The Minnesota Timberwolves followed up a stellar Game 1 with an awful Game 2, resulting in an embarrassing 133-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. While the defense was far from promising, the biggest story to me was the Wolves' questionable offensive process and shot selection.
They finished the game shooting 39.8 percent from the field, committing 22 turnovers to 19 assists, and finished with an 88 offensive rating (somehow an improvement from their 64.2 ORTG at half). Not ideal to say the least.
Blaming a 38-point loss solely on one player is silly, and that's not what I'm doing. Without a doubt, though, teams take on the mindset of their best player. Anthony Edwards' fearless mentality has largely benefited the Timberwolves.
Still, Ant isn't a perfect player, and at times, he can play too much hero ball, which, in turn, can derail the Timberwolves' ball movement and overall offense. Unfortunately, Game 2 was an example of this, and it hurt the Wolves.
Edwards' poor shot selection crushed the Timberwolves' offense
Edwards came off the bench for the second game in a row following his knee injury. However, his mindset couldn't have been more different in Game 1.
Instead of letting the game come to him, Ant forced difficult shot after difficult shot. He quickly fired up six shots in the first quarter, hitting just one -- ultimately, Edwards finished with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting. When the Spurs went to double-teaming Ant, he failed to make the right reads, committing four turnovers and jacking up bad shots. It's worth noting that Edwards didn't record a single assist in 24 minutes of play.
After Ant checked in, the offense spiraled, and the ball movement disappeared. There were far too many possessions where just one player touched the ball, and it was a direct reflection of Ant's offensive strategy.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't going great before he checked in, but the process and ball movement offered some promise. Likewise, the rest of the team has to do a better job of sticking to the game plan.
Credit the Spurs' defense for making things difficult, but there's no denying that the decision-making from Ant and the rest of the Wolves team was unacceptable.
Edwards must find more balance
I want to be crystal clear about this: Edwards' difficult shot-making is one of the biggest gifts in the entire NBA, and he is the primary engine for their success.
Nevertheless, Ant must find the balance between knowing when to attack and playing within the flow of the offense. He did so in Game 1 -- but failed sorely to do so in Game 2. It's worth noting that Edwards trying to do everything himself was a problem at times during the regular season.
While Edwards was terrific in Game 1, it's worth giving him some level of grace as he's dealing with his second knee injury since March. He could still be finding his groove, and it's unreasonable to expect perfection. I also think inserting him back into the starting lineup could help him get into a better flow.
Regardless, Game 1 was the perfect blueprint of why the value of balancing taking over as a creator and letting everyone else cook. Truly, it's a simple yet powerful adjustment, and it's one that Ant should be able to make with ease for Game 3.
If this hero ball style continues, though, more serious conversations will have to happen.
Add us as a preferred source on Google