To win an NBA championship, you need to do something that no team has an answer for. For the New York Knicks, it was a combination of elite wing defense and an unstoppable clutch scorer. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was their historically great defense. Before that, the Boston Celtics had a lethal combination of wing creation, 3-point shooting, and defense.
Not to overreact after three games, but the Minnesota Timberwolves' new backcourt might have the goods to break opposing defenses' brains, to the point where they bring home a championship.
Anthony Edwards has always given opposing defenses headaches with his elite three-level scoring. However, the Wolves' lack of playmaking and secondary scoring was a flaw that gave teams a blueprint on how to stop him. With LaMelo Ball in the mix, though, there's no clear blueprint on how to stop him or the entire offense. Minnesota has started the season 3-0, winning each game by over 20 points. The revamped roster looks as good as anyone could've imagined.
In the end, the advantages that this dynamic backcourt provides could be enough for Minnesota to make a championship leap.
There's no easy answer to limiting Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball
From the moment that LaMelo was traded to the Wolves, it was clear that he would transform their offense. Three games in, we've seen this impact in full force. With Ball on the court, they have a 45.7 net rating, 129.5 offensive rating, and a 63.5 effective field goal percentage. Conversely, they have a 7.7 net rating, 113.4 ORTG, and a 51.7 effective field goal percentage. During Sunday's win over the Toronto Raptors, Minnesota was a plus-33 with Ball on the court and a minus-10 without him.
Simply put, his impact has been off the charts.
Edwards is the biggest beneficiary of LaMelo's presence. He is getting easier shots and playing his natural role as an off-guard with difficult shot-making abilities. We saw how Ball helped Edwards immediately, as he scored 45 points against the Miami Heat. Ant was already a top-five-level player, and now he's reaching another gear, thanks to LaMelo. That's a tantalizing thought.
Having two dynamic guards and a team filled with offensive threats creates a problem with no easy answer for opposing defenses. Teams can no longer double Edwards as much, and if they double Ball, he'll easily find the open man. Still, if you play these guys in single coverage, both of them will eat that up. There's simply no easy solution.
The absurd 3-point volume of this duo also makes the Wolves' new offense unstoppable. Edwards and Ball are two of the league's best 3-point shooters. As noted, Ball's playmaking creates more shots for Edwards. Moreover, Ant's gravity creates more opportunities for Ball. So far, the Wolves have netted a league-leading 42.4 percent of their 3-pointers.
Not only is this style super hard to defend against, but it requires you to get into a shootout most nights. Trying to match the Wolves' level of 3-point shooting is hard enough, and their elite defense makes it even more challenging. This elite shooting could offset the rim protection of the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, particularly since neither squad is a great 3-point shooting team.
The Wolves are a well-rounded team
Ball's presence primarily benefits Edwards, and this dynamic duo is central to the Timberwolves' championship-level advantage. Nevertheless, LaMelo benefits everyone with his playmaking and overall offensive gravity. Minnesota's offense could be elite to the point where nobody can game-plan against them or match their firepower. That's a championship-level advantage.
One concern with the Timberwolves' new-look roster was how all of their offensive threats would mesh together. Ball has silenced this concern, allowing everyone to get involved. So far, six players have averaged over 10 points, and the shot attempts have been balanced thanks to Ball constantly searching for his teammates.
With threats like Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, Ayo Dosunmu, and Terrence Shannon Jr., the Wolves have enough complementary talent. When Edwards and Ball both had off-nights against the Orlando Magic on Friday, the supporting cast picked up the slack. The Wolves' supporting cast, in tandem with Edwards and Ball, makes Minnesota an offensive juggernaut, and as noted, their defense is also really good. It's only October, but they simply have everything you could ask for from a title team.
Ultimately, though, these offensive advantages start with the Edwards and Ball duo. Opposing teams have 79 more games to solve this puzzle, but on paper, there's no clear answer to the countless problems this duo creates for defense.
As mentioned, to win a championship, you need to do something that no team has a counter for, and the Timberwolves may very well have that thanks to this pairing.
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