Minnesota Sports Forum

He's averaging 23/5/3 on 43/34/77 splits since the All star break

Zach Lowe says he has "A simple fix". Does anyone have Insider so we (Ant included) can find out what it is?

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Zach Lowe says he has "A simple fix". Does anyone have Insider so we (Ant included) can find out what it is?

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/31311651/ten-nba-things-like-including-endless-wizardry-stephen-curry-poku

I think you can read it there. It didn't block me out. Mainly stop chasing for offensive rebounds and get his ass back in transition to the first open man.

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Zach Lowe says he has "A simple fix". Does anyone have Insider so we (Ant included) can find out what it is?

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/31311651/ten-nba-things-like-including-endless-wizardry-stephen-curry-poku

I think you can read it there. It didn't block me out. Mainly stop chasing for offensive rebounds and get his ass back in transition to the first open man.

It won't let me read it either

8. The easy fixes for Anthony Edwards

I continue to be bullish on Edwards. His growing chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns has been one of the joys of the past two months -- how they bob and weave in concert, faking a handoff one way before flipping it the other direction. The return of D'Angelo Russell has interrupted that development a tad, but talent is talent, and the Wolves need all they can get.

Minnesota is 6-6 with Russell and Towns available. Josh Okogie rediscovered his confidence from deep, though we know how that movie usually ends. Jaden McDaniels is legit; the Okogie/McDaniels pairing is the type of defensive bulwark the Russell/Edwards/Towns nucleus needs, though I'm skeptical it brings enough shooting.

Meanwhile, Malik Beasley and his 20 points per game are missing; the Russell/Beasley/Towns/Edwards quartet has logged just 13 minutes. Such bad luck could only befall the Wolves.

Minus his nightly steal, Edwards has been bad on defense -- as expected for a teenager. It takes time for score-first guys to learn the complexities of NBA schemes. Barring some lack of will, Edwards should become at least an average defender.

He sometimes meanders toward the offensive glass -- too halfhearted to count as "crashing" -- when he has little chance at a rebound. Edwards has 47 offensive rebounds in 60 games, so the risk-reward is not working.

Edwards has good intentions: making himself available for the corner-to-corner pass. But Naz Reid -- having a very nice season! -- is already there, with two other Wolves under the basket.

This is fixable with experience and care. If we are having this same discussion in two years, it's a problem.

lipoli390 wrote:8. The easy fixes for Anthony Edwards

I continue to be bullish on Edwards. His growing chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns has been one of the joys of the past two months -- how they bob and weave in concert, faking a handoff one way before flipping it the other direction. The return of D'Angelo Russell has interrupted that development a tad, but talent is talent, and the Wolves need all they can get.

Minnesota is 6-6 with Russell and Towns available. Josh Okogie rediscovered his confidence from deep, though we know how that movie usually ends. Jaden McDaniels is legit; the Okogie/McDaniels pairing is the type of defensive bulwark the Russell/Edwards/Towns nucleus needs, though I'm skeptical it brings enough shooting.

Meanwhile, Malik Beasley and his 20 points per game are missing; the Russell/Beasley/Towns/Edwards quartet has logged just 13 minutes. Such bad luck could only befall the Wolves.

Minus his nightly steal, Edwards has been bad on defense -- as expected for a teenager. It takes time for score-first guys to learn the complexities of NBA schemes. Barring some lack of will, Edwards should become at least an average defender.

He sometimes meanders toward the offensive glass -- too halfhearted to count as "crashing" -- when he has little chance at a rebound. Edwards has 47 offensive rebounds in 60 games, so the risk-reward is not working.

Edwards has good intentions: making himself available for the corner-to-corner pass. But Naz Reid -- having a very nice season! -- is already there, with two other Wolves under the basket.

This is fixable with experience and care. If we are having this same discussion in two years, it's a problem.

Thanks for posting and/or possibly composing, Lip.

Dear Everyone who complained about this season,

THIRTEEN MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!! So how about they go ahead and lose 70 and maybe keep their pick instead of fantasizing about Ed Davis hoisting the O'Brien Trophy? I know, crazy, right?

