The second round series against the San Antonio Spurs exposed a big weakness for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

They didn’t have a true secondary creator.

An injury to Donte DiVincenzo didn’t help, as he acted as the starting point guard for the season, but suffered an Achilles injury in the first round against the Denver Nuggets.

But Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu proved they weren’t quite ready to be that second star, and Julius Randle disappointed, as the Spurs forced the ball out of the hands of Anthony Edwards and into the hands of others to beat them.

The Timberwolves addressed this need in the offseason, trading Naz Reid and multiple draft picks to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball, one of the top point guards in the league.

The addition of Ball should make the game much easier for Edwards.

On the Dane Moore podcast, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch addressed the addition of Ball and how he should help Edwards.

“We feel like we can get back to making life easier for Anthony with offense that is created by LaMelo. If Anthony can learn to stay patient off the ball, which is going to take some adjustment from him… he’s still going to have the ball, but at times, staying patient off the ball. One thing our team has lacked the last couple of years is guys who can get to the rim. We feel we have more of that now,” he said.

Finch admitted that Edwards found it difficult to get himself going while also dealing with double teams and the ball being forced out of his hands.

LaMelo is one of the best offensive players in the league, especially when it comes to creation. According to CraftedNBA, he is in the 99th percentile of creation and the 96th percentile in passing.

Edwards was one of the most prolific three-point shooters last season, shooting 40% from three on 8.4 attempts. Only 2.3 of those attempts came on catch-and-shoot attempts.

The majority of his offense came off the dribble. Only 7.4% of his attempts came within two seconds of him catching the ball. Expect that number to rise as he catches in more favorable situations, either leading to immediate shots or quick attacks at the rim.

There will be an adjustment for Edwards, as there is with many great on-ball players who play more off the ball, but Edwards has shown a willingness to win, and playing more off the ball and allowing one of the best passers in the league to create will lead to more wins for the Timberwolves.