Ant's Defense

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Obviously, there are reasons to be disappointed in the season so far, but Ant's defense is NOT one of them.

He's still blowing some assignments occasionally, and there are still ways he can clean up the offensive end obviously, but we've all known that if this team is going to reach its full potential, Ant's defense would have to improve. And so far this year, it honestly really has.

Can we all take a minute to enjoy that before getting back to arguing with each other?

[Coolbreeze44]

He's good on D when he wants to be. Problem is he's selective about it. I thought he was pretty good last night.

[Q-is-here]

IDK Drew...not sure it's any better or worse than the second half of last season which is when in my mind he became a solid defender, especially on the ball.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

IDK Drew...not sure it's any better or worse than the second half of last season which is when in my mind he became a solid defender, especially on the ball.

He's always had flashes of on-the-ball prowess (the tools were obvious coming out of college even if he never showed it there), and you're right Q that he stepped up in the second half of last season. But from what I can tell, I think he's been almost as close to what he looked like in the Memphis series last year as to the second half generally. He's obviously not on that Memphis-playoff level regularly. He's not Jimmy Butler or Kahwi. But so far this year he's really looking to me like he's getting a lot closer to what his tools always suggested he could be. It's always been about mental engagement with him. The potential is just so high. And I do think he really does seem to be plugged in much more this year.

Maybe I'm exaggerating, or maybe it'll fade. But in combination with what he showed at the end of last year, especially in the Memphis series, I think this is a really key development for us, at least on par with Towns' passing so far this year. We've got other stuff to fix, for sure, but this is something I've been happy to see.

[Q-is-here]

IDK Drew...not sure it's any better or worse than the second half of last season which is when in my mind he became a solid defender, especially on the ball.

He's always had flashes of on-the-ball prowess (the tools were obvious coming out of college even if he never showed it there), and you're right Q that he stepped up in the second half of last season. But from what I can tell, I think he's been almost as close to what he looked like in the Memphis series last year as to the second half generally. He's obviously not on that Memphis-playoff level regularly. He's not Jimmy Butler or Kahwi. But so far this year he's really looking to me like he's getting a lot closer to what his tools always suggested he could be. It's always been about mental engagement with him. The potential is just so high. And I do think he really does seem to be plugged in much more this year.

Maybe I'm exaggerating, or maybe it'll fade. But in combination with what he showed at the end of last year, especially in the Memphis series, I think this is a really key development for us, at least on par with Towns' passing so far this year. We've got other stuff to fix, for sure, but this is something I've been happy to see.

Gotcha. Yeah, like I said to Kek, we've got to be looking for those green shoots of growth right now. There are a few others as well (Naz, Prince, KAT's passing), but no one is happy with them being 4-4. They need to keep improving, including Ant.

[Phenom]

He mentioned being tired late in the game when he had 2 turnovers. He looked to me like someone expending a lot of energy on defense so it adds up. He will need to learn to manage his energy better, which can also tie into his observation about the starters looking for others success more.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

He definitely needs to work on his conditioning. I think it's somewhat telling that he thought he was on some sort of healthy diet by eating fried food only on the weekends. Dude, you're a professional athlete, not an overweight middle-aged dad just fighting not to add pounds before a class reunion.

The turnovers are also about decision-making though, and that's that's clearly an area where he (and others) need to tighten things up and just keep the ball moving and make the obvious pass rather than trying to play hero-ball and dribbling into traffic and losing the ball or trying to bail yourself out with a risky pass.

[Lipoli390]

He definitely needs to work on his conditioning. I think it's somewhat telling that he thought he was on some sort of healthy diet by eating fried food only on the weekends. Dude, you're a professional athlete, not an overweight middle-aged dad just fighting not to add pounds before a class reunion.

The turnovers are also about decision-making though, and that's that's clearly an area where he (and others) need to tighten things up and just keep the ball moving and make the obvious pass rather than trying to play hero-ball and dribbling into traffic and losing the ball or trying to bail yourself out with a risky pass.

Yes, the diet thing is telling. Edwards is supremely talented, but he is a long way from really understanding what it takes to be a truly great NBA player. I'm re-watching "The Last Dance" and it's a reminder of the total mental and physical commitment it takes to be great. MJ epitomized what it takes to be a great NBA player, but we've seen the same qualities in others like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Giannis. Those players have tended to play their best basketball at the end of games when presumably they're tired. Look at how chiseled their frames looked compared to Edwards as their careers progressed.

Edwards is still really young so it probably isn't fair to expect him to be a superstar early in his 3rd season shortly after his 21st birthday. But now is the time when he should be forming the right habits - honing his mind and body to be great. And shame on the franchise that apparently hasn't been driving those habits into him. Pat Riley would never have allowed Edwards to get away with coming to camp 10 pounds heavier with what was obviously not all muscle. It's bunch of little things that add up to being great rather than just good. I just don't see the necessary attention to detail and related accountability yet from Ant or the Wolves organization regarding all those little things. KAT has his faults, but I'm glad he called out Edwards for his less than optimal eating habits. The Wolves should prescribe exactly what Ant should eat and what he can't. He should be held accountable for reducing his body fat percentage and improving his stamina, energy and explosiveness. The answer to Ant's late-game fatigue isn't modulating his defensive effort over the course of the game. The answer is improving his fitness and honing his mental determination.

[Lipoli390]

By the way, Ant's weight gain and fitness shortcomings are apparent in what I've referred to the past couple weeks as a lack of explosiveness. Well, the numbers and Ant's own self-assessment support my observation. Checkout the following excerpt from an article:

One thing that's been noticeably absent from Edwards' performance thus far is finishing at the rim with a dunk.

"I feel like I lost some of my powers," Edwards told Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Per Basketball-Reference.com, Edwards has attempted 156 field goals with no dunks this season. He had 128 dunks in the previous two seasons combined.

If Ant really wants to be great and truly has a burning desire to win, then he'll get his act together and hone his mind and body to optimize his incredible talent. I think he'll do what he needs to do, but I'm not sure because I'm still not sure what Ant has inside. There were never any doubts about the inner drive of MJ, Kobe, LeBron or Giannis. It's time for Edwards to completely eliminate any such doubts about him.

[Q-is-here]

Yeah, I was surprised to hear he added 10 lbs. over the offseason and people close to the Wolves were lauding his workout regimen. Well, either the Wolves training staff had a poor strategy or Ant was undisciplined. If anything, he should have been looking to lose about 10 lbs., as strength and power are not what he's lacking.