Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards dilemma exposes Mavericks flaw Nico Harrison must fix

The Western Conference side of the NBA Playoffs is officially down to one team, as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals in five games to advance to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012. This was a huge moment for OKC and their fan base, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has truly taken the next step toward becoming one of the faces of the NBA by winning the NBA MVP and making the NBA Finals for the first time in his career, and the Timberwolves have now lost in the Western Conference Finals two years in a row.

Last year, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in five games as well, as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic were too much for them to handle. Despite Edwards confidently proclaiming that he'd guard Irving before that series began, Irving ended up averaging 27.4 points per game and couldn't be stopped.

The Timberwolves, on the other hand, didn't have strong enough guard play outside of Edwards against Dallas last year, and that issue continued into this season's playoff run. Minnesota didn't have another reliable ball handler to take pressure off Edwards, and the Timberwolves' failure to address that issue over the offseason or at the trade deadline cost them.

Mavericks can't afford to repeat the Timberwolves' costly mistake

Now, Dallas faces a similar problem as they are without Doncic and don't have another ball handler to help out Irving when needed, and this must be Nico Harrison and company's top priority this offseason when they are building the roster.

It has already been reported that Dallas is looking to add a starting-caliber point guard to start in Irving's place until he returns from his ACL tear, and from watching the Timberwolves-Thunder series unwind, this need can't be undermined by Harrison. Dallas truly had a problem at the end of the season when they had no creators, and this was part of the reason that they were blown out in the Play-In Tournament by the Memphis Grizzlies.

In today's NBA, you need multiple high-level ball handlers who can create advantages and put the defense in tough positions, and Edwards and the Timberwolves learned that the hard way. While Minnesota had frontcourt players who could create their own shot, such as Julius Randle, getting bigs the ball (even dominant offensive-minded bigs like Randle) can sometimes be a challenge.

Defensive players are allowed to play with significantly increased physicality when bigs are trying to post them up, especially when they are using smaller players to defend them (like the Thunder did at times against Randle with Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams), and the Mavericks know this firsthand as well. They struggled to get Anthony Davis the ball in the play-in against Memphis, and even though he finished with 40 points, this issue was clear.

The Mavs didn't have a primary ball handler to run the show in that game, and that turned out to be a major reason their postseason run ended before it even began. No one could consistently create their own shot (outside of Brandon Williams and Davis), and they struggled to make simple entry passes to Davis.

Dallas can't overlook this issue of not having multiple elite ball handlers and creators that was created by trading Doncic, and their seriousness when addressing this issue could make or break their offseason.

As shown by the Timberwolves' series against the Thunder, having two strong ball handlers who can create is one of the most important elements of a contender in today's NBA, and having a superstar guard like Edwards or Irving doesn't mitigate that. Dallas' run to the NBA Finals was largely due to Irving and Doncic's compatibility, and now Harrison has the task of finding Irving a backcourt replacement (while he's injured) and potential running mate once he returns.

While Cooper Flagg's strong ball handling should help take some weight off Irving's shoulders, that won't be enough. Their search for another strong playmaker and ball handler needs to be extensive, and from everything that has been reported thus far, it will be.

Dallas' roster seems almost complete, and finding that high-level guard to play with Irving could be the final step of building a true contender in the first year of the Flagg era. They are going to need a major upgrade to run the offense while Irving is gone, and so far they have been linked to players like Lonzo Ball, Chris Paul, and Jrue Holiday.

Whether they address this issue through free agency, the trade market, or the draft, one thing is for certain.

Dallas can't follow behind the footsteps of the Timberwolves by leading their star guard out to dry, and they'll have the perfect chance to take a huge step in the right direction this summer.