Edwards says he and LaMelo Ball were close long before the trade, and he believes that bond will help Minnesota win.
Long before they shared a backcourt, shooting guard Anthony Edwards was a fan of point guard LaMelo Ball.
Edwards said this week that he remembers watching Ball score 92 points in high school, and that he never let people try to put the two of them against each other.
Now Ball is on the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Edwards is confident they will click fast.
Ball came over from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team trade that was agreed to in June and made official in July, and Minnesota gave up a first-round pick and three first-round pick swaps as part of the deal.
Edwards Says the Chemistry Is Already There
Edwards talked this week about how the partnership will work once the games start, and he did not sound worried at all.
"We don't even really need to play with each other to have chemistry, cause we already cool," Edwards said. "Super close, like brothers. We get on the court, ain't no egos involved. We just want to win, however it goes."
Edwards explained that some nights teams will trap him, some nights they will trap Ball, and there will be times when he is the decoy.
He also said that the Wolves already have plenty of players who can score, so the group will be really good if it locks in on defense.
It is easy to talk about having no egos in October, but this pairing has a better chance than most because the two stars have been friends for years.
Edwards being fine with playing decoy tells me he trusts Ball, and most new duos need a full season to get there.
Why This Pairing Could Work
Head coach Chris Finch said at media day that the trade gives the Wolves a chance to get Edwards back to what he called his natural elite role, which is mostly off the ball.
Finch has also talked about how Ball will change the team's identity, and both Finch and president of basketball operations Tim Connelly noted the chemistry Ball has already built with Edwards and the rest of the roster this offseason, according to KSTP.
Ball averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 72 games with Charlotte last season while shooting 36.8 percent from three.
That should take pressure off Edwards, who can spend more trips working off the ball.
Ball has also been building chemistry with center Rudy Gobert, which is just as big a part of this as his fit with Edwards.
If both of those connections hold up, the ceiling for this new duo, goes up in a hurry, and I think Minnesota would have a backcourt that few teams in the West can match.
What Comes Next
The Wolves open the preseason on Monday, Oct. 5, at Milwaukee, and that could be the first time Edwards and Ball share the floor in a game.
The regular season begins Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Miami, and the home opener is Sunday, Oct. 25, against the Toronto Raptors at Target Center.
The friendship part is done, so now it comes down to whether it holds up when a real defense is throwing traps at both of them.
