Since losing Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to stay afloat. In the last five games, the Timberwolves have gone 4-1, including impressive wins against the Celtics in Boston and the overtime thriller against the Houston Rockets, a significant victory considering the Western Conference standings.
In his absence, the Timberwolves have seen jumps in production across the board, with Jaden McDaniels, Bones Hyland, and Ayo Dosunmu all increasing their point per game average since Edwards' absence.
Edwards could return as soon as Saturday against the Detroit Pistons. Undoubtedly, Ant is having a fantastic season. However, he also needs to adapt to the Timberwolves' new playstyle of pace, ball movement, and defense.
As Edwards ramps up activity and draws closer to a return, his absence may have shown him the value of leaning into this new style of play.
Anthony Edwards needs to embrace the Timberwolves' new identity
With Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle on the court, Minnesota would often play with a slower pace, setting up isolations, post entries, and pick and roll with Rudy Gobert. Since Edwards' absence, Minnesota has ramped up the pace, led by the twin turbos.
The Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland pairing has rejuvenated Minnesota's bench. Before the trade deadline, the bench unit was the Achilles heel of the team, but it has emerged as a strong point for the team. Contrary to the slower pace of the starting lineup, the bench combination of Ayo and Bones has sped up the pace, accumulating fastbreak points and generating early offense.
In addition to this pairing, the acquisition of Kyle Anderson has been pivotal on both sides of the ball. Anderson's versatility, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, has been crucial, finally providing some defensive stability in the non-Gobert minutes.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the trio of Hyland, Dosunmu, and Anderson has a plus-28.4 net rating and a 90.9 defensive rating, highlighting the effectiveness of this group, backed by pacing.
Edwards also needs to showcase more defensive engagement, which has been a problem for him this season.
With Ant now listed as day-to-day, he must adapt to the team's new identity upon his return. Edwards is too explosive and great an athlete to not play in transition, and instead play off the dribble. If Ant-Man can embrace the Timberwolves' pace, ball movement, and defense, Minnesota can become even more dangerous, leaning into the abundance of athleticism this team has.