One of the big concerns going into the Los Angeles Lakers’ first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves was how they were going to contain rising star Anthony Edwards. After his playoff run last year, and an All-NBA caliber season this year, it was going to take the efforts of all of the Lakers to try and keep him in check.
The Lakers certainly tried to do that and did a decent job as far as making him take tough shots as while he did average 26.8 points per game in the series, he shot just 42% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. He would make up for it as a playmaker, however, as he averaged a series-best 6.2 assists which allowed for the likes of Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels to have a massive impact on the series.
And LeBron took note of that as he praised and commended Edwards on his growth as a passer and playmaker on the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash:
“He’s improved, man. And he’s improved his playmaking. He’s improved so much with his playmaking and you’ve seen him make the jump just from last year’s playoff run all the way to just one playoff series right there. He was super patient, even when we were getting up in the gaps. Sometimes we would double him, sometimes we would smoke, sometimes we would just be up in the gaps just trying to make him think. And we did. He had one quote where he was like their defense is confusing, they’re making me think, and he figured it out. So I commend him. He grew throughout our series and I think is gonna benefit him throughout the rest of this run.”
James also outlined the Lakers’ strategy on Edwards and their desire to constantly change up the looks, but noted that it didn’t matter:
“We wanted to try to change pitches on him as much as possible because you don’t ever give no great players one steady diet of the same thing. But even when you try to double him, his ability to erase double teams, to split double teams, to get creative. And he’s still strong too so it’s not like he’s a frail guy where you can double him and be super aggressive with him and get him off. He’s learned over time, but he’s strong, he has low center of gravity, he has a great handle, he can shoot the ball extremely well, and to add on to what we’ve said a couple times before in some of our older episodes about believing in your teammates, making them feel even better than what they are as well and he’s trusting his teammates to make plays. Listen, we gotta give Minnesota their flowers, that’s a damn good team, man.”
As LeBron said, credit must be given to the Timberwolves as they were just the better team and handled their business against the Lakers. And if Edwards continues this level of growth, he could begin to threaten the mantle as the best player in the NBA.
LeBron James had no issues with Lakers coach JJ Redick not making subs in second half of Game 4
One of the most closely contested games of the series was Game 4 in which Lakers coach JJ Redick chose not to make a single substitution in the second half and just rode with the five-man group he trusted most. And LeBron James and the rest of the team had no issues with it.
James stated that he was not tired during the game and that none of the Lakers questioned Redick or the rest of the coaching staff for the decision. In fact, he would go even further in placing the blame squarely on the players for not coming through.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
