On Friday, the Timberwolves handed the Thunder just their third loss of the year. Of course, that’s the same Thunder team that knocked out Minnesota in five games during last season’s Western Conference finals. So, it wasn’t exactly getting even, but it had to feel good to defeat the defending champions.
Anthony Edwards in the win vs OKC
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 20, 2025
Go-ahead 3
Blocks SGA
Gets rebound
Clamps SGA
"I receive a lot of negative criticism because I never go for the tie. I heard Gilbert Arenas not to long ago say I'm trying to go home. I'm going for the game every time."pic.twitter.com/Ey9vxIGdmC
The matchup also saw two of the game’s top scorers square off in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards. This season, we have seen Edwards make small changes in his offensive game that are similar to what Gilgeous-Alexander does on a nightly basis.
Edwards not afraid to shoot mid-range jumpers
Now in his sixth season, one where he will be 24 years old in its entirety, there was no reason to believe that Ant Man had reached his final form. Some of the improvements he has made in his 22 appearances this year are similar to improvements that SGA made earlier in his career and continue to display.
The midrange shot has become somewhat of a lost art in the NBA with the 3-point craze, but it certainly isn't obsolete. Starting in the 2022-23 season, Gilgeous-Alexander began upping his volume from the midrange. So far this season, slightly more than 35 percent of his shot attempts are 2-pointers that are at least 10 feet out.
Edwards, while not at that frequency, is looking to score in that range more often. He still shoots more 3s than SGA, but the volume has declined from 2024-25, when Edwards led the league in 3-pointers made. In 22 appearances this year, about 21 percent of Ant's field goal attempts are from 10 feet or further in 2-point range (about 16 percent last season).
The reigning MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander, is notorious for living at the foul line (to the point that Timberwolves fans have chanted free throw merchant at him). The 27-year-old is averaging 9.5 attempts this season, and 9.4 since 2022-23.
Partly because he is shooting fewer 3s, Edwards is earning more trips to the line. His 7.4 foul shots per contest are one more than he has ever averaged. In six of his 22 appearances, Edwards has double-digit attempts.
Further improvements are still likely
This isn’t to say that Edwards has caught up to SGA when it comes to the offensive end. Many believed that Ant would have to show more playmaking in order to truly enter the MVP conversation.
Instead, his 3.9 assists per game are Edwards’ lowest since his second season in 2021-22. He also currently possesses his career-worst assist-to-turnover ratio.
Nonetheless, Edwards still has his best career true shooting percentage, PER, and offensive box plus/minus. In the Thunder game, a performance where he struggled with his shooting stroke, Edwards finished with six assists and just one turnover.
Again, he’s still just 24. Edwards has shown improvements in other areas, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t in other facets of his game that are perceived to not be strengths.