wolves players who logged significant minutes.
That season matters because it came during a stretch when the Wolves were at their defensive peak. Conley was running the offense full-time at a high level, Karl-Anthony Towns was drawing attention away from Edwards, and Edwards himself had enough room to put real energy into matchups on the other end while playing at an All-NBA level.
This past season told a different story. Edwards’ defensive rating difference dropped to -5 in his on/off numbers, and opponents shot 54 percent against him, one of the worst marks on the team. The eye test matched the numbers well enough: by the time another 100-game season had worn on, he looked like a player asked to do too much in a role that didn’t fit him.
Now LaMelo Ball changes the setup. He arrives not just as an All-NBA caliber offensive threat, but as the clear point guard on the roster.
That means Edwards should no longer have to spend so much time organizing possessions or working through defenses from the top. It also means more catch-and-shoot chances for him.
But that shift creates a new test. Was the offensive overload the real reason for the defensive dip, or will the change in role finally unlock more consistent work on that end?
Edwards has not put together a full regular season of steady play, and that has to change. He can’t keep drifting in games against weaker opponents or easing off in the middle of February. The Wolves need him to set the tone every night, physically and mentally, and that starts with the kind of effort and edge everyone else can follow.
That expectation becomes even sharper on defense. Minnesota’s lack of power forward depth makes it easy to picture Edwards spending more time guarding fours or switching onto them, which would only raise the demands on him.
That’s why this season’s spotlight on Edwards’ defense is going to be so intense. It could end up being the difference between the Wolves underachieving or overachieving.
In Other News...
Terrence Shannon Jr. Suddenly Sits At Center Of Timberwolves Roster Dilemma
Terrence Shannon Jr. has suddenly become part of a larger Timberwolves roster conversation, and it is not the kind of role discussion that usually follows a young wing. Minnesota is weighing ways to use him where the team needs help most, which has put his defensive profile under a brighter light than it was last season. Shannon showed some promise as an on-ball defender, but his overall impact was uneven enough that the staff now has to decide how much trust to place in him if the assignment changes.
The challenge is that the fit is about more than just switching spots on the floor. Shannons off-ball engagement and rebounding were real issues, and those are the exact areas that matter most if he is asked to handle bigger bodies and more physical possessions. For the Timberwolves, the question is whether his athleticism and defensive upside can catch up quickly enough to make the experiment work, because the alternative is another roster hole that has to be covered some other way. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Finch Faces A Timberwolves Choice That Could Define The Bench
The Timberwolves lineup puzzle is starting to take shape around one central question: where does the best balance come from if Ayo Dosunmu is not in the opening five? Chris Finch has options, and the discussion reaches beyond one spot on the floor, with the power forward decision tied into how the rest of the group fits around Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and the other perimeter pieces.
Dosunmus case is pretty straightforward if Minnesota wants a steadier second unit. He has the kind of scoring and creation that can settle a bench group, and there is a real argument for using him as a sixth man rather than forcing him into a role that blurs the rest of the rotation. Jaylen Clark, Josh Green and Terrence Shannon Jr. are among the names in the mix if Finch goes that direction, which is why this decision feels like more than a simple preseason formality. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Still Have One Roster Problem That Could Derail Everything
The Timberwolves have already done most of the heavy lifting on their offseason roster, with Julius Randle and Naz Reid gone and LaMelo Ball in the mix, but the biggest remaining question is still a familiar one: how to sort out the frontcourt around Rudy Gobert. Chris Finch has made it clear that Jaden McDaniels is not simply being pushed into a full-time power forward job, and the plan is for him to keep a role much closer to what he had last season while still spending some time there.
Minnesota is expected to sort out the final shape of that arrangement by the end of training camp in September, and the answer matters because the Wolves are also trying to piece together a bench that can hold up over the long haul. Terrence Shannon Jr., Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark are all in line to help fill rotation minutes, but the overall balance of the roster still hinges on whether McDaniels can slide into the right spots without creating another problem elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]