JJ Redick will get his first taste of the postseason as a head coach when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. Redick’s primary focus would be devising a strategy to slow down Anthony Edwards, and he spoke about the star guard in a media session after Tuesday’s practice.
“I mean, the thing that jumps out at you is just the three-point volume,” Redick said. “His ability to make shots at a really high level off the bounce. His pick-and-roll threes, his iso threes, dribble-up transition threes, he shoots them all at a really high clip.
“He’s still got his mid-range package, he’s still got the ability to get to the rim and finish, but not many guys that can shoot off the dribble at that volume from three, can also make 40% of them,” Redick added. “That unlocks a lot.”
Edwards wasn’t regarded as a great shooter coming into the season, but he was raining down threes in 2024-25. The 23-year-old led the league with 320 made threes and was quite efficient, too, as he shot 39.5% from beyond the arc.
That production from the three contributed to the season being the best of Edwards’ career. The three-time All-Star averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25.
It seemed like Edwards torched every team he came up against, but the Lakers actually did a great job of containing him. He averaged just 19.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game against them while shooting 40.0% from the field and 32.3% from beyond the arc.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Edwards will struggle in this series, though. He averaged 14.3 points on 31.0% shooting from the field against the Phoenix Suns in the 2023-24 regular season but then put up 31.0 points on 51.2% shooting when they faced off in the postseason. He tends to raise his game in the big moments, and the Lakers will need to be at their best to slow him down.
JJ Redick Thinks The Timberwolves Are Better Than Their Record Suggests
The Timberwolves finished sixth in the West with a 49-33 record, but Redick believes they’re better than their record suggests.
“They’re a really good basketball team,” Redick said. “The more you watch them on film, the more you respect them. They’re a better team than 49 wins. The other three teams that are top-10 in offense and defense are all 60-win teams. Over the second half since [Julius] Randle and [Donte] DiVincenzo got back from injury about 50 games in, they’ve played really well the last 20 or so games.
“It’s like any playoff series,” Redick added. “You’re gonna prepare for Game 1, and you’re going to go try to win Game 1, and then, from there, it’s adjustment after adjustment. I can’t tell you how Game 3’s gonna go because I can’t tell you how Game 1 and 2 went. We’ll prepare for Game 1, and then we’ll go from there.”
The Timberwolves went 16-4 in their last 20 games and come into this postseason with a lot of momentum. This is not going to be a stroll in the park for the 50-32 Lakers. Game 1 will be at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday at 8:30 PM ET.
