Anthony Edwards’ recent streak of success is “no coincidence”

Anthony Edwards struggled to shoot from the field at the start of the season, but the No. 1 overall pick now seems to be establishing himself and has been very efficient of late.

Through the first 16 games of the season, Edwards averaged 12.3 points on 34.4% shooting from the field, including 27.4% from 3-point range. Since then, however, Edwards has averaged 18 points on 46.6% shooting from the field and 50% (15 of 30) from distance.

Despite the difficulties, Edwards remained confident in his abilities on the field. The Timberwolves did the same, putting him in the starting lineup on January 29th.

Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders likes the aggressiveness Edwards brings to the starting lineup and believes it can help open things up for others. The team is giving Edwards more opportunities in catch-and-shoot situations, and he’s responding.

According to Synergy Sports, Edwards is averaging 1.241 points per possession on catch-and-shoot opportunities this season, which ranks in the 70th percentile. He converted 41.4% (24 of 58) of those shot attempts.

“We’ve tried to get more catch-and-shoot action over the last five games, especially outside of timeouts,” Saunders said Friday. “He is a worker. He’s the guy you have to take the ball away from during practice and on the flight to Oklahoma City because he wants to keep shooting. He’s a worker, so (his improved shooting) isn’t a coincidence.”

Edwards and the organization knew it was only a matter of time before he found a groove on the floor. The team has urged Edwards to be aggressive early in games, which can help him and his teammates get going.

Hopefully this can lead to some wins for the Timberwolves.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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