Why Anthony Edwards’ Start to Wolves' Preseason Is So Exciting

Anthony Edwards has had a strong start to the preseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Edwards has found his shots within the flow of the offense, has largely made winning plays, and his scoring ability has looked as dangerous as ever.

In Minnesota's second game on Iowa State University's campus, Edwards scored 19 points on just 10 shots, including four three-pointers that drew oohs and ahs from the Ames, Iowa crowd. While the stats don't count, they still speak well to Edwards's game as he ramps up for the start of the regular season.

The largest reason to be optimistic about how Edwards has performed is that he appears to be close to one hundred percent healthy. Following last season, when Edwards dealt with injuries for the first time in his career, getting back healthy was the main priority for Edwards during the offseason.

“I’m feeling good for the first time in a long time, so I’m super happy about that,” Edwards said following a training camp practice last week.

“After the season, I needed like two months. I took really two months off to let my knee heal. And it was still kinda sore after those two months, but after doing all the recovery and treatment with [David] Hines and Javair [Gillett], I got back right, so I feel great.”

A healthy Anthony Edwards raises Timberwolves' ceiling

Edwards mentioned that it was tough for him to just sit around for multiple months, but he knew it was necessary to get his knee back in proper condition. That time paid off, as Edwards has been a full go from Day 1 of training camp.

“He looks good, real good," Chris Finch said after Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers. "I haven’t really noticed anything he hasn’t been able to do, or anywhere he’s been particularly cautious.”

Edwards being able to put his knee injury issues behind him is obviously great for his own game, but it also helps with the process of integrating the newcomers to the roster, LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga.

The chemistry between Edwards and Ball has been apparent from the moment the Timberwolves made the trade. It started in the summer when the entire team made a trip to Paris, France, and continued through the rest of the offseason as both Edwards and Ball were constantly in the gym together.

Now, Edwards and Ball have moved that connection onto the court. With the Wolves' new-look backcourt as the driving force, Minnesota's starting unit has played well together through two games of the preseason.

Kuminga has fit in seamlessly next to Rudy Gobert, who has largely been dominant on the glass and the defensive end, and Jaden McDaniels seems to be well-setup for the long-awaited increase in his offensive production.

The starters have also played with an increased focus on pushing the pace after defensive stops. It led to easy buckets and free throws for Edwards and multiple lob dunks for both Kuminga and Gobert in the team's first preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

There will still likely be an integration process once the regular season begins, but Edwards being healthy allows the Wolves to answer as many of the questions about the roster as they can before the outcomes of the games start to count in the standings.

The skill sets of Edwards and Ball appear to be perfect for each other and this version of the Timberwolves' roster. Edwards allows Ball to move into a secondary scorer role as the team's primary ball-handler, and Edwards gets to move back to his more natural shooting guard spot.

All of it has been maximized because Edwards has begun the season healthy and able to immediately play up to his maximum potential.

With both of his knees back to health after a rough postseason and a roster much more well-suited to maximize his game, Edwards is prepped to have the best season of his career, one that can carry the Wolves to new heights.

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