The Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready to begin their playoff run with Luka Doncic joining LeBron James for the first time in their postseason history.
The 17 time NBA champions will face the energetic Minnesota Timberwolves team lead by superstar Anthony Edwards.
The squads split four games against each other during the regular season, but three of those games came before Los Angeles acquired Doncic, who wants to make a big statement with the Lakers, even more after his former team – the Dallas Mavericks – were eliminated from the playoffs Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Bronny James destroys Lakers teammates
Bronny James, the rookie with a lot to prove, is helping the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves by taking the role of Anthony Edwards in practice, according to the team’s head coach, JJ Redick, who asigned that role to Bronny and veteran guard Shake Milton.
The Lakers posted a video of a scrimmage where Bronny James had a big role, crossing over his teammates, dishing dimes and playing like a veteran with full command of the court. It’s crystal clear that the former USC Trojan has made a lot of improvement and can be a great asset for Los Angeles in the future.
It’s one of the reasons why Bronny James earned a spot on the Lakers‘ playoff roster. The rookie only appeared in 27 games for the team, including one start, while he made most of his time with the South Bay Lakers in the G league. It was good enough to get an A+ from Redick, though. “Ho he has personally handled a lot of attention, good and bad, he doesn’t even break character,” JJ said about the rookie.
Anthony Edwards is ready for the Lakers challenge
Anthony Edwards, considered by NBA analysts like the player that could be the face of the league if he wanted to, loves the challenge of playing the Los Angeles Lakers during the first round of the 2025 playoffs. “I just love it. It’s dope,” Ant said, especially with the Lakers being considered the favorite in the series.
“I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win. That’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t want the Timberwolves to win. I get it.” Edwards averaged a team-high 27.6 points per game this season with 5.7 rebounds, and the Wolves stumbled to a 22-21 start through Jan 20.
But they went 27-12 the rest of the way, finally getting into a groove following the offseason trade to acquire Julius Randle from the New York Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns. Randle averaged 18.7 points with 7.1 rebounds and a team-best 4.7 assists on the season. Minnesota’s 17-4 stretch to close out the season came after Randle returned from a groin strain.
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