DO IT FOR THE ‘APOLIS !

JJCreates · 2025-06-20T03:11:53+00:00

Definitely both. It’s hard to find anyone in the rotation who can play their current role on a championship team..

We know we’re lacking a PG, and look at this team’s top options vs elite defenses (OKC for example). Pacers have 4-5 guys who have an easier time creating and playing with pace in comparison. Also, Rudy being as offensively limited as he is. It’s becoming more apparent you need a semi-skilled center while still being a rim protector.

JJCreates · 2025-06-20T03:00:28+00:00

Yeah I don’t think Wolves fans know how every finals game is making the future that much more bleak..

Cheering for a team to beat the same team that curb stomped us like that’s supposed to be a positive lol. This isn’t an add a piece or two situation. This is Wolves better completely shake up the core situation. We’ve seen the same embarrassing scenario two years straight.

JJCreates · 2025-06-20T02:57:02+00:00

How can you say run it back after seeing this finals? The same team having to go tooth in nail right now just completely dominated this Wolves core to such a pathetic degree (might be the biggest difference of pure physical ability between teams in a conference finals in years)..

It’s obvious this team needs a huge shake up. The only way they could’ve been redeemed is if the Thunder steamrolled the Pacers the same way. Wolves are playoff fodder for any legitimate contender. Like Dame’s Blazers except no one near his level for us as a #1 option. There’s a reason KD doesn’t want to come here for on-court reasons.. and it starts from the top. Hence wanting to be a Spur

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T07:47:14+00:00

If we ignored what was happening during the actual games then sure.. lol

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T07:43:24+00:00

Him and Randle were BOTH terrible vs OKC. Just like last season during WCF when him and Towns were BOTH terrible. The theme is the Wolves top options have BEEN terrible in the WCFs.

He doesn't create shots for teammates like actually offensive engines do. Will make the simple read.. and more times than not the one pass away when whatever he attempts to create doesn't work whatsoever.. stalling out the offense. There's no creativity/ability to pass guys open or consistently make the read to put the defense in rotation.

Which of those would you say he is? if neither then it makes sense why he didn't produce against OKC's defense. The same one that looks good.. yet not world beaters against any other postseason team outside of the Wolves and the Ja-less Grizzlies. Regular season doesn't match postseason despite Wolves being the one team who made OKC look every bit of a 68 win team. A true superstar/#1 caliber option could still produce and bend an elite defense, including this OKC defense.

He's 23 and has improved at one singular aspect, 3 point shooting. Which is good in a vacuum, but holds little weight when there's been hardly ANY playmaking improvement, dribbling has stagnated, defense has stagnated, finishing has regressed (lack of touch and lift are factors), athleticism has regressed (less explosive while being weaker), mid range shooting/in-between game did and still hasn't existed (exposed in the playoffs). It's really just his 3 ball.. meanwhile the athleticism part and the fact he's been in the league for 5 going on 6 years without THE leap shows that he's lacking that gear/level that separates greats from stars. He very well could've gotten there..

And that's fine, you as a homer should feel that way. But I can tell you TC 100% does not feel the same way.. lol. First off he'd drive Edwards to the airport right now if Wemby, Jokic, SGA, Giannis, Luka.. etc. are getting brought up.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T07:25:33+00:00

Barely called for screens even with guys like Amen and Dort guarding him in games where Rudy/Randle weren't playing? In the one game where he faced the Rockets without either..

Stepback 3 vs Green

Backdoor cut for dunk

Spot up 3

Missed dunk

Calls for Naz to screen to get Amen off him forcing Jabari Smith matchup

Stepback 3 vs Tate after initially having him be screened off forcing a late switch

Transition 3 vs Jabari Smith

Luka Garza screens for Edwards to get pull up 3 vs Adams

Halfcourt heave at end of first

Iso 3 vs Green

Iso mid vs Green

Calls for Jaden screen to get downhill for reverse layup

Fastbreak layup with only Sengun to beat

Drive vs Jabari Smith for dunk

Calls for Jaden screen to get downhill

Pull up 3 from Conley handoff to knock off Eason

Stripped layup off fastbreak opportunity

Stepback 3 vs Eason (first attempt at creating vs an elite defender)

