When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert in 2022, there was concern that he would not be able to fit alongside Anthony Edwards. The nerves were reasonable; Edwards functioned best attacking the rim, and Gobert couldn’t shoot. There was a chance that Gobert would clog that paint, and the fit between him and Edwards would falter.
The partnership wasn’t pretty initially, but the Timberwolves expected that to happen. Gobert was playing on a new team for the first time after seven years with the Utah Jazz. He was trying to play with another seven-footer without hampering the spacing while nursing an injured knee he suffered playing for Team France in the EuroBasket.
Edwards and Gobert eventually got on the same page, but it took them an entire season to play at a level that could anchor a deep postseason team. Both sides had to make sacrifices. However, Gobert is exclusively an off-ball, pick-and-roll threat. Therefore, Edwards could play his game similarly to how he did before Gobert joined him.
The coaching staff was primarily responsible for figuring out how to make Gobert play well with Edwards – not the other way around – through lineups, offensive schemes, and plays.
Edwards finds himself in a similar situation two years later. He must figure out a way to fit alongside another polarizing multi-time All-Star. Only this time, Edwards will need to make even more sacrifices than he did with Gobert while still finding a way to be the No. 1 option on one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
The Wolves were well into their off-season workouts when Tim Connelly made the blockbuster trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in a package centered around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Everyone, including the players and coaches, needed to stop spinning their heads and work on implementing two new key players before the season started.
Randle is a face-up four with a 29.6% usage rate last year. 39% of his total shot attempts came in the mid-range, ranking him in the 97th and 90th percentiles, respectively. He’s a unique player because he attempts more mid-range shots than three-pointers.
Hearing that could again spark concern that he won’t fit well with the Wolves. However, Edwards didn’t seem apprehensive when a reporter asked about Randle during media day.
“Whatever you did over there, come do it over here. We just want to win,” said Edwards. “It should be pretty simple for him to get in line with everything we are trying to do.”
Ant would probably not have openly admitted if he was concerned. Still, Randle is an 11-year veteran with a unique connection to how the Wolves built their roster. The Wolves are also his fourth NBA team. Unlike Gobert, Randle has experience fitting in new places but also needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He and Edwards must find a way to share the wealth.
Towns and Ant were able to find that balance. They didn’t think there was a hierarchy between them. “There wasn’t like a one or two situation,” Edwards said at media day. “We were both the one and just played off each other.”
Their fit in the two-man game was so effective because Towns could space off the ball while Edwards would work in isolation or attack the rim. They would flip that dynamic occasionally, but Edwards had issues remaining engaged in the offense while away from the play. Therefore, it was more productive to have him directly involved.
However, that needs to change if Edwards and Randle hope to replicate the 48 points per game that Ant and KAT gave the Wolves last season.
At media day, Edwards had a straightforward answer when a reporter asked what he worked on the most in the summer: “My catch and shoot trey ball,” he said. However, Ant shot 41.1% on 2.1 catch-and-shoot threes last season, 4.5% above the league average.
Despite being an above-average catch and shooter, the frequency at which those looks happen will be the lynchpin in getting the most out of Randle while keeping Ant involved.
“I’ve been working on it,” Edwards told the media following his second preseason game on Sunday. “Every day, all day. Any time you see me in the gym, I am trying to get my three-ball better, catch-and-shoot more, cut, space for my teammates, and play better without the ball. I’m just trying to do what [Chris Finch] needs me to do.”
The storyline entering Sunday’s preseason game between the Knicks and Wolves was the homecoming for DiVincenzo and Towns, who were playing their first game against their former team. In the thick of a highly emotional and energic game, Edwards looked like a star, hanging 31 points on the Madison Square Garden scoreboard in 27 minutes.
More notably, Edwards went 8 of 13 from three-point range, tying his second-most threes in a single game. When Ant has it going from deep, he usually shoots the ball efficiently. But the variety of looks made his performance on Sunday unique.
same spot, same result.
pic.twitter.com/TILOtV2tUp
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 13, 2024
One of Edwards ‘ teammates directly assisted five of those eight three-point makes. The Wolves have prioritized sharing the ball this preseason, and Ant benefited from it on Sunday. The free-flowing offense allowed Edwards to remain a threat off the ball, which isn’t something we could not consistently say last season.
It’s not wise to take too much away from preseason results. Still, Edwards must keep up this trend when Randle eventually makes his Timberwolves debut, hoping to make the transition and fit between the two as seamless as possible.
“That’s what the coaches get paid to do,” said Edwards when asked about fitting next to Randle. “They’ve got to figure that out. All I have to do is play around him. The coaches have to put us in the right spots. That is on them.”
Finch is an offensive guru who knows something about implementing star players next to each other. He did it as an assistant in New Orleans with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis and as the head coach in Minnesota with Towns, Edwards, and Gobert. The pressure is on Finch and his staff to find schemes, lineups, and plays that get the most out of Randle while keeping Edwards as the No. 1 option. However, Ant must play his part and alter his game so that Randle feels comfortable and can succeed with the Wolves.
Randle is a ball-dominant player who excels in isolation but is also a willing passer. His presence in Minnesota will not turn Edwards into a drastically different player. However, Ant attempted only 2.1 catch-and-shoot triples per game last season. If that number can naturally grow, it will allow Randle to operate how he prefers – attacking the rim, bullying down low, and being a secondary ball handler. As a result, the Wolves should be able to replicate the success Edwards and Towns forged together in Minnesota while speeding up the transition process.