After a shaky Game 1, it was fair to wonder what version of Anthony Edwards we would get for the rest of the series, given his knee injury. However, Ant shut down these concerns with a 30-point outburst, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-114 Game 2 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Edwards' knee injury was still affecting him to some extent, but he fought through it and gave the Wolves everything they needed on both ends of the floor.
By far the most encouraging sign of Edwards' performance was his driving and rim finishing. He finished the night with 10 rim attempts, four more than in Game 1, and in general looked more forceful.
Undoubtedly, Ant (and others) attacking the basket is a clear blueprint for the Timberwolves to give the Nuggets' subpar defense headaches. It will, of course, be tricky on a hobbled knee, but Edwards just proved that it's possible, and Game 2 showed the importance of pressuring the rim against Denver.
Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves need to keep attacking the rim
The Wolves went down 39-25 in the first quarter. Like many viewers, I was disgusted with Minnesota's shot selection and offensive approach. Notably, just six of their 24 shot attempts came at the rim in the first quarter. Thankfully, this completely changed in the second quarter, which allowed the Wolves to claw back and ultimately pull off the win.
Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels also did a tremendous job of attacking the rim. Randle helped set the tone with his physicality and had an all-around wonderful game, notching 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. McDaniels punished mismatches at an elite rate while also providing stellar defense.
In general, Minnesota's ball movement was much improved (especially after the first quarter). Even when they were shooting 3s, it was often as a result of drives.
None of this would have been possible without Edwards, though, and the Wolves must lean into this strength for the rest of the series. In the regular season, the Nuggets had the league's third-worst opponent rim percentage, and, in general, they lack athleticism. Even if Edwards isn't at 100 percent, he can expose this weakness with his speed and athleticism.
Attacking Nikola Jokic in pick-and-rolls and forcing his way through the Nuggets' perimeter defense will pay dividends for Ant throughout the series. Plus, Denver is trying to force him to take difficult jump shots, so driving to the rack is a logical counter.
Given how effective attacking the rim proved to be for the Wolves and Edwards, there's no reason why we shouldn't see this trend continue throughout the rest of the series. When it's all said and done, we might be talking about how the Wolves' rim pressure helped them pull off a first-round upset.
Add us as a preferred source on Google