Wolves-Lakers preview: 5 questions that will define the series for Minnesota

Can the Timberwolves pull off the upset over LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers?

The Lakers and Timberwolves are set to kick off their first-round playoff series on Saturday night in LA. / Jason Parkhurst and Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

As the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves have drawn a tough first-round matchup in the NBA playoffs against LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers.

Had the Wolves not blown a 24-point fourth-quarter lead against the Bucks last week, they probably would've ended up with home-court advantage against a more favorable opponent. A different result in Sunday's Warriors-Clippers game (which went to OT) would've meant another Wolves-Nuggets postseason clash. But it's too late to think about what-ifs. It's time to look forward to a series that has all the makings of a potential six- or seven-game thriller if both teams play up to their abilities.

The Wolves absolutely have the talent to pull off a slight upset over the Lakers in this series, which begins on Saturday night in Los Angeles. But they'll need strong contributions from up and down their lineup if they're going to get it done against a team boasting a pair of all-time greats. Let's dive into five big questions that will likely determine the series for Minnesota.

Will Anthony Edwards continue to rise to the occasion?

Over the last three years, Anthony Edwards has been a playoff riser for the Timberwolves. In 27 career postseason games, he's averaged 27.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 48/39/82 shooting splits. The Wolves' 23-year-old superstar has a history of elevating his play to meet the moment, and their path to winning this series revolves around that trend continuing. There's no brighter stage (at least in the first round) than a series against James, Doncic, and one of the NBA's most iconic franchises.

Edwards transformed into a deadly long-range shooter this season, leading the NBA in three-pointers made while hitting them at a nearly 40 percent clip. He can also get downhill and finish like few others in the league. The key question for Edwards is one he dealt with all season: How does he react when teams blitz him in the pick-and-roll or generally send doubles his way? He'll have to be decisive as both a scorer and playmaker to avoid falling into the Lakers' traps. Making the right read will be key; if Edwards tries to win the series himself and starts taking too many hero shots, the Wolves will be in trouble.

Another thing to watch is if he can score from the midrange when the three-point line and paint are both crowded. Ant has struggled with his efficiency in that area, but he's certainly capable of hitting those shots. We've seen it in the playoffs before.

Can Julius Randle shake off his postseason ghosts?

Last year, Karl-Anthony Towns played a big role in the Wolves' run to the Western Conference Finals before struggling mightily in the first three games of that series against Doncic and the Mavericks. He's now entering his first postseason with the Knicks. KAT's replacement, Julius Randle, enters this series looking to shake off a history of disappointing playoff performances.

He missed last year's postseason with a shoulder injury, but across 15 earlier games during his Knicks tenure, Randle was wildly inefficient. He shot 34.4 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from deep in those games, averaging more turnovers (3.9) than assists (3.7). His playoff career-high in scoring is just 25 points. It's not a massive sample size, but it's also not something that inspires a lot of confidence in the Wolves' No. 2 offensive option heading into these playoffs.

After an up-and-down start, Minnesota saw quite a bit of the good version of Randle during the season's second half. They'll need more of that to win this series. If he can score at the rim, make plays for others, and hit threes at a decent clip, the Wolves' offense could pose major problems for the Lakers. Randle looms as an obvious X-factor for this series, with J.J. Redick and LA likely to do whatever they can to avoid letting Edwards go nuclear.

Who else steps up for Minnesota?

A lot of the pressure falls on Randle, but the Wolves also need other players to step up and deliver, especially when much of the defensive attention is on Edwards. One of their biggest on-paper advantages over the Lakers is their depth. LA's offense revolves around James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves, while the Wolves have eight guys capable of scoring 15-20 points on any given night.

Jaden McDaniels' offense is always an X-factor for Minnesota. The more he can attack downhill instead of sitting in the corners and taking threes, the better. He had some excellent games in last year's postseason. Rudy Gobert continuing his dominance at the end of the regular season will also be critical. He has to take advantage of one of the Lakers' weaknesses, which is their lack of size on the interior. In theory, there's little reason Gobert can't average close to 15 points and 15 rebounds per game in this series. (He averaged 18.8 and 14.9 over the final ten games of the regular season).

Then there's the bench trio that means so much to the Wolves' ceiling. Naz Reid went through a bit of a rough stretch in March and April, but he can be a series-changing player if he's on. Donte DiVincenzo was incredible for the Knicks in last year's playoffs and can swing a game by heating up from three. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is an invaluable player for Minnesota on both ends of the floor. The Wolves need their depth to show up and make the difference against a Lakers team that doesn't have that same level of talent outside of their big three.

Will Chris Finch reduce Mike Conley's role if needed?

The one member of the rotation I didn't mention in the last section is Mike Conley, who is a fascinating player to monitor in this series. Conley started 64 games for the Wolves this season, shot 41 percent from three, and has 93 games of playoff experience under his belt. His shooting and playmaking could be important for Minnesota.

But there's also a world where this just isn't a Conley series. Between Doncic and Reaves, both members of the Lakers' backcourt are at least 6'5". That means whoever the 6'0" Conley is guarding will have a significant physical advantage. If the Wolves' 37-year-old point guard is struggling on one or both ends of the floor, will Chris Finch adjust and reduce his role in favor of more minutes for DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker? For as much as Finch rightfully values what Conley brings to the table, that might be a necessary move in this particular series. Both Donte and NAW can match up better against Reaves on defense, even if neither is a true point guard.

What's the plan for guarding Luka Doncic?

One year after getting sent home by Doncic, the Wolves will face him again in very different circumstances. And if they're going to get past the Lakers, they can't let him torch their defense the way he did in the conference finals.

Who will they use to guard him? The obvious candidate is McDaniels, who has the length to bother Doncic. But the Wolves might also want to put McDaniels on LeBron. Another option is to have Randle guard Luka and try to use his size and strength to make things difficult on him. Edwards guarding Doncic isn't a great formula because they need him to have energy on the offensive end, and everyone knows what can happen when Gobert switches onto him on the perimeter. Alexander-Walker may get that responsibility at times, too. It'll be very interesting to see how Finch approaches individual matchups when the Lakers have the ball.

It's worth noting that this Lakers team is built differently than last year's Mavs. James and Reaves give Doncic two other prolific scorers and playmakers, not just one (Kyrie Irving), but LA doesn't have the same quantity or quality of lob-catching threats that Dallas did. Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and P.J. Washington were big issues for the Wolves in that series, particularly in pick-and-roll action. Jaxson Hayes is the one Laker who can fill that role, which makes him a key guy to watch in this series.

The players on the floor have to execute, but the chess match between Finch and Redick will go a long way in determining which team advances to the second round.

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