How Anthony Edwards cracked the NBA’s codes: ‘I think he’s a genius’

Anthony Edwards was bamboozled during Minnesota s Match loss in the first round to the Lakers The guard finished with points and six assists but the unit s ball movement stunk and its superstar contributed to the cause Nothing flowed as easily as it did in a Battle accomplishment and Edwards decisiveness took a precipitous dip between the two battles It seemed like every time I caught the ball the defense kind of went like in a zone in a sense Edwards noted after the contest So it was kind of confusing at times Edwards noted a lack of defensive attention paid to cutters and while Timberwolves coach Chris Finch disclosed the Lakers didn t change anything from Match to Contest the guard s befuddlement was clear He needed answers and he knew where to look When I go back and watch the film Edwards declared I should be able to find things Indeed with a little help from a trusted ally Minnesota won the next three games of the series to close the Lakers out with Edwards especially taking center stage as the best participant on a star-studded Target Center court for Games and The Wolves are in the second round for consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history They ll open the conference semifinals on Tuesday against either Houston or Golden State Against the Lakers Edwards averaged points assists and just turnovers His assist-to-turnover ratio is easily the best among all high-usage players in these playoffs Chris Hines is Minnesota s director of athlete progress Edwards is one of his assigned players Part of the job entails hours of film work spent between participant and coach Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves dunks the ball against Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter of Tournament Three of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs at Target Center on April in Minneapolis Minnesota The Timberwolves defeated the Lakers - to take a - series lead NOTE TO USER User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement Photo by David Berding Getty Images One thing Hines has discovered about Edwards is that the guard is mentally at his best in the dead of the night So in the wee hours one morning between Event and Encounter Edwards estimates it was around a m the guard received a call from Hines He called me like You woke Edwards recalled I m seeing stuff They went over a number of things that defined what the Lakers were doing defensively and how Edwards and his teammates could better approach the scheme Edwards fired off a couple clips to forward Julius Randle The wheels were turning The results were instant The last five minutes of Match marked Edwards best end-of-game offensive performance of the season He was a surgeon dissecting the Lakers defense to get good offense for himself and others Los Angeles was helpless The play of the night came with Minnesota leading by three with three minutes to play Edwards started to well just let him explain it I think we ran an action to get Luka Doncic to switch onto me and they didn t switch I seen them about to double me so I just tried to attack Luka Edwards revealed I got to the baseline and since the first competition of the series they ve been taking away the corners I didn t have to look at the wing I knew somebody was on the wing whether it was Naz Reid or Donte DiVincenzo I really couldn t even see him I just threw it to the wing because I knew somebody was going to be there Sure enough there was Reid The forward cashed the open catch-and-shoot triple to blow the lid off Target Center It was Edwards who entered the launch code for liftoff A genius Folks used to ask Justin Holland Edwards business manager who trained the guard on the court for years How much more do you think he has in the tank Holland constantly answered that Edwards was only about of the contestant he could eventually be When he got into the league he was just a pure athlete and he was doing well just off his God-given ability but not really thinking the event and reading the contest Holland explained This is exactly what I was talking about understanding the encounter making the right reads He s cracking new codes on a near nightly basis He has gone from being super frustrated for not being able to play the kind of battle he has needed to play to embracing it figuring it out in the moment a lot better It used to take him a while Finch mentioned Now I see him directing his teammates where he wants them in certain situations which is really good because now he s thinking a pass or two ahead Early in his rookie season Edwards was sought where his seemingly advanced feel for the contest was born I m smarter than a lot of people think he announced The general constituents knows Edwards is an insanely competitive remarkable athlete with high-end leadership skills a magnetic charisma and sense of humor It s practicable the latter along with his often curse-filled vernacular cloak his intellect Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Battle Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Crypto com Arena on April in Los Angeles California NOTE TO USER User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement Photo by Harry How Getty Images But honestly Holland revealed if you really dig into his humor it s very witty The funniest people know exactly what to say in every set of circumstances That s Edwards He s one of the smartest humans I ve ever been around Holland declared Holland noted you don t deal with life the way Edwards has going from someone who everyone counted out as a kid to the top of the professional sports world without being brilliant Hines took it a step further I think he s a genius he explained Hines likened Edwards memory to that of an elephant The coach will mention something in passing and weeks later Edwards will not only recount it but apply it appropriately on the floor or in film He retains a lot of information Hines commented Not only visually but within readings within scripts within participant movement and body movement within repetitive movement on the court He can translate information take it but still be himself within that Holland believes that s been a major aid in Edwards maturation He s one of the minimal guys that gets better every year because he