Anthony Edwards' complaints show a need for growth

Heading into the 2024-25 season, Anthony Edwards was considered a potential superstar. He is considered among the best American players in the world. However, he has failed to reach his usual heights this season. 

Part of Edward's struggles have been due to the Minnesota Timberwolves' lack of spacing following their decision to trade Karl-Anthony Towns. Another part has been his changing shot profile. Edwards is taking far more jump shots this season, which has reduced his effectiveness as an interior scoring threat and his ability to pressure the rim. 

Furthermore, opposing teams are starting to figure out how to contain Edwards. On Thursday, the Celtics stifled the All-Star guard in a 118-115 Boston win by taking away his left hand and sending early double-teams at him. During his postgame news conference, Edwards admitted that he struggled with the additional defensive attention Boston sent his way.

"I don’t want to look like I’m not trying, or not as good as I am because I am," Edwards said. "But I can’t show it because I’m getting double-teamed."

"It’s definitely frustrating to see these guys cooking us, and I can’t cook them, whatever their adjustments are," he added. "They’re doing a good job, 100 percent, of keeping me from doing what I want to do out there. Big shoutout to the opposite team."

Being doubled-teamed is part of everyday life for the best players in the NBA. Every elite talent has endured a growth period as they've learned how to pick their spots despite suffocating defense. Jayson Tatum went from being a turnover threat to one of the best passers out of double-teams in the NBA.

Rather than complain about teams looking to shut him down, Edwards must embrace the learning curve. At 23-years-old, he's not meant to have everything figured out yet. The fact that he's already drawing so much attention from opposing teams should be taken as a compliment. 

Complaining about opposing defenses doing their job shows Edwards still has a lot of developing to do — both emotionally and in terms of his basketball skill set. If he can't attack off the dribble, he must embrace getting the ball out of his hands quickly and working in an off-ball role. Once he can maximize his scoring talent without pounding the air out of the ball, the Timberwolves will be a far better team. 

It's not going to happen overnight, but in a few years, Edwards will be elite at attacking double-teams. However, the first step to developing that skill is to stop complaining and get out of his own way.