Excitement is in the air as the NBA season is nearly upon us. After back-to-back Western Conference finals appearances, the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of winning a championship. With Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and a well-rounded supporting cast, the Wolves are positioned to compete for a title.
However, last season they were just the No. 6 seed in the West, and to maximize their contention chances in a loaded conference, moving up the standings would be beneficial for the Wolves.
A big part of regular season success is taking care of business against bad teams. During media day, Edwards was asked about how he can improve on some of his more subpar games against bad teams in the regular season.
"Try to get a career-high in points, Edwards said confidently. I think that's how I'm gonna do it. Because usually I approach it like, ahh, I'm gonna let me let my teammates get their sh*t off. Instead, I'm just gonna go for a career-high, I think that's how I'm gonna stay engaged.
In addition to this answer being objectively hilarious, this strategy could be highly valuable to the Wolves and Ant. Undoubtedly, Edwards' best trait is his elite all-around scoring, and looking to rack up as many points as possible against poor teams will help the Wolves take care of business.
Edwards' new strategy against bad teams will be beneficial
Last season, the Wolves lost three games against teams that won fewer than 25 games. At face value, this doesn't seem like a terrible thing. Regardless, the margin for error is so thin in the West, and the Wolves can't afford to drop games against bad teams.
Only three of Edwards' 20 highest scoring games were against teams with fewer than 30 wins. Additionally, three of the 15 games where Edwards didn't notch 20-plus points came against teams that finished with fewer than 30 wins, including one of two games where he didn't reach double-digit points.
In the same breath, Edwards' season-high assist game (11) came against the Utah Jazz. To Edwards' point, it's clear that he was prioritizing getting his teammates involved against some of the league's worst teams.
While evolving as a playmaker is important for Edwards, it might be in the best interest of the team if Ant comes into games against bad teams with the mindset of scoring as much as possible. Edwards set his career-high last season, notching 53 points against the Detroit Pistons.
However, given Edwards' comments and that he's still just 24, it's reasonable to expect that he sets a new career-high, especially against one of the league's worst teams. Watching Edwards go off against bad teams will certainly be entertaining, and it will likely help the Wolves avoid unwanted losses.