Stephen A. Smith offered his analysis of the upcoming first-round playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, emphasizing the roles of Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards. The series is set to begin Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC at Crypto.com Arena.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith characterized Doncic as a particularly challenging opponent for Minnesota, citing the psychological impact of Doncic’s past performances against the Timberwolves.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Living Rent-Free In Minnesota’s Head
“Luka [Doncic] is the scarier matchup and let’s crystallize why that is… because he just finished destroying them last year,” Smith said. “Every time he goes up against Minnesota, he puts it on them, and so psychologically, if I kick your a** constantly and then I gotta look forward to facing you in the postseason – well that’s a very daunting task that I have no choice but to embrace. I can’t run from it because it’s an obligation, I’m trying to win a playoff series.”
Smith also spoke highly of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, suggesting that this series represents a crucial moment in the young player’s career.
“That’s the problem that the Minnesota Timberwolves have, that Luka keeps giving it to them,” Smith said. “But I’m going to tell you this, you better be scared of Anthony Edwards. The Ant-Man is coming. I believe that after seeing him in the playoffs last year, the way he went at Phoenix, the way he went at Denver when he wasn’t fatigued…
I think this brother is so special and the fact that you have a whole bunch of people out there, myself included, who believe that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to win this series – the fact that you have Luka and LeBron coming your way and there’s two stars, megastars, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers – there’s never been a greater opportunity.”
Smith believes that Edwards has a significant opportunity to elevate his status on the national stage. “Not even last year’s postseason run wasn’t a greater opportunity for Ant-Man to cement his star status than the opportunity that is presenting itself right now with LeBron James and Luka Doncic.”
Smith concluded his analysis by saying, “He knows it. That brother is coming… I believe in him. I don’t believe they will win this series, but I believe it’s going to be a long one because I believe Anthony Edwards is going to go berserk. JJ Redick and his coaching staff will have something for him in moments because they [are] too good not to but this brother is special and he’s going to show us why.”
The Timberwolves and Lakers split their regular-season series 2-2. Los Angeles secured a victory in their final meeting in late February, which was after acquiring Doncic. In those regular-season matchups, Edwards averaged 19 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, with shooting splits of 40% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range.
Doncic’s performance in three regular-season games against Minnesota (with both the Mavericks and Lakers) averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, with shooting splits of 37.5% from the field and 22.7% from three. This is a drop in his usual production.
In contrast, Doncic’s performance in the previous year’s Western Conference Finals was stellar. He led the Mavericks with averages of 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He shot 47.3% from the field and 43.4% from three on 10.6 attempts per game, contributing significantly to Dallas’s run to the NBA Finals.