Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson picked to advance to NBA Finals by Lakers legend

Anthony Edwards will need to rise to the occasion and up his game to lead his Wolves past the OKC Thunder in the WCF.

Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson picked to advance to NBA Finals by Lakers legend

Magic Johnson, Anthony Edwards

The Conference Finals are scheduled to start this Tuesday, and there is sure to be an NBA championship drought broken in one way or the other. Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks battle Tyrese Haliburton and his Pacers team in a WWE-type showdown. Anthony Edwards and his Minnesota Timberwolves take on soon-to-be-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his OKC Thunder.

All four of these are relatively young teams, though they all have experienced veterans. These are teams led by players in the middle of their primes, and all these rosters can produce on both ends of the floor. Anthony Edwards, however, has an edge compared to his competitors – he is the best athlete remaining. NBA legend Magic Johnson hinted at the same while previewing the Wolves’ first round against the Lakers.

Johnson had predicted the Lakers to take the first round, but has since flipped to lauding the 23-year-old. Now that the Wolves have gotten past an injured Stephen Curry, Johnson believes they have what it takes to go the distance. With Wolves vs Thunder scheduled to start today, the former Lakers GM tipped them to take the series.

I have the New Knicks beating the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves beating the Oklahoma City Thunder to advance to the NBA Finals!

Magic Johnson tweeted

On the outside looking in, the Wolves would be considered underdogs entering the series. OKC are -330 favorites to take the series on DraftKings, -360 on Bet365 and -375 on FanDuel. They have a longer rotation and are able to run all kinds of lineups. They typically start Chet Holmgren at the 4 spot and Isaiah Hartenstein at the 5.

The Timberwolves, with Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, also have a mean frontcourt, with Naz Reid coming off the bench. However, they don’t have the perimeter depth that OKC have. The likes of Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace are able to make an impact even while coming off the bench. Alex Caruso, also a bench player, was successfully utilized by Mark Daigneault to guard Nikola Jokic in game 7 vs Denver.

Anthony Edwards has to lead the Timberwolves offense from the front

After two years of first-round knockouts, Anthony Edwards was able to break through in the 2024 playoffs. His Timberwolves swept the Suns and edged out the reigning champion Denver Nuggets last year. They have also won against experienced teams like the Lakers and the Warriors this season. They have demonstrated that they have the mettle to hang tough and execute in tough spots.

However, the OKC Thunder are a different proposition to any team Edwards has faced in the playoffs yet. They won 68 games and have the second-highest net rating of all time in the regular season. Though they were taken to seven games by Nikola Jokic and co, they have the spine to withstand barrages from any team. Edwards will also be constantly hounded by their stout perimeter defense led by Luguentz Dort.

Edwards evolved into a great 3-point shooter this past year, leading the league with 320 makes from range. He has also improved his playmaking instincts and his ballhandling under pressure. However, Edwards is still more of an inefficient shot taker. He doesn’t have the mid-range mastery that SGA has demonstrated throughout his career. Edwards will need to find more consistent sources of offense to tide the Wolves through the scoring droughts that they’re likely to face against OKC.

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