The Minnesota Timberwolves will enter the 2025 NBA Playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the Association. At 17-4, the Timberwolves posted the third-best winning percentage in the NBA after Mar. 1, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.
Slated to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason, however, an unavoidable reality is dawning on MInnesota: They'll only go as far as Anthony Edwards takes them.
Edwards has turned in another season worthy of All-NBA praise in 2024-25. He's also less than a year removed from leading Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals. The pressure he faces now, however, is unlke any he's previously encountered.
According to Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star-Tribune, Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley explained that Edwards is in for a series that will test his mettle.
“He’s got to be able to grow up right in front of us and be able to handle what he’s about to experience,” Conley said. “It’s going to be a lot of trying to get the ball out of his hands. They’re going to try to be smarter than us, they’re going to try to outwit us in a lot of different areas. He’s got to be patient, he’s got to be able to be thinking ahead of the game...LeBron does it all the time. [Edwards has to] start looking at the second and third layer of things."
Conley continued, explicitly stating that the only chance the Timberwolves will have to defeat the Lakers will be if Edwards proves that he can be the superstar they need him to be.
"If we’re going to have a chance to win that series, he’s got to be that guy. And I think he can be and will be for us. He’s been locked in since we knew we were playing the Lakers. He was already texting the group and getting us all ready and watching film and getting ready to go, so I know he’s going to be ready.”
Conley refused to mince words when discussing what the Timberwolves need from Edwards, and nothing he said errs on the side of irrational.
Mike Conley on Anthony Edwards: "He’s got to be that guy"
Edwards is one of the best players in the NBA, seemingly destined for All-NBA Second Team honors in 2024-25. He finished the regular season averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 4.1 three-point field goals made on .447/.395/.837 shooting.
It was an impressive follow-up campaign to 2023-24, when Edwards garnered Michael Jordan comparisons during Minnesota's run to its first Conference Finals in 20 years.
The roster has changed, however, as Minnesota swapped All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns for a package that centered around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. It was a struggle early on, as chemistry issues inevitably arose for a new-look team.
One of the keys to Minnesota closing out the regular season in dominant form, however, was Randle's emergence as the primary playmaker and Edwards' elevation as a scorer.
Against the Lakers, the new dynamics will be challenged and Edwards will be forced to bail his team out if all else fails. It's the burden of a superstar, as they're disproportionately tasked with making plays that may not necessarily be the most logical decision on the average possession.
As Conley noted, however, Edwards must find a way to overcome the Lakers' inevitable efforts to take the ball out of his hands and still make winning plays.
The burden a superstar carries goes beyond logical plays
In some scenarios, that will require Edwards to be able to split double teams, dribble out of tight coverage, and get shots up that he's uniquely qualified to make. In others, he'll need to do more than just pass out of pressure, but instead find ways to exploit risky rotations with his passing and shooting.
It may not be the most logical approach to playing against a stifling defense, but championships are rarely won by teams without superstars willing to make bold decisions.
Beyond the stat sheet, the reason every team chases a superstar is that they typically possess the ability to make plays others can only dream of. They not only make something out of nothing, but strike in such remarkable ways that opposing defenses must rethink their entire strategy against them.
With a series against Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers looming, Conley is making it clear that Edwards needs to be special for the Timberwolves to have a fighting chance.