4 of Timberwolves starting 5 make BR Top 100 NBA Players
By Bret Stuter
Number 26
Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards may be rated a bit high in this list, but it is a projection after all. The young Timberwolves sharpshooter is entering just his third NBA season, which means that he will still be less consistent and a bit more streakish in his production than many fans would like.
Edwards is going to get his points this season, whether that means by improving his shot accuracy or simply increasing the number of shots taken. I’m hopeful that his growth comes from improving his accuracy. To that end, he made significant progress to improve his perimeter shot to 35.7 percent in 2021-22. This year, I’d love to see that rise to better than 38 percent from beyond the arc.
While Edwards is entering just his third NBA season, he is already performing as though he has been in the league for much longer. But this season will be particularly crucial for his career. The Timberwolves have clearly improved the overall roster. Unfortunately, that will translate into more disciplined roles for everyone on the basketball court. Can Ant-Man flourish in a specific role? Or will he struggle under the restraints that have, until now, not hampered his ability to freehand his natural ability to create his own opportunities and score?
Defense dude
Edwards has already raised the bar on himself by touting his ability to defend opponents of even the highest caliber. At first, that bold talk triggered a bit of a wince in me. But the more I think about it, the more comfortable I am with the preseason bravado. After all, he is not writing checks for his teammates to cash. Rather, he is speaking his own defensive abilities into existence, which displays the level of confidence that all NBA elite defenders must possess.
Ant blocking KD just became the highlight of Timberwolves' preseason.
— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) October 15, 2022
And also is like the first good thing Minnesota has done tonight
In the preseason, Edwards had moments where he literally fell off the radar, and that was a bit unsettling. But in the fifth and final preseason game, it was Anthony Edwards who heated up in the second half to allow the Timberwolves to close the gap on the Brooklyn Nets and finish the game on a high note. That will pretty much be the cadence for Edwards this season. At times, he will disappear. But when you are just about to count him out, he will roar back to life and lead the Timberwolves to victory.