Although many people expect the Los Angeles Lakers to get past the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, they will almost certainly be challenged.
Minnesota boasts Anthony Edwards, the young superstar guard who has been compared by many to Michael Jordan and late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for his aerial acrobatics, defensive prowess and ability to score buckets is huge bunches. The team also has plenty of size and girth on its frontline, which could prevent the Lakers from getting the job done on their defensive backboards.
But there is more to Minnesota than that. It is also an excellent defensive team, and it finished the regular season ranked sixth in defensive rating. Twice this season, the Lakers committed at least 20 turnovers against Minnesota.
Head coach JJ Redick said that overcoming the Timberwolves’ defense will be a big key, especially because of the Timberwolves’ size and length.
Via Silver Screen and Roll:
“It’s one of the biggest keys to the series,” JJ Redick said after Lakers practice on Wednesday. “Our ability to get a shot. Everybody talks about Nickeil [Alexander-Walker] and with McDaniels, as these disruptive defenders which they are. They’re two of the best in the NBA, but Dan on the ball, [Donte] DiVincenzo on the ball, DiVincenzo, dribble hand off. Those guys are really disruptive.”
The Timberwolves’ defense carried them past the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round of last year’s playoffs and into the Western Conference Finals. In that second-round series, they held Denver under 100 points four times and prevented it from getting its running game off the ground.
Minnesota, which was 25th in pace this season, will likely look to turn its upcoming games versus the Lakers into grind-it-out affairs. The Lakers will have to push the ball and get it into the paint early in the shot clock, either off the dribble or ball movement, in order to get good enough looks before the waning seconds of the shot clock.
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