Should Karl-Anthony Towns feel threatened by the rise of Anthony Edwards?

Whereas the Minnesota Timberwolves are struggling an underwhelming season up to now, Anthony Edwards and his emergence as an All-Star are among the few brilliant spots. The staff struggles to contain low season acquisition Rudy Gobert offensively. Gobert just isn’t the defender they hoped he could be, they play an excessive amount of iso-ball and lack defensive effort. Most significantly, nonetheless, Karl-Anthony Cities has been injured for a lot of the season.

Regardless of all these points, the Timberwolves managed to remain afloat, at present holding the eighth seed within the West with a 32-32 file, beneath Edwards’ management. The teenager has made the anticipated bounce into stardom, and the Timberwolves are actually formally his staff. That poses the query if Cities is now expendable Minnesota.

If worse involves worst, they usually have to interrupt up the staff, Cities appears the almost definitely participant to be traded. The Wolves can not hand over Edwards, and it is going to be tough to curiosity groups in Gobert and his huge contract, in order that solely leaves Cities available on the market. We’ve got not reached that time but, although, and with the Timberwolves dedication to win within the close to future, the reply is easy. Cities just isn’t expendable proper now.

Edwards at present averages 36.4 minutes per recreation and has not missed a single match but. His utilization charge is within the top-15 in the whole league and would most likely be greater if he had performed the whole season with out Cities and D’Angelo Russell. Russell, like most of his teammates, by no means fairly discovered how one can get Gobert concerned offensively, however he helped Edwards carry the scoring load. In mild of the primary subject, the Timberwolves made a daring transfer on the commerce deadline, buying and selling Russell’s shot creation for Mike Conley’s playmaking and expertise enjoying with Gobert. This commerce solved a few of their points, as Conley considerably managed to unlock Gobert offensively and get Jaden McDaniels concerned extra as a scorer, however it additionally introduced up new issues. There may be nonetheless a scoring hole to be stuffed, and the reply is to not count on Edwards to do much more.

Edwards has been carrying rather a lot for a 21-year-old who remains to be rising as a participant all season lengthy and appeared as much as the problem. However after enjoying quite a few video games with out Russell and Cities, the exhaustion is beginning to present. It isn’t simply because he has to play many minutes and carry the scoring weight principally by himself, but in addition the truth that defenses are making his life hell. The Golden State Warriors, for instance, threw Donte DiVincenzo and Jonathan Kuminga at him on the identical time to make it possible for the ball wouldn’t spend a lot time in his fingers. Groups know that the Timberwolves are beatable so long as somebody aside from Edwards has the ball. Any such defensive consideration will educate Edwards rather a lot, but when the Timberwolves need to win now, they want somebody to disrupt that rhythm.

They want a secondary scorer and a few further firepower, that are two issues that Cities can present as among the finest taking pictures massive males within the recreation. Cities can simply put up 20 factors a recreation and draw a big quantity of defensive consideration away from Edwards. As a flexible scoring expertise, he can enhance the Timberwolves entrance court docket manufacturing immediately when he returns. Naz Reid deserves lots of credit score for the numbers he has been placing up in Cities’ absence, however Cities can add one other dimension to their massive man recreation as a post-up risk. Reid is extra comfy on the perimeter and Gobert primarily scores off lobs and put backs, so having somebody who can go to work within the paint will change the way in which groups have to protect the Timberwolves.

Plus, Edwards, McDaniels, and Reid are all nonetheless younger and will use an All-Star veteran subsequent to Conley who can information them and make the sport simpler. Particularly, Edwards and McDaniels want each likelihood to develop their recreation and develop, however because the Gobert commerce there may be additionally lots of stress on the staff to win now.

None of which may occur this season because of the uncertainty of Cities’ return date. One other issue is the time it’s going to take to determine how one can incorporate cities into lineups as he will get again into form after the damage. Each time he does return, nonetheless, he will likely be coming again to a staff that’s now firmly in Edwards’ fingers. His position is likely to be lesser than when he was the franchise’s sole centerpiece, however he’s nonetheless not expendable in the event that they need to win quickly. Anyone must take part of the offensive load off Edwards’ younger shoulders, and evidently with out a main commerce, Cities is their most suitable choice. The Timberwolves merely can not afford to wear down Edwards, who already has a lot duty on each ends of the ground and is the important thing to their success.

In fact, there are nonetheless lots of uncertainties. If Cities can not keep wholesome, or in the event that they merely can not make all of the items click on, none of this issues, however for now Cities remains to be an necessary puzzle piece on this staff.