The need for Grizzlies to contain Anthony Edwards against the Timberwolves

The Memphis Grizzlies have tied their longest losing streak of the year (5), and are seeing another tough test on the second night of a back-to-back as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The only positive effect the skid can have is perhaps that the Timberwolves will take them lightly and not start the game prepared.

This will also be the start of a miniseries that will conclude on Feb. 2. They’ve only met once before on Dec. 17, and the Grizzlies won thanks to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jock Landale’s big night. Notably, Anthony Edwards didn’t play in that outing.

Here is what you need to know.

Key in on their weapons

Aside from Julius Randle’s skills, his raging bull-like strength makes him tough to handle inside the arc. He can absorb contact, and it won’t bother his release point much, as he makes 56 percent of attempts inside the arc. The Grizzlies will have to be alert for his actions with Donte DiVincenzo. No other teammate has assisted his baskets more than DiVincenzo (50), and the same goes the other way as Randle has helped on 54 of his shots.

Furthermore, Edwards is one of the NBA’s rare players because he’s a terrific marksman and a supreme acrobat. He’s a star on the verge of being the guy in the league when he elevates his playmaking a bit, but make no mistake, he’s a very good setup man because of all the separation his first step creates.

The Grizzlies will have to blitz and show-and-recover on most of the possessions since it will be over for the on-ball defender as soon as he is jammed into the screen. Edwards is also 16th in fastbreak points scored this season (149), so they must tag him early when dribbling up court so he doesn’t light them up with artillery strikes.

Win the big men battle and more

Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle are two pieces to a formidable front line, and the former has looked smoother on offense this year, while logging the second-best effective field goal percentage of his career (71.0). Jackson and Landale must be active on rim rolls and offensive rebounds to tire out their matchups. The inverted screen rolls have worked for Jackson, so loading up on those is a good thing.

On top of that, the shooters on this team are lucky there is a union because coach Tuomas lisalo should have stopped them from getting on the charter out of New Orleans after all those bricks on Friday. They need to make up for it and will have an opportunity since the Wolves allow 18.8 wide-open 3-point shots, and opponents convert 38.3 percent of those.

Avoid unnecessary turnovers and stay strong in the glass

The Timberwolves punish opponents with 18.7 points off their turnovers, and they are decent in the open court, too. The Grizzlies have to make sharp reads, and if they lose the ball, it better not be in a live situation. To boot, the Wolves match their potency on the glass, making it necessary for the team to box out collectively and for the smaller players to gang rebound so they don’t lose the matchup in the trenches.