The Timberwolves are betting that LaMelo Ball can be the kind of jolt Anthony Edwards needs - and they’re not pretending the idea is isolated to basketball.
Minnesota’s offseason across its two biggest pro teams is built around the same wager: give the superstar a real partner, and everything else starts to open up. The Wolves made their move for Ball, and the Vikings made theirs with Kyler Murray, all with the same goal in mind - making the best player on the roster harder to stop.
Chris Finch said the comparison out loud last week during an appearance on KFXN’s Radio Show with Paul Allen.
“You’ve probably heard me say this a million times…it’s about making your best players better. Like what can you do to make your best players better?
And then it’s their job to make everyone else better and by going out and bringing in LaMelo, going out and bringing in Kyler, like, these are moves that make Justin a better player. Give him a chance to be a better player because he can now win his battles in a fair matchup.
Same with Anthony. Anthony’s a phenomenal player, but it’s too much to ask him to be double teamed every single night and try to be his best self.”
That’s the heart of the Timberwolves’ gamble. Edwards was already producing at a huge level, averaging a career-high 28.8 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists a night.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. The Wolves kept running into the same problem: Edwards was drawing heavy attention, getting double-teamed most nights, and at times was forced into “Hero Ball” just to keep Minnesota afloat.
Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels had their moments as secondary options last season, but neither consistently commanded the kind of respect that changes defensive game plans. That left opponents willing to let Minnesota’s other pieces try to beat them. It worked against the Denver Nuggets, but not in the same way against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Vikings are chasing the same kind of solution for Justin Jefferson. He’s already a superstar, one of the league’s top receivers, but J.J.
McCarthy and the running game didn’t force defenses to shift enough to create easy openings for him. McCarthy’s accuracy issues even left Jefferson needing the final game of the regular season to reach 1,000 yards.
Jefferson, for his part, has said he was trying to find the best version of himself that won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award back in 2022.
So both Minnesota teams swung for a new answer.
Ball brings a different kind of risk. He’s a flashy player, one whose game is fun to watch, but there are still questions about how cleanly that style translates to winning. What isn’t in question is the production: he has averaged 20.8 points per game for his career and 25.2 points per game during the 2024-25 season, while also putting up 7.3 assists per game over six NBA seasons.
If he can do the distributor part Finch wants, Ball could make life easier for McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and whichever power forward Minnesota puts out there. More importantly, he could force defenses to pay attention somewhere other than Edwards.
The Vikings are hoping Murray triggers a similar chain reaction. His dual-threat ability already demands respect, and the revamped running game under new offensive line coach Keith Carter adds another layer defenses have to account for.
If Murray delivers, he could also lift Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, which in turn would give Jefferson more favorable situations.
The formula is the same in both buildings. Minnesota is betting that adding the right partner can unlock the star at the center of everything. Whether Ball can do that for Edwards is still to be determined, but the plan is clear: turn one great player into the start of something bigger.
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