There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves' offensive struggles in recent weeks, and about what exactly can be done to "fix" them. The team is clearly still thriving on most nights from the defensive side of things, but it is the offensive inconsistency that has routinely doomed this group.
Chris Finch and his staff are still trying to figure things out, and that is understandable given the challenge incorporating Julius Randle presented from the start. Maybe he will be around in Minnesota long-term and maybe he won't, but there is little question that he is a less seamless fit with this team than Karl-Anthony Towns was.
Still, the best player on the roster obviously remains Anthony Edwards, so these discussions of offensive troubles will always return to him. Ant is obviously not any less talented than he was last season, and he remains one of the best players in the association. Despite that, we still see him look less comfortable on some nights than on others. Why is that?
According to the man himself, spacing issues have made playing his game more difficult at times. "Everybody wants me to get downhill, I know that's my strength," he said. "I get to the rim, lay the ball up, dunk the ball, but I can't do that if there's no lane. It's not open."
When Edwards scores efficiently, the offense is respectable
Of course, the addition of Randle and more specifically the lineups that feature him alongside players that opposing defenses do not respect from distance have contributed to this. It is no surprise to Wolves fans that the spacing has often been an issue when the likes of Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert and Randle are all on the floor at the same time.
Through 29 games this season, we are seeing that the best chance the Timberwolves' offense has at looking respectable is when Edwards can find driving lanes to get himself easier shots and open up his playmaking as well, and the numbers show us this is true. In Minnesota's 15 wins, Ant is shooting 47.5% from the floor and 45.2% from three. In their 14 losses, those numbers dip to 41.4% and 38.3% respectively.
No one would question that Edwards is the engine to the Wolves' offense, so it makes sense that the team's scoring will generally go as he goes. Schemes and personnel differ from team to team, but Minnesota has very clearly been scoring more points and ultimately winning games on nights where Ant is able to play naturally, get those easy shots that he loves and have his talent maximized overall.
In the 15 wins where Edwards is shooting north of 47% from the floor, the Timberwolves' offense is putting up 113.3 points per game, which is slightly above league average. In losses, their output shrinks to a shockingly low 104.6 points per night, which is worse than the dead-last offense of the New Orleans Pelicans.
In short, this data would seem to make it obvious that the Wolves need to do whatever they can to increase Ant's ability to play like this. Doing so appears to be one of the most proven ways to make this offense functional on a consistent basis. Whether that solution comes in the form of lineup changes, trades, a simple mental shift, or something else remains to be seen.