3 important observations from Anthony Edwards’s performance against the Pacers

Anthony Edwards did not play last Saturday in the first game of the preseason of the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Denver Nuggets. However, he returned to the court on Tuesday during the home match of the preseason against the Indiana Pacers. De Wolves were short of 135-134 in the extensions. Edwards ended with 17 points, two assists and one rebound and only played in the first half.

During this competition, the 24-year-old showed a few new elements of his rumors outside the season. Let’s look at some remarkable points from Edwards’s prescription debut in 2025.

The improvements in the middle segment of Edwards look legitimate

Edwards’ most important focus outside season was on developing a mid-range and post-up game. Against the Pacers, Edwards showed promising in this area. He shot 2-5 from the Middelijn. This included a Turnaround Mid-Range Jumper to start the game.

Showing the willingness to make more recordings from the middle reach is an encouraging sign. For reference: Last season Edwards only tried 2.7 medium shots per match and 0.3 post-ups per game. With these shots he shot 37.6 percent and 30.8 percent respectively.

The development of a consistent game in the middle segment would make Edwards a more complete score, making it less predictable and difficult to plan in the play-offs. The same applies to a post-up game, where Edwards could also benefit from his physical gifts. Although it is only one match in the preseason, the growth of Edwards seems real as a goal scorer from the middle segment.

Edwards showed some positive steps as a playmaker

Another important growth area for Edwards this season outside of season was his game skills. Last season Edwards booked an undersized assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.44. Anyway, against Indiana, Edwards showed a lot of balance as a playmaker, with two assists and zero turnover.

These figures may not jump off the page. However, Edwards made the right lectures and had more potential assists. Moreover, it is worth noting that the Wolves lost as a team 21 times, 13 of which in the first half, and often struggled with the stifling ball pressure of the pacers.

Mike Conley remained the leading ball handler and organizer of the team. Edwards, however, served as a secondary ball handler and often took Point Guard tasks on the couch as Conley. Edwards showed a nice nuance as a passer, including touching Naz Reid with a drive-and-kick Pass and finding an open Rudy Gobert Laag when the defense of the pacers collapsed on him.

Making the right reading when he is under pressure will be crucial for the growth of Edwards as a playmaker, and doing this for a nasty Pacers defense is a promising sign.

Ant and the Wolves must perform better in the transition

Although there were a lot of positive growth areas for the performance of Edwards in the preseason, there was one area that continued to cause him and the team problems: the transition. Last season in particular, the Wolves were only 29th in the field of transition points. In Tuesday’s game, the Wolves were beaten 20-4 in Fastbreak points during the first half, when Edwards played, and 28-18 for the game.

Of course this is largely a team issue. Nevertheless, Edwards is the leader of the team and one of the players who would mainly benefit from going more in transition and run. Edwards scored four points in the transition phase and generally thrives well when he plays at a higher pace. During the regular season, De Wolves will have to emphasize increasing the pace and running in transition.