Last season, Anthony Edwards shocked the NBA by becoming one of the league's best shooters. Edwards made 320 3-pointers, which led the league, and shot a career-high 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. His shooting translated to winning at the highest level when Ant hit five or more triples; the Minnesota Timberwolves posted a 22-7 record, which is equivalent to a 61-win pace. Edwards also racked up a career-high 27.6. points per game in part due to his improvements as a shooter.
The Wolves ranked fifth in made 3s last season. However, if Edwards had simply hit his 2023-24 3-point total, they would have ranked just 14th. Undoubtedly, Edwards' shooting must continue for the Wolves to reach their championship aspirations, and there's significant reason to believe this trend is primed to continue.
Edwards' shooting is primed to continue
Once a player becomes elite at a specific skill, we rarely see them turn back. This is especially true for Edwards, who just turned 24. It's hard to ignore how Edwards got better with increased volume last season. Edwards' efficiency could take a slight hit, and he might rank closer to three than one on total made 3s. However, Edwards' volume feels primed to remain the same, and it's likely that he'll remain among the league's best shooters.
Edwards' biggest area of growth last season was as a pull-up shooter. Notably, Edwards netted 38.5 percent of his pull-up attempts, which far exceeded his previous career-high of 33.8 percent. This was paired with Edwards shooting 3.1 more pull-ups 3s per game. Additionally, Edwards' 230 made pull-up 3s led the NBA by a substantial margin, with James Harden's 184 being the second most. Given Edwards' gifts as a shot-creator and age, it's easy to buy his shooting jump being real, especially his pull-up shooting.
Anthony Edwards pull-up 3s pic.twitter.com/KlDQCJ79be
— Eamon Cassels (@EamonCassels) August 12, 2025
Unquestionably, Edwards' shooting was a key part of the Wolves' offensive success last season. He led the Wolves to the league's eighth-best offense, which was a jump from their previous ranking of 17th. Impressively, Edwards had a +5.3 on/off offensive swing. It's even more amazing what Edwards was able to accomplish with the increased defensive pressure he received. Sure, having Julius Randle alongside him helped, but Edwards still received an immense amount of defensive pressure.
Ultimately, given just how elite Edwards' shooting was last season and his age, it's hard not to buy into his shooting leap being the new norm. However, he'll still have to prove it, and taking away his 3-point shot will be an increased priority for opposing defenses this year.
Edwards, maintaining his shooting numbers and improving his playmaking, will solidify his spot as a consensus top-five player and could help him earn an All-NBA first-team selection. All of this is essential for the Wolves to reach their championship aspirations.