The Minnesota Timberwolves made a big-time trade this summer, landing LaMelo Ball to be Anthony Edwards’ backcourt partner of the future. But Edwards cannot lean on Ball too heavily. In fact, if the Wolves want to reach new heights moving forward, Edwards needs to take some serious strides as a playmaker. He can’t just expect Ball to carry that load for him.
Edwards is inevitably going to have the ball in his hands a ton. He’s going to have to make plays for others just like Ball will, even though Ball is set up to be the Timberwolves' point guard. Because of that, Edwards needs to be a better playmaker. Especially now that the Wolves are going to be running guard-heavy lineups, playmaking will be essential.
Minnesota needs Edwards to take a major leap as a passer, even though they just landed Ball to take over the one.
Anthony Edwards needs to improve as a playmaker
The Wolves brought in Ball to take the reins of the Wolves’ offense. He’s one of the best passers in the NBA, and he’s going to do a great job of improving the Timberwolves’ overall offense.
Ball is going to have the ball in his hands a lot next year. That’s why the Timberwolves got him. They’ve been searching for an offensive organizer at the one for years, and they finally found a guy for the job.
But just because Ball is now on board and ready to take over the point guard spot doesn’t mean that Edwards can stay complacent. He still needs to make a serious jump as a playmaker.
For as much as the ball is inevitably going to be in Ball’s hands, Edwards is going to have it just as much, if not more. That means he’ll have plenty of chances to set up his teammates.
Through the first six years of his career, Edwards has only cracked the five assists per game mark one time. Last year, he dipped back down below four, averaging 3.7 per game.
On top of that, he averaged 2.9 turnovers per game. That’s a pretty rough assist-to-turnover ratio for a guy who is going to have the ball in his hands as much as Edwards does.
The Wolves need Edwards to take a serious leap as a playmaker. If he can do that, their chances at winning a title would jump exponentially.
That’s the obvious next step Edwards needs to take in improving his overall game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google