Edwards Credits Doncic For Improvement Against Double Teams

Anthony Edwards credits Luka Doncic for helping him become better at reading and understanding how to attack double teams.

The Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 115-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night. After the game, Edwards was candid in explaining how he’s improved in that area.

“Watching film,” Edwards said of his growth. “Now, I know the low man gonna be there, the corner gonna be open every time. Then, they’re gonna start pre-rotating to the corner and the wing gonna be open. Just little reads, man, and then watching how other players that get doubled, watch how they attack it and how they manipulate it.

“Especially Luka [Doncic], I watch a lot of Luka, seeing how he attack the double team. Even though we play at a different pace, seeing his strategy to beat the double team, I think that helps me a lot.”

Edwards finished with 29 points, four rebounds, six assists and a steal against the Nuggets. He shot 10-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range.

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

Edwards Shows Growth Since Early January

Edwards’ scoring has dipped from 27.5 points prior to the All-Star Break to 25.9 points since. At the same time, his assists have seen an uptick from 4.5 to 5.2 per game.

When speaking with media earlier this season, Edwards cut a frustrated figure. After a 118-115 loss to the Boston Celtics, Edwards revealed how much he has to fight his natural instincts as a scorer to be a facilitator.

“That was a good brand of basketball but it’s not how I wanna play,” Edwards said. “I’m only 23, I don’t wanna just be passing the ball all night, you feel me? The way that they’re guarding me, I think I have to.”

Edwards indicated being more of a passer made it super hard to stay engaged because he’s wired to score. When asked if he felt it was a strategy done to take him out of the game mentally, Edwards wouldn’t go that far.

“I don’t know if they’re playing this, ‘Let’s mentally take him out’ because they don’t take me all the way out the game,” he said. “It definitely frustrates me a little bit. Them doubling me is definitely like, ‘Bruh, what is going on.’ We trying to figure it out, man.”

This isn’t the only aspect of Edwards’ game that’s improved this season. In fact, the 23-year-old’s biggest area of growth has come at the 3-point line. He’s gone from shooting 35.7 percent on 6.7 attempts per game last season to 40.6 percent on 10.1 attempts per game.

With an outside shooting stroke as lethal as that and a devastating game off the bounce to get to the rack when he wants, an uptick in his playmaking would make him one of the game’s most complete players.