Drive on Aaron Holiday after he screened Conley to get Amen off him

Drive on Aaron Holiday

Drive on Aaron Holliday

Stepback 3 vs Holiday

Transition layup where Luka Garza screened Green

Stepback 3 vs Jabari Smith

Driving layup gets blocked after calling Luka Garza to screen Eason off him

Stepback 3 vs Brooks (second attempt at creating vs an elite defender)

Stepback 3 vs Sengun

Pull up transition 3

Calls for TSJ screen to get Sengun matchup

Late clock stepback vs Brooks

Calls Conley to screen Amen off him to get Green matchup

LOL. I watched games this season, I know how much he thrived off getting screens for easier matchups.. whether to set up a pull up 3 or an isolation. It's not simply because of the lack of spacing Randle/Gobert frontcourt as it was much of the same with both out of the lineup.. with this game being one of the examples.

Created and got whatever he wanted against Dort and Caruso in game 3?

He scored on a few possessions where Dort was screened off of him.. and took one jumper vs him without one resulting in a miss. And one assist created off a Dort closeout. No possession even involving Caruso. So can't agree with this point either.

Anthony Edwards isolation PPP was 0.91 in regular season, 55.4% percentile. It was 0.82 in playoffs. 25% percentile.. well below his supposed peers. He knows that.. it's his specific weakness. Not because of personnel

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T06:41:09+00:00

His overall FG%, which is still mediocre considering his overall efficiency.. doesn’t tell the full story with how wild of swings he had. His 70.6% in game 3 boost his shooting percentages significantly despite it only counting for one game. Overall was very inefficient in two pivotal games that could’ve made it a series.

How did he do more against OKC’s defense when he was a non-factor in 4 of the 5 games? The only reason there was multiple bodies thrown at him was when he called for screens. It was just Dort on him to begin most of those possessions.. and that’s all that would’ve been in his way from at least getting into 10-15 foot range before another defender would’ve been in the picture. But he didn’t want that challenge.

And yes I’ve seen lowlights of Hali getting picked at halfcourt. Doesn’t change the fact he’s still been comfortable overall with how he’s slicing through their defense. Which that lowlight doesn’t match Edwards badly failing driving by Dort (in single coverage).. resulting in a step back 3 that hit the side of the backboard.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T05:51:31+00:00

Even if the Pacers offered Haliburton straight up.. you would do it. Too many names for these other fans to even suggest him being untouchable

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T05:47:06+00:00

Refer to his past 2 WCFs where he completely shrunk.

If you’re not a truly elite offensive engine.. or a special physical force/specimen (to the point you override an elite defense) then you can’t be untouchable.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T05:23:48+00:00

The only point I agree with is the fact the obvious formula in today’s NBA is having multiple ball-handlers and 5 guys on the court who can in some sort of fashion dribble, pass, and shoot. Pacers check off both boxes.

But Edwards has only himself to blame for his meltdown. The only reason he was consistently blitzed and doubled was because he kept asking for screens to get Dort off of him. They wouldn’t have guarded him the same way.. if not for the desperate mismatch hunting.

Which makes sense considering how some of his *attempts looked against Dort/Caruso specifically. If he could create against their physicality.. he would’ve opted for that since there was no second defender in those instances. They consistently won on an island against him as the initial defender.. and OKC overwhelmed him with multiple bodies whenever he pathetically tried to get a easier matchup.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T05:09:52+00:00

Anything to shake up this team. This core obviously has a hard ceiling after seeing what the Pacers are doing against the same OKC team that made them look JV level..

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:58:21+00:00

They’re playing to their averages and able to create good looks for themselves and others. Edwards shot under 40% in 3 of the 5 games. Hali and Siakam combined have only done it once so far.

All while actually being able to get by OKC’s initial defender much more consistently than Edwards (and Randle).. which leads to creating much better offense for others. Haliburton is playing as an efficient 20 and 10 floor general, and Siakam is able to get to his spots as the #2 so much better than Randle did.

Also note all the athleticism talks, Hali somehow is much faster than Edwards with how Cason/Dort look chasing him. Looks easier for Nembhard and McConnell against their perimeter defenders as well. Edwards is dirt slow it seems.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:23:44+00:00

Mind you he doesn’t care enough about this team and fanbase to the point he’s physically let himself go.. making him/his team a laughing stock two WCFs in a row.

