Anthony Edwards is one of the best players in the NBA. At just 25 years of age, Edwards has turned himself into one of the most prominent scorers the league has to offer. And while he’s carried his Minnesota Timberwolves to the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, the four-time NBA All-Star presumably wants more.
The hype has always been there for Edwards. He was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves and the sky has been the limit ever since. He finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year Award voting, and has been named an All-Star the past four seasons.
Chris Finch Knows How Anthony Edwards Can Improve
Now with six full seasons under his belt, virtually everyone, including his head coach, Chris Finch, expects the superstar to take his game to the next level. Finch though is well aware Edwards isn’t a perfect player, and was willing to publicly acknowledge the things his best player needs to improve on for the Timberwolves to take a leap this season.
Finch made an appearance on the “Chad Hartman Show” this week, and revealed the two areas Edwards must work on in order to improve his all-around game.
“Easy. He’s got to bring his defense back to the level it was two years ago, for sure. And then, just continue to work on his decision making,” Finch said.
Finch spent an hour talking all things Timberwolves with Hartman, and would elaborate on this thoughts on Edwards’ game. Finch believes they’re employing tactics to make the game easier and more natural for Edwards. In turn, Edwards will become a more complete player.
“Let LaMelo (Ball) and his teammates help him a bit more. We’ve got to try and get him some easier shots. For that to happen, he’s got to let the game come to him a little bit. For a guy who’s so aggressive and such a scorer, he wants to make everything happen for himself or for his team. But now, we get a chance to employ him more off the ball, where he’s back at his naturally best position,” Finch said.
Finch Expects Ball To Help Bring Edwards’ Game To Another Level
All fingers point to Edwards handling the ball less, and being a pure scorer more. That’s where the addition of LaMelo Ball comes into play. After trading for Ball, Edwards now has another exciting young player by his side. Ball, just 24 years old, has averaged at least 7.0 assists per game in five straight seasons. The talented passer should allow Edwards to slide permanently into his more natural position of shooting guard.
Finch didn’t stop there. He continued breaking down exactly what Edwards is working on this offseason. Finch believes once Edwards lets the game come to him, and makes better decisions, Edwards and the Timberwolves will take another step forward.
“A lot of this has to do obviously with him not having to handle the ball as much and generate offense and have the pressure of doing that like he did last year. He sees so many double teams. We work on it all the time. He gets so many different looks. He’s gone through different phases. Now, I think he’s got a handle on a lot of it. At times he would fight it or get a little frustrated. Now, he’s embraced it which is the first key to really picking it apart,” Finch said.
Even without a steady point guard by his side, Edwards still managed to finish third in the league in scoring last season (28.8 points per game), behind only Luka Doncic (33.5) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.1). According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Edwards is the seventh-favorite to win the NBA MVP award this season (plus-2000).
Chris Finch Reveals Two Areas Anthony Edwards Must Improve This Season