|
David Levine -> RE: Timberwolves 2024/2025 Season (5/2/2025 3:06:47 PM)
|
NBA Playoff MVPs: Ranking the top postseason performers
2. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
26.8/8.4/6.2/1.2
Edwards has been billed here as "the smoothest basketball player alive," and he met those expectations as the best player in a series that featured Los Angeles Lakers superstars Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
James is 40 years old. Dončić is not in his best condition. And the bounce in Edwards' step is real. The 23-year-old plays with an athletic freedom that allows him to get to whatever spot he wants on offense and keep an opponent from getting to his preferred location on the other end. Between Dončić, James and Austin Reaves, there was no shortage of weak spots in L.A.'s point-of-attack defense for Edwards to hunt.
Having failed in isolation against Edwards through the first four games of the series, when he averaged 30 points on 45/43/83 shooting splits, the Lakers sent more help in Game 5, holding him to 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting (0-11 3P). That may have prevented him from being No. 1 on this list. Still, Edwards calmly drew multiple defenders, finding wide-open shooters all over the floor. He finished with eight assists, leading to 21 points, in the close-out victory, though he had 16 potential assists, according to Synergy.
It was a departure from earlier in the season, when Edwards complained of double teams, saying, "I don't know what to do, honestly." He does now, and that growth in his game is a scary reality for everyone else.
Edwards' explosiveness on offense often overshadows his defensive effort. He spent the bulk of his time defending Reaves, who was underwhelming in the series and almost absent from the elimination game. Likewise, in the 14 minutes Edwards spent defending Dončić over five games, the Lakers scored a paltry 0.89 points per 100 possessions. He will bust you up on both ends, and he will let you know all about it.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-playoff-mvps-ranking-the-top-postseason-performers-154641633.html
|
|
|
|