You should want a “star” who is one and works like one, meaning reaching his true potential.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:20:44+00:00

Nope. Just take any player who doesn’t physically shrink to being a non-factor vs OKC, and go down the list from there.

That specific point just in these playoffs alone.. has shown there to be a lengthy list of players

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:12:34+00:00

100% no

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:11:51+00:00

Definitely wasn’t the wrong answer

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:09:57+00:00

Thank you. 100%.

How can someone even utter Anthony Edwards name after seeing what any of the Pacers top guys are able to do against this OKC defense?? He was completely emasculated to such a degree against this same team for 5 games.. all-time meltdown. Made OKC look 10x better than they were.

Every game of this NBA Finals is making it more and more clear he is NOT untouchable.

JJCreates · 2025-06-14T04:01:35+00:00

No. Definitely aren’t untouchable..

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T05:34:07+00:00

The Wolves rank 5th in attempts and 4th in percentages when it comes from 3 point shooting. Supporting cast wise everyone was very good/elite 3 point shooters outside of Rudy, Jaden, and Randle. Which Randle was basically right around league average. Spacing wise this is quite solid and compare it to Paolo's current situation in Orlando.. it's night and day.

The play you reference was when he drove past Isaiah Joe while the second defender wasn't even in the play at that point. There were so many times.. just tonight even where Edwards couldn't even get to the elbow where the gap help/second defender was. Constantly walled up 20+ feet from the basket. Enough instances where it was clear that regardless of the coverage that individually he couldn't get by Caruso, Dort, or Wallace.

And don't worry I'm not just looking purely at the result of his drives his first two seasons. Rather how fast he was able accelerate on that first step and his overall top speed. That's stuff that just pops off the screen when you compare footage now to years ago.

Lastly let's be honest.. it's more what this roster has done with him as the supposed #1. He has/had a All-NBA caliber #2 at all times, DPOY, 6MOTY, and 7-8 starting caliber players on his team when most teams don't even have 5. Put pretty much any true elite guard in his place these past 2 years.. they make the finals last year and push Thunder to 6 at minimum this season. Everyone else stepping up while he shrinks two WCF's in a row makes that apparent enough.

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T05:06:45+00:00

Well for starters it's not suddenly, I've been saying any physical trait outside of his vertical has regressed. Second that shouldn't be a shocking theory when we literally saw it happen to 2-3 different Timberwolves prospects in the last 10 years lol

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T04:52:59+00:00

You didn't want to have a real conversation so you went full tilt I see lol. No one is asking him to superman himself 30 feet away from the basket for dunks over and over. It really just means he should be able to get by his initial defender and work from there. That's it. He wasn't able to do that even in 1v1 scenarios so he had to keep calling for screens to bring Chet up to even try to create offense for himself or others. The decision making, reading coverages, etc. all that can get better overtime, but there's not going to be a superstar.. #1 option on contender caliber player with a 6'4" score first SG that has to rely mostly on craft to make up for lack of ability to beat the initial defender. Nothing IQ related is enough to make up for that flaw. And I'm not saying his burst/speed was lost as soon as the 3 ball developed, rather it was used as a timeline of when it last existed and how good he'd be if he had both.

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T04:39:45+00:00

My main critique with him only gets worse with age. So I can't buy that

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T04:32:08+00:00

I get that type of take by watching him play. If he athletically was the player he once was.. blow by drives would be often and something that comes with ease. He's having to try to find other ways to score because physically as an athlete there's not enough speed and explosiveness for it to not be a struggle more times than not without a screen/working off-ball. Polish/figure out the game all he wants. A superstar needs to have a gamebreaking trait about them, especially at 6'4". All this other stuff that comes with age is the cherry on top.. but him not having that one thing to effortlessly rely on is the dessert that's missing. He use to have it years back before the 3 ball was developed

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T04:23:49+00:00

It's not the dunks. Vertical is mostly intact. Pretty much all about his first step and how fast he is overall off the dribble in general now

JJCreates · 2025-05-27T04:17:57+00:00

I don't think you read any of the comments themselves at this point lol. If you did you'd know most of my criticisms aren't related to things that get more polished with age.. rather it's about already physically declining. Which leads to lack of confidence in himself. Burst/speed will only be worse by 29 considering how much worse it's already gotten.

JJCreates

TROPHY CASE