Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves almost torched the champions. A strong first-half performance, if maintained, could have given the Wolves the confidence they needed. But the Celtics turned things around. A large part of it was curbing Anthony Edwards to just 15 points in the three-point win for the Shamrocks. Ant-Man was frustrated after the game.

Edwards hates losing more than anything. But, what might be a close second is his recent experiences against the NBA opposition. The 23-year-old is starting to feel teams are not allowing him to play to his instincts. Teams realize the threat he possesses. Hence, Edwards faces defensive pressure like a sizzling scorer.

Still, he found a way around the suffocating pressure by distributing the ball. But while Ant feels it’s a good “brand of basketball,” he wishes to be more dynamic. “It’s not how I want to play, of course. I’m only 23, I don’t wanna just be passing the ball all night… But the way they’re guarding me, I think I have to,” he said after the Celtics loss.

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Is Anthony Edwards being unfairly targeted by NBA defenses, or is it just part of the game?

He's being unfairly targeted

It's just part of the game

He needs to adapt

Not sure

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It’s game night, and your team is playing. What’s your home setup?

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It wasn’t just the Boston Celtics who tried to isolate Anthony Edwards. The explosive guard is beginning to see a pattern. And because he is “wired to score the ball”, it becomes increasingly hard to stay focused. It opened suspicions about whether teams are knowingly doing so to try to shake his concentration.

Ant-Man didn’t shut down the possibility of it being true. But he wants one person to guard him at all times, which we know won’t happen in the NBA. “Them doubling me is like ‘Bro what is going on?'” Anthony Edwards revealed in his locker room interview. As the focal point for the Wolves, Anthony Edwards’ scoring is quintessential to the franchise’s success.

Teams are making sure nothing comes easy for him. But what’s the reason it’s working so well?

Anthony Edwards and the Wolves need to distribute the threat

When the season began, Edwards was still the prime target for defenses. But the vivacious shooting guard has space to jump into his own offense. For 19 games straight, he didn’t score below 20 points. And then, teams began to catch on. While Edwards continued to score, the new-looking Wolves were far from a coordinated team.

And Charles Barkley managed to nail his opinion for the Wolves’ ace this season. He claimed his ‘aggression’ is declining because of his increased tendency to take threes. However, that wasn’t the most important part. “I personally think he’s regressing, become a jump shooter. He’s not aggressive. He’s going to have to become more of a leader. When you have a breakout, it doesn’t get easier. It gets harder,” the Hall of Famer professed. 

Anthony Edwards looks to be stuck right in the middle of that phase. What NBA teams could be doing is trying to minimize his scoring and take a chance on the rest of the Wolves carrying his weight. So far, with only Julius Randle being the other threat near the basket, the former Knicks All-Star has been allowed to unleash.

However, Ant Man poses a threat to various degrees, calling for teams to be more meticulous when guarding him. Finding guys on the team who use the space as leverage becomes the key to opening the lock. A vital name is someone like Donte DiVincenzo. Following his breakout run with New York last year, the sharpshooter still awaits to replicate such output while a part of the Timberwolves.

Former Sixth Man of The Year, Naz Reid, is another outlet, who is beginning to score regularly. If the Timberwolves can make teams pay for trying to succumb to their franchise star, it will automatically force a change of tactics. Do you agree with what could work? Let us know your views in the comments below.