Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards made waves earlier this week when Shams Charania reported that Edwards is focused on developing a post-up game. However, Zach Lowe noted that this isn't a new area of growth for Edwards.
"In the fall of 2022, three years ago, Anthony Edwards was in my most intriguing players column at ESPN, Lowe said. And he and I talked on the phone about developing a post-up game and how he was in the lab that summer."
Edwards did shoot 48 percent on post-ups that season. However, per NBA.com, he shot just 25 post-ups. Ant followed this up with a career high of 53.1 percent on 49 post-ups in the 2023-24 season. Regardless, Edwards' post-up and volume plummeted last season. He shot 26 total post-ups, hitting just 30.8 percent of them.
For Edwards to make his post-up improvement stick, he must consistently utilize this shot. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed the effectiveness of posting up as a guard, hitting 53.5 percent of his 71 posts up last season. Adding more of a mid-range and post-up game could help Edwards reach another level as a scorer.
Developing a post-up game would benefit Edwards but will it actually happen?
A big part of Edwards' decline as a post-up and mid-range scorer has been his rise to becoming an elite shooter. Last season, Edwards made 320 3-pointers and attempted 811 3s, which both led the NBA. By all means, Edwards becoming an elite shooter benefited the Wolves. However, to be a more well-rounded and less predictable scorer, sacrificing a couple of 3s in favor of some mid-range shots might be necessary.
Given that this is an offseason focus for Edwards, it's fair to expect a slight decline in 3-point volume with a more steady mid-range and post-up diet. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old star will have to dedicate himself to attacking from the mid-range more consistently, which he didn't do back in 2022.
At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds with elite athleticism, Edwards is more than equipped to become an efficient post-up player. Utilizing his physical gifts could open more opportunities for Edwards as both a scorer and playmaker.
Edwards averaged a career high of 27.6 points per game last year, and this number might not go up significantly. However, being a more effective post-up and mid-range scorer would make him harder to gameplan against, especially in playoff settings.
It remains to be seen if these improvements as a post-up threat will materialize for Edwards this time around, but it's something Wolves fans will be keeping tabs on this season.