After a stellar regular season that secured LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers the third seed in the Western Conference, they entered the playoffs as strong contenders for the NBA championship. However, those hopes were dashed as the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by a dominant Anthony Edwards, eliminated them in five games.
Edwards was a force of nature throughout the series, averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Even in Game 5, where the Lakers managed to hold him to 15 points, Edwards still impacted the game with 11 rebounds and eight assists, showcasing his versatility.
Speaking on the podcast “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash, James explained the Lakers’ strategy to contain Edwards, which ultimately fell short due to the Timberwolves star’s remarkable skill set.
“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,” James said. “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”.
Anthony Edwards #5 dribbles in front of LeBron James #23 during a 103-96 Timberwolves win in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs. (Harry How/Getty Images)
James also praised Edwards’ growth as a leader and playmaker, pointing out how his trust in teammates elevated Minnesota’s performance. “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,” James noted.
“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,” James added. “Listen, we gotta give Minnesota their flowers, that’s a damn good team, man”.
James highlights Edwards’ evolution as a playmaker
In addition to leading the Timberwolves in scoring, Edwards excelled as a playmaker, averaging 6.2 assists per game. James emphasized Edwards’ significant improvement in this area.
“He’s improved, man. And he’s improved his playmaking,” James noted. “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“.
LeBron also reflected on how Edwards adapted to the Lakers’ defensive schemes, acknowledging his ability to outthink and outplay their adjustments. “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,” James admitted.
“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,” LeBron added.
