2024 NBA Playoffs Takeaways: Anthony Edwards wins Day 1 of playoffs

Things move fast in the NBA playoffs, so to help you stay on top of things, from now through at least the end of the second round, we will have nightly takeaways from the postseason action.

Anthony Edwards is him

Whatever “it” is — that indescribable star quality that separates the true elite showmen from mere mortals — Anthony Edwards has more of it than just about anyone in the league.

It’s not just that Edwards can take over a game — like he did in the third quarter against the Suns on Saturday — it’s the energy with which he does it. Edwards plays with a joy and enthusiasm that lifts up an entire building. How much joy? Watch him hit the big shot, and then start chirping at his childhood idol and favorite player, Kevin Durant.

Minnesota is up 1-0 on Phoenix partly because of their league-best defense — their length clearly bothered Phoenix’s shooters. Devin Booker was 5-of-16 from the field, Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon combined to go 0-of-8 on the night.

However, defense is just half the game. The question has been whether the Timberwolves can generate enough points to win four out of seven in a playoff series.

Enter Edwards, who took over and put the game out of reach in the third scoring 18 of his 33 points on the night.

I’m not sure Edwards qualifies as a breakout star — if you’ve had a major role in an Adam Sandler movie, you’re already there — but if there was any doubt he’s on a fast track to becoming one of the NBA’s biggest stars, he put that to bed on Saturday.

There are adjustments the Suns need to make for Game 2. They have to play faster, get into their offense earlier and find a rhythm. But they also need to find a way to slow Edwards down, or the Suns will quickly be in a hole too deep to climb out of in this series.

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