It was exciting but deserving news when the US National Team announced that Anthony Edwards was joining them for FIBA. Historically, this opportunity has been a valuable opportunity for young players to represent their country on a big stage. Although they don’t have their usual teammates and system, FIBA can be the perfect situation for the development of traits that still may need some refining. It also offers collaboration with other extremely talented players in the association.
In the past few seasons, there have been some players who are comparable to Ant. 21-year-old Jayson Tatum, 22-year-old Jaylen Brown, and 22-year-old Donovan Mitchell headlined the 2019 squad. The 2014 squad was no slouch either, starring a then 21-year-old Anthony Davis, 22-year-old Kyrie Irving, and 24-year-old Klay Thompson. Many of those players have been relevant NBA stars since.
It is easy to see how Ant can prove himself to match the future growth of these talents. Similarly, none of these players were nearly at the level they are today or at their peak and had to improve upon their secondary skills in order to grow into a more complete player. In Ant’s case, looking to the playmaking and passing that if developed, could bring his game to the next level.
In multiple press conferences, USA coach Steve Kerr has been adamant about moving the ball with this FIBA team. While it’s vital to do so considering the surplus of talent and the shorter court, FIBA is a different game. If players cannot adapt to usage and roles, then things will only become more problematic, no matter the talent levels. Having multiple All-Star caliber players is sweet, but they aren’t going to have success if Kerr cannot get them to gel as a team.
We are fresh off of our first glimpse of this year’s FIBA team after an exhibition against Puerto Rico on Monday. While Ant is due to get his fair share of looks with the ball in his hands, he will need to assert himself in other facets to keep his starting role and minutes. Luckily, Ant was a standout in this game with an impressive performance, scoring 15 points on 7 of 13 from the floor. He also already showcased what he is able to do as a playmaker, adding 4 assists.
While the highlight plays in transition are fun, they come much easier than plays in the halfcourt. But Ant can improve in the halfcourt exponentially. The helpful detail regarding his halfcourt playmaking is that he has plenty of scoring gravity to work with already because opponents respect his driving ability and pull-up shooting. His scoring prowess overall offers more opportunities to try to create for himself and still find others in more advantageous situations on the court. He can do so either by looking to the short corner pass or even developing a better skip pass. We saw more of the skip pass where he found the opposite wing or corner this past season.
Ant can improve expansively by making the right pass. Last season, he often wasn’t as confident in his teammates when he would get doubles or pressured, leading to turnovers or ill-advised shots. While Ant is capable of hitting absurd shots from all three levels on the court, you don’t want him to force his hand.
Rudy Gobert was often open around the free-throw line or paint when Ant would get double-teamed. If Ant becomes more comfortable with using Gobert, it would allow the offense to continue to churn. Not only would Edwards help involve others, but it would also take the stress off himself. It may not lead to direct buckets from Rudy or others that the defense leaves open, but limiting the self-inflicted wounds will only make things more difficult for the defense.
Below are the many times when opponents double-teamed Ant and elected to try to decipher the situation himself, often leading to turnovers or negative plays.
Despite the workload that was put upon Ant in this exhibition game, he’s often going to need to find ways to be effective in his limited touches in future games. Overall, he’ll have to experiment with quick decision playmaking during this period. Doing so will only help him with the Wolves next season. Edwards, 22, has proven himself as a prolific young scorer in the league. But his physical gifts and skill set will create other opportunities for success on the floor.
FIBA can serve as a valuable platform for Ant to experiment with how to maximize the talent around him. Despite the increase in talent on the floor, it will take different processing for Edwards to figure out what the best pass is and what the other players’ strengths and weaknesses are. It will only make things simpler when most of his Wolves teammates return to compete for another playoff spot.
The scoring, highlight plays, and energy that Ant brings to the game will always capture your attention. But make sure to keep a keen eye on what he can do as a passer and playmaker because you’ll see the flashes.
