"ANT effect" “Regular season merchants”: Minnesota fans go berserk as their NBA, MLB and NHL teams record best ever run
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have taken the NBA by storm, posting a league-best 14-4 record alongside the Boston Celtics. Although the team struggled at points last year, with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the frontcourt Gobert-Towns duo, this year has been different. Much of that success is due to Anthony Edwards.
Edwards has been averaging career-highs across the board, with 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. In addition, he's become even more efficient, posting a 46.4% field percentage alongside a 37.7% three-point percentage - with both figures being career-highs for the guard.
Throughout the month of November, the Timberwolves posted an astounding 13-2 record, marking a significant milestone for the franchise. To date, the record is the best produced by any professional Minnesota sports team in a single month.
Their 13-2 record in November beat out the Minnesota Twins MLB team and Minnesota Wild NHL team, cementing the Timberwolves in history.
Looking at the Minnesota Timberwolves' transformation this season amid stellar play from Anthony Edwards
The Timberwolves' play this season has been truly elite. While the frontcourt duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert raised serious questions about their compatibility last season, this year has been different.
Fueled by Anthony Edwards' elite two-way play, the Timberwolves have completely turned things around. Currently, the team boasts the best defensive rating of any team in the NBA, which has arguably been the biggest factor in their success.
Of course, during that time, in addition to the stellar play of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert have performed in their own rights. In the case of Towns, the big man's offensive game hasn't missed a beat despite being in his ninth season.
In the case of Gobert, the former Defensive Player of the Year has continued to do what he does best, protecting the paint, hauling down boards and scoring efficiently. The big man is now averaging 2.3 blocks per game, an indication that he's returned to form after a down year, averaging just 1.4 bpg.
While there's still plenty of basketball left to play this season, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves seem to have rounded a corner. Although their offensive efficiency hasn't been on par with their defensive efficiency, if the team can improve things on offense, they could stun the league and make a deep playoff run.