The Minnesota Timberwolves now have the same winning percentage with and without Anthony Edwards—3-1 and 6-2 records, respectively.
That doesn't mean Minnesota is an equal team with or without Edwards. They will welcome him back with open arms as soon as he is ready to return to the court. It just shows that players have stepped up in his absence.
Here are four of them (though they aren’t the only four). Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
LaMelo Ball
In the first few games, Ball still seemed to be trying to integrate into his new team's offense. He wasn’t nearly as aggressive as he was for much of his Charlotte Hornets tenure.
Not only is he calling his number more often, but the 25-year-old has also been fairly efficient with the ball. Ball has three games with six made 3-pointers and two more with four without Edwards. He has scored at least 20 points in each of the last five outings, which coincides with a five-game Wolves win streak.
He’s helping out a lot on the defensive end, though. Not exactly known as a good defender, Ball has worked hard on that end and is playing a role in the Timberwolves’ top-ranked defense.
Ayo Dosunmu
The most obvious player to include on this list, Dosunmu has started the last eight games in place of Edwards. The 26-year-old was never going to replace Ant-Man’s scoring prowess fully, but he’s been incredible in every facet.
Dosunmu has been consistently awesome since joining the starting lineup, scoring at least 15 in each of the eight outings and going 21-plus four times. In just one of the nine, he has shot less than 50% from the field, and he’s knocked down 47.5 percent of his 3-point attempts.
The Timberwolves are certainly grateful their stud sixth man has seamlessly slotted into the starting lineup, making a big impact on both ends.
Bones Hyland
It’s hard to remember that Hyland didn’t look to be in the rotation when the season began, only playing garbage time in the regular-season opener. Now, he’s arguably been the main catalyst for a Minnesota bench that is still producing, even with Dosunmu now starting.
Before Edwards left the lineup, Hyland totaled nine points. In the nine games since, he has averaged 13.6 points in 15.8 minutes. He even has two games with eight assists.
The 26-year-old has done a wonderful job of both connecting on long-range shots and penetrating to the basket for easy hoops. He will never be known as an elite defender, but Hyland also has eight steals since Edwards went down. The bench unit without Dosunmu looked like it might struggle to find scoring, but Hyland has made sure that hasn’t been the case.
Trey Lyles
Shout-out to Tim Connelly for bringing Lyles back to the NBA, a player he got to know during his time with the Denver Nuggets.
Lyles won’t put up huge numbers. Look at the last two games, though: the 31-year-old is a whopping plus-55 in 36 minutes.
The 11th-year player keeps a defense honest by knocking down outside shots. While he's not a rim protector like Rudy Gobert or Joan Beringer, he's held it down when called on to play without either of them on the floor.
What a steal on a veteran’s minimum contract.
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