Anthony Edwards has been in a shooting slump over the past few games, which can be attributed to his thumb injury. In the Minnesota Timberwolves' latest game against the Detroit Pistons, Ant finally felt he could shoot better.
Ant had a nightmarish first half against Detroit, scoring only three points. During halftime, he removed the cast from his hand, which was huge because he felt comfortable enough to score 22 points in the second half.
Before the Pacers game on the 24th, Edwards was questionable due to his right thumb laceration. His injury was behind his struggles during that game, converting only one three-pointer out of 11 attempts.
He improved his shooting in the next game against the Suns, making four threes out of 10 attempts. He had the exact same three-point shooting splits against the Pistons, with the majority of the makes coming in the second half.
Related: Lou Williams Believes Ant Edwards Is Shooting Too Many Threes
Ant Is More Comfortable With His Healed Hand
Edwards has become one of the league's premier three-point shooters, making four shots out of his 10.1 attempts per game. After the Pistons game, he has 287 three-pointers made this season. He is second in the league behind Malik Beasley, the league leader with 292 makes.
Ant is not far behind, and he could have been the league leader if he had not injured his hand. Thankfully for Edwards, he could catch up and lead the league with a fully healed hand for the last seven games of the season.
Anthony Edwards mocks the Malik Beasley shimmy pic.twitter.com/pRTp3rm4Zw
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 31, 2025
"I took that damn cast off my hand and the ball started feeling regular again," Ant said after the Pistons game. "I just got my stitches out five minutes ago, so progression. Last couple of weeks (have been tough) for sure."
Ant Will Keep Using His Improved Three-Point Shooting
Like Lou Williams, some critics will say Ant is shooting too many threes for his own good. That should not be the case because Edwards has struck a perfect balance between his attempts within the three-point line and his long-range shots.
That makes him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league, averaging 27.2 points per game on 58.9% true shooting percentage. Those metrics show Ant is efficient because anything 55% or higher in TS% is generally considered good.
Anthony Edwards nasty behind-the-back + pull-up 3, wow pic.twitter.com/LLgd3jdwQ6
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 31, 2025
Edwards is not just a scorer because he has also improved his playmaking. His numbers might be down to 4.6 assists per game from 5.1 a night last season, but Ant's overall playmaking is improved. His three-point shooting makes him a threat even when he does not have the ball, which leads to more opportunities for his teammates to score.
Even when a point guard like Mike Conley Jr. is on the floor, Edwards is trusted to be the Timberwolves' primary ball handler and playmaker. Coach Chris Finch has a superstar with Ant, and he is utilizing him in the best way possible.
Related: The Timberwolves are Peaking at the Right Time Under Chris Finch
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 10:31 PM.
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