In the 2025 playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves upset the Los Angeles Lakers in just five games. During this first-round series, Anthony Edwards' two-way abilities were on full display, which was a stark contrast to Luka Dončić, who once again got exposed on defense. The Wolves play the Lakers twice in October on the 24th and 29th. Both games will be on National TV, with the first being on Amazon Prime and the second being on ESPN. This gives Ant and the Wolves another chance to send Dončić a familiar message that his defense is not up to par.
After the Wolves' first-round upset over the Lakers, some (not all) people moved Edwards above Dončić in their rankings. If Minnesota beats the Lakers twice early in the season and Dončić once again underperforms on defense, these negative narratives about Luka will start to form again, and rightfully so.
The Wolves can expose Luka's defense again
While Luka was incredible on offense as always, his defense was truly awful against the Wolves. The Lakers' defense had a 103.2 defensive rating with Dončić off the court and a 117.4 with him on the court. Furthermore, Luka was blown by on 65.4 percent of all drives he defended. Luka's conditioning didn't look great in this series either. While Dončić has improved his conditioning this summer, he has never been a good defender and will still need to prove himself on this end of the floor.
Luka's poor defense was in stark contrast to Edwards, who dominated both ends of the court. Edwards' two-way abilities make him one of the league's best stars, and it gives him an edge over Dončić in the eyes of some observers. As mentioned earlier, if the Wolves expose Luka's defense again, there will be some serious conversations about whether Ant is indeed a better player, especially with the national spotlight of these games.
From Dončić's perspective, he should view these early-season games as a chance to prove that his conditioning improvements are real and he is no longer a defensive liability.
The Wolves can also remind the Lakers that they are a notch above them in the West. While the Lakers were the No. 3 seed last year, and the Wolves were the No. 6 seed, in the playoffs, Minnesota proved they were a clear contender, and LA wasn't. If the Wolves can dominate these two early-season matchups, they can set the tone that they are a superior team to the Lakers.
Ultimately, October basketball means very little in the long run. However, one of these teams could send a strong message to the other in these primetime early-season matchups.