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Why Anthony Edwards' big game vs. Knicks should have Wolves fans excited

Edwards was cooking on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Will Ragatz

Oct 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after making a basket against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden.
Oct 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after making a basket against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Anthony Edwards was in midseason form in the Wolves' preseason game against the Knicks on Sunday evening. He scored 31 points in 27 minutes, and the way in which he scored those points should have Minnesota fans giddy with excitement for the start of the 2024-25 season next week.

Edwards did most of his damage from the three-point line. He went 8 of 13 from distance, which is notable when you consider he's only hit 8+ threes three times in 329 career games between the regular season and playoffs.

But it's not just the volume from deep that was encouraging. Edwards has spoken multiple times recently about how one of the main things he worked on this offseason was his catch-and-shoot three-ball. At Madison Square Garden, five of his eight threes came off the catch instead of the dribble. Last season, fewer than a third of Ant's three-point attempts were of the catch-and-shoot variety.

Edwards is obviously an incredible shot creator and scorer with the ball in his hands, whether in isolation or coming off a screen. That will remain a major part of the Wolves' offense. But the more he can play without the ball and hit open threes within the flow of the offense, the more dangerous Minnesota can be.

"I've been working on it, man," Edwards said after the game. "Every day, all day. Any time you see me in the gym, I'm tryna get my three-ball better, I'm tryna catch and shoot more, cut, space for my teammates. You know, just play better without the ball. I'm tryna do what (head coach Chris Finch) need me to do."

Three of Ant's five catch-and-shoot threes against New York came on assists from newcomer Donte DiVincenzo, who has fit in perfectly with the Wolves this preseason. The ex-Knick is a master of playing off the ball, but he can also handle it and find teammates. DiVincenzo had seven assists against his old team on Sunday, four of which went to Edwards.

"It's f***ing incredible," Edwards said when asked about playing with DiVincenzo. "I mean, I don't need the ball, man. You see it. I'm having fun, man. It's fun to play with Donte. I haven't even got to play with Julius (Randle) yet, so we'll see what that look like. Playing with Donte is f***ing, I'm not gonna lie, it's fun as hell."

Another encouraging development Edwards put on display against the Knicks: the floater. He hit two of them from the free throw line while coming off of screens from Rudy Gobert. That's not a shot that has been a big part of Edwards' offensive bag thus far in his career. If he can hit floaters with some consistency, that could be huge, because it's potentially an easier and more efficient shot than a short or midrange pull-up jumper.

It's only preseason, but this was quite the offensive showing from Edwards. He also offered a reminder of his on-ball defensive ability on one specific possession against Jalen Brunson that didn't feel like preseason intensity.

With Karl-Anthony Towns in New York, the Wolves are Edwards' team even more than they already were. He was a second team All-NBA player and seventh in MVP voting last year, but another leap into legit MVP contention in his age-23 season isn't out of the question for the Wolves' superstar. His game against the Knicks offered a peek into what that could look like.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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