After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the playoffs, it was clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves needed to shake up their roster. In particular, they needed more high-end playmaking and scoring alongside Anthony Edwards, so they traded for LaMelo Ball. Far too often last season, the Wolves' offense got bogged down, and there was nobody to alleviate the pressure off Ant.
And while it's just one regular-season game, the first official game of the Ball era was a resounding success.
The Wolves crushed the Miami Heat 131-106. Edwards stole the show with a 45-point showing, but Ball was fantastic, and this game showed the Timberwolves everything they could've hoped for from this dynamic backcourt. Ball recorded 21 points and six assists.
LaMelo Ball changed the Timberwolves' style of play for the better
Pace and space defined Minnesota's offense, and it's a style of play that Ball directly helped unlock. The Wolves launched 50 3-pointers, converting on 42 percent of them. Ball and Edwards combined 14 of these makes and 30 of these attempts. Per Cleaning the Glass, Minnesota ranked in the 84th percentile for 3-point frequency tonight.
For a team that ranked just 17th in 3-point attempts last season, this is a significant departure.
Pairing two of the highest-volume 3-point shooters in the league makes the Timberwolves' offense incredibly difficult to game plan against. It puts defenses in a pick-your-poison type of situation, and it forces them to play at your style. Few teams will be able to match this level of shooting on offense and have the defense needed to challenge this dynamic backcourt.
Furthermore, LaMelo alleviates a ton of pressure off Ant as a shot creator and playmaker. Edwards has never shared the floor with someone with this level of offensive gravity.
In turn, this creates easier looks for Edwards. Now, Ant's difficult shot-making was simply off the charts on Wednesday. Still, Edwards was doubled less because of Ball's presence, and we saw some nice creative off-ball actions.
LaMelo's ability to thrive on and off the ball is exactly what the Timberwolves need alongside Ant, and this skill set was on full display during Wednesday's game.
As mentioned earlier, pace is another element that Ball unlocks for the Wolves. In Wednesday's game, this was seen a ton in transition. However, decisions were made quickly in the half-court, which put a ton of pressure on Miami's defense and led to the ball zipping around. On a nightly basis, this will make the Wolves' offense a tough unit to keep up with.
The difference between this and the typical monotonous style we've been accustomed to seeing from the Wolves was night and day.
Ball's six assists (while impressive) don't tell the full story. His passing set the tone for the Wolves' offense, which led to some hockey assists.
Four of Ball's assists came in the first quarter, which helped everyone get involved in the offense. Considering that Ant had 45 points, the ball movement was generally strong, and that's a credit to LaMelo. Plus, the impact of his gravity didn't just benefit Ant—it benefited everyone.
Again, it's just one game, but after an offseason of excitement, it was awesome to see LaMelo transform the Timberwolves' offense exactly as we expected. There's no reason that the Timberwolves' offense won't be able to sustain this success. Okay, they might not look this good every night, but LaMelo will make them one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.
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