LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the 2025 NBA Postseason in five games, losing to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the offseason having arrived, James took the time to resume his Mind the Game podcast with co-host Steve Nash, an NBA legend in his own right, and reflect on the postseason loss, during which James praised Edwards and gave the Timberwolves their flowers.
LeBron James Speaks on How the Lakers Game-Planned For Anthony Edwards
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2025 postseason with a lot of momentum. As the 3-seed in the stacked Western Conference, the Lakers drew the 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. Many experts thought it was an appetizing matchup for the Lake Show, especially given how well James’ co-star Luka Dončić fared against Minnesota in the 2024 Playoffs. However, after an underwhelming performance, the Lakers were downed in just five games.
James averaged 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in the five games. However, he did experience some struggles in the fourth quarters of several important games. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s lead man Anthony Edwards averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, leading his team to an upset series win.
With the season now over, James resumed his podcast, Mind the Game, with NBA legend and co-host Steve Nash. When asked about what the Lakers’ game-plan against Edwards was, James revealed that they had a variety of approaches.
“We wanted to try to change pitches on him as much as possible because we want, you know, you don’t never give one player, no great players, one steady diet of the same thing.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has received plenty of criticism for how he had his team playing against Minnesota. While Redick took flak for his rotations, offensive game-plan, and more, many of their defensive issues were due to Edwards’ unselfishness. Getting more specific, James spoke about several things Edwards did to effectively combat their defensive schemes.
LeBron James Credits Anthony Edwards For Taking the Next Step in his Game
Of course, there is no one solution to effectively guarding a player like Edwards. Nonetheless, the Lakers attempted to force the ball out of his hands and make him live on a diet of tough shots. Nonetheless, Edwards found that he was able to get his fairly consistently, and more importantly, make plays for his teammates. James says that this all starts form his ability to appropriately combat double-teams and use his basketball IQ.
“His ability to race double teams, to split double teams, to get creative, and he’s still strong too.”
Edwards has always been an explosive offensive player, but his ability to make plays for his teammates is what allowed Minnesota to so many good performances on offense. Throughout the series, Edwards’ growth as a playmaker was on full display. James has routinely stated that making your teammates better is the number one thing that superstars need to do in order to take themselves and their teams to the next level.
“Believing in your teammates, making them feel even better than what they are as well. And he’s trusting his teammates to make plays.”
James is not the only one who noticed Edwards’ development in this area. The in-depth basketball analysis channel Thinking Basketball recently highlighted how well Edwards played in the series, saying he was the best player on either team “entirely because of his growth as a playmaker and decision maker.” The full video shows countless moments of Edwards being more willing to pass to teammates, protect the ball by limiting turnovers, and not being too reckless with an aggressive shot selection.
Like all NBA fans, LeBron James is excited to watch Edwards take on the Golden State Warriors in the second round. After Edwards was criticized by his head coach Chris Finch for not being aggressive enough in Game 1 loss at home, the Timberwolves are looking to rebound in Game 2 before taking the series on the road.
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