At just the young age of 23, Anthony Edwards has achieved a lot more than most NBA players do in their entire careers. He’s an Olympic Gold Medalist, a three-time All-Star, and also has an All-NBA Second Team selection. After his breakout season last year, Edwards received one of the honors that only stars in the league do—being double-teamed in games.
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Earlier in the year, he complained about not being used to the extra attention on defense after a close game against the Boston Celtics. Speaking to reporter Dane Moore in the locker room, Edwards had said, “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 admitted that the extra attention is affecting his game on a nightly basis, but also said that as a player he would have to learn to deal with it and learn to play through the new coverage he’s facing.
In the two months since his comments, he has been true to his words. He’s learnt to deal with double teams a lot better, and his scoring hasn’t taken as much of a hit either. His secret? Watching Luka Doncic film.
The Slovenian point guard has been subject to some of the most extreme defensive coverage in the league, but he’s continuously found ways to beat the players on him.
After last night’s win over the Nuggets, Edwards revealed how watching film helped him, specifically Doncic’s. “Especially Luka, I watch a lot of Luka, seeing how he attack the double team, just seeing his strategy to attack the double team,” he said.
Asked Anthony Edwards about his growth against double teams over the last few months — after previously being frustrated about those types of coverages.
He said he's watched a lot of Luka Doncic film, and learned from that. https://t.co/lF58jWRhFL pic.twitter.com/3a929ElOAZ
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) March 13, 2025
Despite the obvious differences in their pace of play, Edwards claimed that seeing how Luka approaches the double defensive coverage has helped him understand how teams spread their defence to deal with the lack of another man on D.
It’s clearly helped Edwards a lot. His scoring has taken a bit of a dip, seeing as how he’s averaged 30 points in January and February and has managed 26 points so far in March. However, he’s making better reads for his teammates, and is shooting the ball at a higher percentage. The Wolves are also playing some of the most potent basketball in the league right now, having jumped all the way up to the 7th seed in the West.
Led by Anthony Edwards, they’re on a 6 game winning streak and have won 7 of their last 10. If they can keep this up, they’ll be a huge problem for whoever they eventually face in the first round of the playoffs.
