Timberwolves: Can Anthony Edwards take leap into superstardom?

Defined Skillset

It’s not every day a player as athletic as Anthony Edwards matches that with polished moves and pull-up jumpers. The tween-tween (back and forth between the legs dribble move) is his go-to move. It sets up two of his favorite tendencies: a blow-by straight to the rim or a pull-up three-point attempt. The percentages on the floor might suggest that Edwards is a below-average shooter/finisher, but we must account for difficulty.

Edwards takes extremely difficult shots. He’s incorporated the Harden double step-back move into his game, which takes a lot of skill. The more skill a move requires, the more difficult the move is more times than not. He makes those Harden-like three-point attempts but cold stretches drag down his percentage.

He has a nice handle with the ball and doesn’t have to rely on his freakish athleticism. His in-and-out dribble move is effective as he also uses that to get to his spots. He shows off his defined skillset with counter moves off his in-and-out dribble, and he leaves defenders in the dust with in-and-out crosses.

He challenges every rim protector at the basket and makes a lot of difficult shots at the rim. These tough layup and dunk attempts over seven-footers add up and blemish his percentages as he shot 63 percent at the rim, per Cleaning The Glass. Ranking in the 49th percentile amongst wings.

Edwards will take that leap into superstardom by finishing those tougher attempts, and turning them into more efficient shots will be key in speeding up the process. He relentlessly attacks any rim protector because of his “best player in the world mentality.”