5 reasons why Minnesota Timberwolves boasts NBA Top 5 backcourt
By Bret Stuter
IV: Complete shot arsenal and scoring options
With the arrival of Rudy Gobert, there is a lot of talk about how the defense will step up. But with Gobert’s low post, that truly activates the entire shot arsenal for both Ant-Man and DLo this season. How so?
For Anthony Edwards, he can take those higher-risk three-point shots, knowing all the while that taking them may or may not sink for him, but it forces NBA defenses to come out and challenge him at the perimeter. When they do that, Edwards can simply drive to the basket for a layup, pass the ball to a teammate, or even lob pass to Rudy Gobert for a score.
DLo takes charge
His teammate, D’Angelo Russell, flashed plenty of command of this team, in a way that you know he is excited to play this season. In the fifth and final preseason game for the Timberwolves, D’Angelo Russell played 27 minutes and led the Timberwolves in scoring with 17 points while also dishing out six assists. He shot nearly 54 percent from the floor, and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
And perhaps most impressive of all, it was the first time that he played alongside both Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on the same basketball court.
While Anthony Edwards was not nearly at the top of his game, scoring just 12 points on four of 14 shooting from the floor, he did end the night by shooting three of seven from the perimeter, good for a 42.9 percent accuracy.
The Timberwolves will not start out hot. There will be bugs to work out, and the team will need to find its rhythm through trial and error throughout the season. But Edwards and Russell have no glaring weaknesses in their shot arsenal this season. They simply have to go out and sink their shots.