The 2022-23 NBA season did not exactly go as planned for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team started out by shaking hands and making introductions on the last game of the preseason. The team managed 20 or so games of mixed results. Then, starting power forward Karl-Anthony Towns was lost to injury for 53 games.
That’s not exactly how to succeed when an NBA team adopts an innovative and difficult change in team philosophy. All through it all, the Timberwolves surged ahead on small winning streaks. Then, without notice, sank once more on small and unpredictable losing streaks.
The Timberwolves may not have enjoyed a full and healthy roster throughout the season. But is there a silver lining to all of the chaos and adversity that blew like an icy cold gale headwind out of the north against the Minnesota Timberwolves roster all season?
I think so, yes. This group of players has been forged by the furnaces of a long and taxing NBA season into one team. Best of all, the young shooting guard Anthony Edwards seems to have been forged into an NBA elite player.
Ant-Man nears NBA Avenger status
If you have been waiting for Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards to take that big step into the Top-Tier of NBA players, I believe he has done so. His ability to show up and sustain an incredible performance in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs against the NBA Western Conference’s best team, the Denver Nuggets, has been a bit eye-opening.
Ant tonight:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 9, 2023
26 PTS
13 REB
4 AST
4 STL
4 BLK
Joins KG as the only Minnesota players to reach those numbers in a game. pic.twitter.com/SQ36lSFvkI
Edwards has been a headliner in almost every game of Round 1 so far. While his regular season averaged
36.0 MPG | 24.6 PPG | 5.8 RPG | 4.4 APG | 0.7 BPG | 1.6 SPG | 2.4 PF | 3.3 TO
His 2023 NBA Playoff performance has averaged
39.8 MPG | 32.3 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 4.8 APG | 2.0 BPG | 2.3 SPG | 2.5 PF | 1.8 TO
That’s quite an overdrive gear that he has.
While many of the Minnesota Timberwolves stars have shrunk under the spotlight of the NBA Playoffs, Anthony Edwards continues to grow in stature and importance for the team.
That may or may not be significant enough to help these Minnesota Timberwolves to overcome a 1-3 record deficit in Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. But it was enough to turn the momentum in the Timberwolves’ favor with an 0-3 record deficit.
Look out for the little guy. Is Minnesota Timberwolves Ant-Man nearing an NBA superhero status? Some might say that he is already there.