Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, ending their season in the Western Conference Finals. This is the second year in a row that the Wolves have finished as runners-up in the Western Conference. Looking at the future, head coach Chris Finch was asked about Edwards and what his summer will look like in preparing for next season.
Chris Finch wants Anthony Edwards to live at the free throw line
“I think he’s in a really good place in his developmental arc… he’s done a pretty good amount of winning, a lot of winning actually… areas of improvement for him are going to be around the think the game route really… kinda figure out a bit of a closing package and we have to help him there, what shots and places on the floor can he consistently get to, foul drawing you see right now in the league what gets rewarded,” Finch said.
That last part from Finch about drawing fouls is what really stands out. Imagine Edwards — who already averaged 27.6 points per game this season —attempting more free throws. This year, he averaged 6.3 attempts from the line. He’s already aggressive attacking the basket but if he could go that extra mile and get up to around 9-10 free throws per game that would surely make a difference for the team overall.
Edwards is an 80.4 percent shooter from the charity stripe during his career but has shot it over 83 percent the past two seasons. However, in the playoffs this year, those numbers declined with Edwards attempting under six free throws per game and converting at just under 72 percent. You can’t have that type of production (or lack thereof) and expect to be a championship team, especially when it’s your star player.
In his prime, LeBron James had seasons where he averaged upward of 10 free throw attempts per game. And James has never been as good a free-throw shooter as Edwards, having never reached the 80 percent marker for an entire season.
Needless to say, if Edwards can cash in on his coach's wishes, he will be the league’s next big villain. Fans don't like players who live at the free throw line, no matter how beneficial it is to their team. And if drawing more fouls means getting his team over the hump, then forget what the outside world will think.