It took Anthony Edwards two games with Julius Randle to do something he never did with Karl-Anthony Towns
By Lior Lampert
It was a tale of two cities for the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves in their first and second regular-season games of the 2024-25 NBA campaign. After coming out flat in the opener, things clicked in their 117-115 road victory over the Sacramento Kings. More specifically, the star duo of Anthony Edwards and offseason addition Julius Randle.
Edwards and Randle led the way for Minnesota, particularly on the offensive end of the floor. The tandem combined for 65 points, with the former scoring 32, including sinking a couple of free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining to secure the win. Meanwhile, the latter dropped 33 points. However, both players notably did most of their damage from beyond the three-point line.
Randle was hyper-efficient from beyond the arc, making five of his six attempts. Conversely, Edwards was 5-of-15 from downtown. Nevertheless, their abundance of long-distance buckets helped them achieve something the second-mentioned Timberwolves standout accomplished with his ex-running mate, Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle are already vibing from distance
Per StatMamba, Edwards and Randle became the first Timberwolves pair to log at least 30 points and five threes in a win. Given that Towns is regarded as a sharpshooter, it's shocking he and his one-time teammate never accomplished this feat. Moreover, Minnesota has been successful in recent years, making it even more astonishing.
Towns has posted a career 39.8 percent clip from three on 4.3 attempts per game and is an NBA Three-Point Contest champion. Moreover, he's the self-anointed "greatest big man shooter of all time." Yet, somehow, the seven-footer and Edwards didn't simultaneously convert five shots from beyond the arc while leading the Wolves to triumph during their four-year overlap. How's that possible?
Regardless, it's an odd stat worth pointing out, considering many thought Minnesota sacrificed significant spacing by trading Towns to the New York Knicks this summer. Despite this, the blockbuster deal that netted them Randle and versatile veteran combo guard Donte DiVincenzo is paying dividends early.