Anthony Edwards' impressive stretch quietly highlights a problem for the Timberwolves

To say Anthony Edwards has been impressive over the last six games would be an understatement. The Minnesota Timberwolves star is averaging 38.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 55.6/48.4/75.5 shooting splits. He's been nothing short of otherworldly during this career-best stretch.

When I say this highlights a problem with the Timberwolves, I don't mean one with Ant specifically. The problem is that they shouldn't need Edwards to be this good to win games, and they lost three games in which Ant was fantastic. Julius Randle (16.8 ppg) is the only other player averaging more than 15 points during this six-game stretch.

Minnesota's win on Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans is the biggest example of the Wolves' overreliance on Edwards. The Wolves pulled off a 149-142 overtime win, and Edwards played the entire second half en route to scoring 44 points. Edwards' 40.2 minutes per game also lead the league in the past six games.

The Timberwolves are too dependent on Ant

Tuesday was an absurd game from Edwards, one of the best in his career, no doubt, and it's hard not to admire his ability to play such heavy minutes. However, it's concerning that the Wolves needed a Herculean effort from Edwards to beat a 3-19 Pelicans team. Not only are the Pelicans 3-19, but they're snake-bitten with injuries. On Tuesday, the Pelicans were missing Zion Williamson (who is dealing with a multi-week injury), Jordan Poole, and Herb Jones.

A fully healthy Wolves team should be able to make light work of this Pelicans team. At the very least, Edwards should be able to get some rest in the second half. Edwards, who is averaging 29.8 points on the year, could very well end up leading the league in scoring.

I'm not saying Edwards putting up ungodly numbers is unsustainable, but at some point, his teammates will have to provide more consistent production. 40.2 minutes per game is certainly not sustainable, though.

That's also not to say his teammates have been dreadful. Many of them have had nice moments and big nights during these past six games. Rudy Gobert had 26 points on Tuesday night, and Julius Randle had 22 points and 12 assists on Sunday night. However, it hasn't been consistent.

In addition to the lack of scoring outside of Edwards, the Wolves' defense has been subpar in the past six games. They ranked 14th in defensive rating per Cleaning the Glass during the past six games, but they have been a top 10 defense in the previous three seasons with Rudy Gobert. Edwards is their main source of offense, so they are forced to rely on him further as the defense struggles.

Overall, Edwards' absurd production is a clear positive, as he is allowing the Wolves to stay afloat in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

However, being this dependent on Edwards while not being overly dominant is a bit of a concern. Luckily, the Wolves have the personnel to turn things around and give Edwards some consistent secondary scoring.