Anthony Edwards' offseason focus might surprise Timberwolves fans

Anthony Edwards taking his game to another level has been a key story of the Minnesota Timberwolves' upcoming season. Edwards is a top-five caliber player; however, the 24-year-old still has another level to reach. Recently, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Edwards is focusing on developing a mid-range and post-game this season.

"I've been told this offseason, Anthony Edwards' No. 1 focus is a new area of development, and that's the post-up game, Shams reported. The mid-post, the high-post, the low-post, establishing a mid-range game, and the fadeaway shot from the post, à la Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant."

This might surprise people, as much of the focus around Ant's improvement has been about him developing as a playmaker. Regardless, establishing more of a post and mid-range game would benefit Edwards.

Developing as a mid-range and post scorer would help Edwards

Notably, last season Edwards shot just 30.8 percent on 26 total post-ups. This was a steep decrease from his 53.1 percent shooting on 49 post-ups in the 2023-24 season. Additionally, Edwards shot just 37.6 percent from the mid-range area. Developing a more consistent mid-range and post-game would help Edwards reach another level.

He averaged 27.6 points last season, so it might not result in a massive statistical leap, but he would be more effective as an overall scorer. It's possible this could result in Edwards earning an All-NBA first team and being in the mix for MVP.

In the Western Conference finals, Edwards' lack of a mid-range game hurt him. The Oklahoma City Thunder's defense baited Edwards into taking mid-range shots, but he couldn't make them pay. Edwards saw the value of the mid-range shot up close in this series as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated from the mid-range. SGA's 65 made mid-range shots, led the playoffs by more than double the next player. He also shot 59.1 percent on post-ups. As Edwards tries to close the gap between him and SGA, developing a mid-range shot is a necessary step.

Edwards is a gifted isolation scorer, and earlier in his career, he was an effective mid-range scorer. Consequently, it's reasonable to believe he can become a knockdown mid-range shooter this season. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and with elite athletic gifts, Edwards is perfectly suited to be an elite post-scorer.

Many people were concentrated on Edwards' growth as a playmaker, which is still possible despite the focus evidently being on mid-range/post scoring. Edwards getting to his spots in the mid-range could open opportunities for him as a playmaker. This report could also indicate that the Wolves are more confident in second-year guard Rob Dillingham than we believe, or that Julius Randle could play even more of a point forward role.

Nevertheless, it's fair to expect that Edwards will take a jump as both a mid-range scorer and playmaker. These improvements could help him and the Timberwolves reach another level.