Anthony Edwards' Defensive Focus Will Be Truly Tested After LaMelo Ball Acquisition

Anthony Edwards can finally take a breath.

No longer will be be saddled with the responsibility of taking the ball up the floor and meeting at least two defenders at one of the more frequent rates in the league (as of January last season, Edwards faced a double team almost 20 percent of the time, good for fourth in the league, according to the All City NBA Network).

Largely due to the dropoff of Mike Conley's production as the starting point guard over the last two seasons and lack of playmaking chops that Donte DiVincenzo showed when thrust into the starting point guard role at the beginning of last year, Edwards had no choice but to assume the heliocentric offensive role and take on more responsibility than he had in any other season.

While the Wolves went on to have relative success, it was pretty obvious that it was not something that truly unlocked their best player's full potential. Frequently expressing frustration with the extra defensive shading he received, it was often talked about both with him and coach Chris Finch that the added offensive responsibility on the Wolves' cornerstone's plate took away from the defensive flashes that he was so prone to showing in his previous two seasons.

Unfair limitations on Edwards' defensive development

Anthony Edwards on-ball defense on Jamal Murray pic.twitter.com/aVmpk0Geyo
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 4, 2024

During the 2023-24 season, the Wolves had a 108 defensive rating with Edwards off the floor, and a 110 rating with him on. That's a negligible difference, and much of the disparity can be explained by Edwards frequently playing with smaller, offensive-heavy lineups. During that season, he held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage on shots coming from outside 15 feet (34 percent) among any Wolves that played significant minutes.

Why look at two seasons ago? Because the team was at the height of its defensive powers. Conley was the full-time orchestrator of the offense at a high level, Karl-Anthony Towns was able to take the added offensive attention away, and Edwards was able to shift some of his energy to legitimate matchups on the other end while playing at an all-nba level.

Flash forward to this season, and his defensive rating difference increased to -5 from his on/off numbers, and allowed opponents to shoot 54 percent when guarded by him—one of the worst marks on the team.

Even with the numbers boring this out by a rather thin margin, a simple eye test showed any fan of the Wolves that their star player grew tired over yet another 100 game season in a role that did not fit his game - with the hope that another point guard could come along to help organize things and once again restore the lethal wing defensive combo with Jaden McDaniels.

Wish achieved.

LaMelo Ball's impact

LaMelo Ball enters the fold not only as an All-NBA caliber offensive option, but a sole proprietor of the point guard role on this roster. Gone are the days of Edwards deploying a studied order of operations against new defenses, and back are the days of more catch-and-shoot opportunities.

That raises the major question on defense. Was being overloaded on the offensive end just an excuse for defensive struggles, or will the role change bring lasting improvement?

Edwards has struggled to be consistent for an entire regular season. Listing off during games against inferior competition or playing down to lesser competition in the middle of February can't be part of the upcoming season. He must become the tone-setter on the team that everyone else follows, from a physicality standpoint, an effort standpoint and reflecting the desire to win every game.

There's nowhere that will show up more than on the defensive end. Especially because of the lack of power forward depth currently on the roster, it's easy to see scenarios in which Edwards is consistently asked to guard or switch onto fours, only increasing the demands on that side of the ball.

That's why the spotlight on Edwards' defense will be brighter than ever. It could be the difference in the Wolves under- or over-achieving.

Add us as a preferred source on Google