There are plenty of reasons to be excited about LaMelo Ball's fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, it's impossible to argue that it's a risk-averse move. Beyond injuries, Ball's subpar defense is a reason to be concerned about his fit with the Timberwolves.
Without a doubt, the Timberwolves will need more from Anthony Edwards on this end of the floor to make this pairing work at the highest level. This is especially true since Jaden McDaniels feels primed to guard opposing forwards and/or act as an off-ball roamer more, not as the point-of-attack stopper that he's been for the last several years.
As such, Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu will have to pick up the slack as perimeter stoppers. Edwards is coming off arguably the worst defensive season of his career -- even if they use someone else on the ball more, his engagement and overall habits must improve.
LaMelo Ball's subpar defense requires Anthony Edwards to step up
Despite being 6-foot-7, Ball isn't a good defender. Thankfully, his height makes it easy to hide him on opposing wings or forwards. LaMelo is a fine chase defender and offers some level of defensive playmaking, ranking in the 65th percentile for steals per 100 possessions according to Databallr.
Nevertheless, on the ball, he doesn't hold up well at all, and he often hides on low-usage players. According to Basketball Index, LaMelo ranked in the 10th percentile for matchup difficulty and the 31st percentile for perimeter isolation defense.
Now, it's fair to expect that the Timberwolves' defensive culture and having fewer offensive duties can help Ball improve his defense at some level. Regardless, it's not fair to expect him to all of a sudden take on difficult matchups and be an on-ball stopper in any way.
This makes it vital for Edwards to clean up his defense both on and off the ball. Frankly, if Ant defends at the level he did last season, it won't matter how good the offensive pairing of this duo is -- the defense will limit their upside.
It's time for Edwards to fulfill his two-way upside
Tim Connelly has long referred to Ant as the league's best two-way guard. In theory, this label makes sense. However, the reality is that Edwards has a ton of room to grow on the defensive side of the ball to fulfill this label.
Thankfully, Edwards has shown flashes of brilliance, particularly as an on-ball defender. He can get up in opposing players' grills and plays stifling on-ball defense. Is Ant anything close to a consistently elite on-ball stopper, though? Simply put, no.
Due to how overtaxed he was on offense and McDaniels' defensive greatness, Edwards was mostly deployed off the ball last year. Despite having overall solid metrics, Edwards' inconsistent positioning defending on the ball often caused him to get blown by, and he often didn't recover on such plays. Furthermore, Edwards' off-ball engagement was lackluster; he would frequently get back-cut or get caught in quicksand when navigating screens.
On/off numbers can be deceptive, but it's not a coincidence that the Wolves' defense was 5.7 points per 100 possessions worse with Ant-Man on the court.
He has all the physical tools to be an elite two-way star, and it's time for him to put it all together. We've seen flashes of brilliance from him as a defender in high-leverage situations, but this needs to be a more common theme throughout the 82-game regular season to make the pairing with Ball work.
I do have confidence that Edwards understands that his defense needs to improve for the Timberwolves to win at the highest level, and having fewer on-ball responsibilities will help him reach his defensive potential. The proof will be in the pudding, though, and the stakes couldn't be higher given LaMelo's truly subpar defense.
For this duo to reach their ceiling, improved defense from Ant is a must, and if things go south, it's likely in part due to his poor defensive habits from last season continuing.
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