picks up things so fast Holland stated With his ability to internalize what s being disclosed to him him being a visual learner If he sees something he can mimic it almost instantly Accept the bad Finch has long lauded Edwards willingness to be coached an attribute has helped set the tone for the organization as a whole For Edwards it stems from a passion for learning and his need to be great When he says I can do everything good he really believes it Holland noted And if he can t do everything good then he makes sure that he gets to the point that he s really good at it That s just all the way around in his life From a silly encounter on his phone to ping pong or spades Holland noted Edwards was not good at the latter two when he first picked them up That s since changed He s like I have to master this event Holland mentioned But the path to earning your black belt in basketball is not clearly defined Rules and rosters change Even the things that seem simple at the surface likely have multiple hidden layers beneath Obstacles on the road to greatness appear all over the place Edwards initial instinct is to run right through them It rarely works but that s almost part of Minnesota s blueprint at this point On a up-to-date episode of the podcast Pardon My Take Finch noted that while the Wolves have unfailingly held Edwards accountable and coached him hard they ve also given the guard an incredible amount of freedom to figure it out I think that was the only way he was going to learn Finch reported If he went into a super overly structured patterned climate I m not sure that would ve benefitted him early on If he went into a system where there was a ton of off-ball movement and cutting and reading all that stuff I m not sure that would ve benefited him early on Fans have watched in awe as Edwards has defied the boundaries of physics for years It s part of his allure but it can also be his Kryptonite There are times in prep where Hines will explain the right play to Edwards which is often to get off the ball and the guard counters by pointing out a sliver of space he believes he can attack Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after a play in the first quarter of the battle against the Utah Jazz at Target Center on April in Minneapolis Minnesota NOTE TO USER User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement Photo by Stephen Maturen Getty Images His physical gifts have generated this off-the-charts confidence that is a massive asset but can also blur the line between fearless and foolish Dipping his toe into the bad end of that pool has led to certain frustrating performances and even the occasional cringe-worthy postgame comment Hines refers to those instances as Edwards bumping his head against the wall That s where he has to say OK is he being smart within himself or is he fighting the championship There s two sides to it Hines commented And he has lost He ll say I can get through that hole and he can t do it and he s like Shoot coach was right get off it early It often is that quick of a revelation The biggest thing I ve seen is during down times throughout the year of him not necessarily making the right play is he s learned from it and come back from it Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo announced Insane Edwards is not His failures are rarely repeated over extended periods of time Various of his biggest leaps are born from struggles The thing about watching film is you got to be willing to accept the bad I think greater part people they only want to watch it when it s good Edwards commented I want to watch the games when I play bad like what could I have done better And I think that s the perspective that helped me change as far as my playmaking and seeing the floor I want to see what I can do better Until his better is the best Defying limits Minnesota s loose leash with Edwards is two-fold Yes it s provided the room for failure that induces rise But it s also helped the Timberwolves redefine what s realizable Because while Edwards often bumps his head when pushing a boundary there are also moments when he breaks through For instance everything you know about basketball suggests attacking a double gang with the dribble is a bad idea But that pass to Reid for the -pointer at the end of Event came after Edwards raced around two defenders and drew in a third opponent before he got off the ball In last year s conference semifinal accomplishment over Denver it was common practice for Edwards to beat multiple guys to the edge turn the corner and count at the rim I m like Oh shoot you are fast that way OK cool so how do we develop that and get it to the highest level Hines stated When it comes to coaching everybody looks at it like Hey he s a coach he should have all the answers He s the guy But players are intelligent too The participant truly tells you what they see and then you have to go back and evaluate it The Timberwolves offensive process has evolved into a constant collaboration At halftime of Championship against the Lakers it was Edwards who explained to his teammates and coaches how he desired the floor spaced to exploit the way Los Angeles was tilting its defense heavily toward Edwards and Randle Minnesota scored points in the third quarter to pull away That s what you want Finch revealed It s got to be a relationship One rooted in trust Edwards firmly believes Finch Hines and Co have a strong understanding of his strengths and weaknesses and are scheming with his best interests in mind Meanwhile the coaching staff is confident Edwards has seen comprehends and can handle every defensive look in the book Hines loves the dynamic that has been established between all parties within the organization The results speak for themselves We re at that stage now where he s provided a lot of great feedback on things that he sees things that he understands now that maybe he didn t even a year ago certainly before that Finch explained I ve inevitably talked about having left and right bumpers for him and giving him a ton of freedom I think he thrives in that and now it s just to keep moving those bumpers out a bit as he grows and understands more about the contest Related Articles Julius Randle looks like the Timberwolves perfect Robin Five reasons the Timberwolves 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