Love,
Jason

Good article on Ant.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/sports/basketball/anthony-edwards-timberwolves.html?searchResultPosition=1

The improvement by Edwards this season has been stunning. If he build even a little on this second half of the season performance heading into next year, he may end up being our best player or at least give KAT a run for his money.

Q12543 wrote:The improvement by Edwards this season has been stunning. If he build even a little on this second half of the season performance heading into next year, he may end up being our best player or at least give KAT a run for his money.

I couldn't agree more. While I thought Ant was the clear choice at #1, I never thought his rookie year would be as good as it has been. I dismissed his relatively poor shooting in college because every time I looked at video of him he had 3 defenders on him...I suggested that he would blossom with KAT and Dlo attracting most of the defensive attention. But I never suspected that he would become such a willing and able passer once defenses began doubling him. He's been terrific, and he's still only 19.

In addition to being an extraordinary athlete, he has a unique personality...I really don't think there is anyone like him in the league. But I haven't yet decided if this is good or not. He's joyful, which makes him a popular teammate and a fan favorite. But there's something about him that I mentioned in another thread that bugs me a little, and since it got no replies, it's likely just my issue and not relevant. But my concern is that he might lack the gravitas to truly reach his potential and become a superstar. As I look at the top 100 players of all time, the only one I can think of with as goofy a personality as Ant is Rodman. Everyone else on the list seems to have one thing in common...there's never a time on the court when they don't or didn't have their game face on. Sure, I recognize Ant is only 19. But I can remember stars like James, Bryant, Garnett, etc, at 19, and they had a seriousness about them in their rookie years that stayed with them their entire careers. Perhaps Ant is unique and he becomes the first joyful and somewhat goofy player to join the list of 100 greatest players. But it's just as likely his childlike demeanor holds him back. It's an odd concern, I know, but something that I think about often when I watch him.

But yeah, I agree Q...his improvement has been stunning. If he progresses over his next 5 years at anywhere near the pace he did this year, we have something really special here.

FNG wrote:

Q12543 wrote:The improvement by Edwards this season has been stunning. If he build even a little on this second half of the season performance heading into next year, he may end up being our best player or at least give KAT a run for his money.

I couldn't agree more. While I thought Ant was the clear choice at #1, I never thought his rookie year would be as good as it has been. I dismissed his relatively poor shooting in college because every time I looked at video of him he had 3 defenders on him...I suggested that he would blossom with KAT and Dlo attracting most of the defensive attention. But I never suspected that he would become such a willing and able passer once defenses began doubling him. He's been terrific, and he's still only 19.

In addition to being an extraordinary athlete, he has a unique personality...I really don't think there is anyone like him in the league. But I haven't yet decided if this is good or not. He's joyful, which makes him a popular teammate and a fan favorite. But there's something about him that I mentioned in another thread that bugs me a little, and since it got no replies, it's likely just my issue and not relevant. But my concern is that he might lack the gravitas to truly reach his potential and become a superstar. As I look at the top 100 players of all time, the only one I can think of with as goofy a personality as Ant is Rodman. Everyone else on the list seems to have one thing in common...there's never a time on the court when they don't or didn't have their game face on. Sure, I recognize Ant is only 19. But I can remember stars like James, Bryant, Garnett, etc, at 19, and they had a seriousness about them in their rookie years that stayed with them their entire careers. Perhaps Ant is unique and he becomes the first joyful and somewhat goofy player to join the list of 100 greatest players. But it's just as likely his childlike demeanor holds him back. It's an odd concern, I know, but something that I think about often when I watch him.

But yeah, I agree Q...his improvement has been stunning. If he progresses over his next 5 years at anywhere near the pace he did this year, we have something really special here.

I think your thoughts on Edwards are valid. FWIW Kyle Lowry has a pretty goofy personality. He had some attitude problems earlier in life. I don't think him now being a goofy guy is something that holds him back now especially in terms of play on the court. If Towns and Edwards end up being a duo for the long haul it might he good for Towns to have a guy next to him that takes himself a little less seriously.