Anthony Edwards is Complex’s cover star for February. The pop culture magazine interviewed the Minnesota Timberwolves guard about his Olympic experience, his status as a superstar, and notably, the declining ratings faced by the NBA.
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“What they want us to do? It’s four people in the paint. If they leaving us open for the three ball, I think that’s just taking what the game give you,” Edwards commented.
Front Office Sports reported that viewership through the first 18 games of the 2024-25 season has fallen by 28%. Ant addressed the misnomer that the rise of three-point shooting is among its leading causes; a theory long-espoused by the league’s old guard. However, the three-time All-Star also shared a creative solution to the potential problem.
“Guys want to shoot threes and guys are good at it. The viewership is down. I don’t know what they got to do, lower the rim or something?” the 23-year-old remarked.
It’s an idea that has been floated around previously in conversations about the WNBA. In 2021, Shaquille O’Neal made the recommendation public on ‘NBA on TNT’. Candace Parker, the first woman to dunk in an NCAA game, was quick to shut him down.
2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike was also among the opponents of this train of thought. She described the notion as “offensive” and explained why it would do nothing to take away from the criticisms faced by her league.
“We have people excelling at a 10-foot rim. And now, you want us to lower the rim so we can continuously be compared, only to still be criticized… Now, I have to relearn the game to appease people who don’t want to watch it for what it is,” Ogwumike commented.
It’s hard to tell how serious Edwards was being with his recommendation. After all, he is among those players who regularly rises above the 10-foot rim on his explosive dunks and chase-down blocks. So, how would a shorter rim help him or the league?
Anthony Edwards breaks down the advent of three-point shooting
Ant-Man himself is having a career year from beyond the arc. His three-point attempts have jumped from 6.7 per game last season to 10 per game this season. Impressively, while increasing his volume, Edwards is also enjoying his most efficient shooting year, nailing 42.4% of his attempts from long range.
Prior to the 2024-25 campaign, he had never crossed the 40% mark. As commendable as his growth is, the Timberwolves star explained why it’s more reactionary than most fans realize. He pointed to 7-foot demigods like Victor Wembanyama who are capable of shutting down the paint single-handedly.
“You got Wemby. You got these boys. They tall. They big. They blocking shots, man. We not forcing our way to the paint every time… I think seeking out threes is too much… But I feel like if you can shoot ’em, shoot ’em, especially if you open. They giving you the shot, what else you going to take?” Edwards argued.
Interestingly, a fifth-year NBA player possesses a more longitudinal understanding of the league than several Hall of Famers. For fans who don’t watch the game, it’s easy to believe that the playstyle is homogenizing as most possessions do end behind the arc.
But the impact that high-level shooting has had on spacing and ball movement is what deserves highlighting in this era of the game. As Ant put it, the rise of three-point shooting is not as much a decision as it is a reaction — a reaction to high-level defense, game planning, and athleticism; all of which bode well for the future of the NBA.
