Anthony Edwards is shooting it from deep like never before. Is the 3-ball evolution good or bad?

The NBA’s deep dive into 3-point shooting has transformed the game entirely. Today, the 3 isn’t just a weapon; it’s the foundation of almost every offense. Analytics demand it, coaches preach it and players adapt to it. But here’s the question: Has this evolution really been good for the game? Is basketball more enjoyable to watch, or has something been lost in the process?

Last season the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals and shattered the all-time 3-point rate previously set by the Houston Rockets. Now other teams are following along: 3-pointers are way up across the league with 41.7% of shots coming from behind the arc. If this continues, it’ll be the first time in NBA history the 3-point rate eclipses 40%.

The Timberwolves have undergone one of the most dramatic shifts this season with 50.5% of their shots coming from 3, second behind only Boston. This comes one year after they ranked 17th in 3-point rate. Clearly, Minnesota is trying to follow league trends as an attempt to leap from a West finals appearance to a champion.

At the heart of Minnesota’s embrace of the 3-point revolution is Anthony Edwards, who has taken 90 total shots this season with 53 of them coming from behind the arc. That’s a rate of 58.9%. Higher than James Harden has ever had. Higher than any other player averaging over 25 points. Higher than you’d expect from a dynamic player capable of slashing, drawing contact and finishing at the rim with authority. But this is the style he’s embracing in all contexts of the game:

In the clips above, Edwards hits 3s by running a pick-and-roll, slipping a screen, re-using a screen and pulling up in transition. He’s hunting at all times. And making them, too. Edwards has drained 37.1 percent of his dribble-jumper 3s and 50 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s. Prior to this regular season, Edwards had made 33.2 percent and 38.7 percent, respectively. We’ll see if these career-best percentages sustain.

But as Edwards takes on this perimeter-centric role, questions arise about what’s left on the table. By leaning this heavily on the long ball, is Ant sacrificing some of his best attributes? Is he losing opportunities to develop his weakest offensive skill: playmaking? And could the MJ-esque midrange pull-ups and athletic drives that made him a nostalgic fan favorite be slipping away?

On the latest episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show, I brought on Timberwolves expert Dane Moore to discuss Minnesota’s new style. Moore said the uptick in 3s isn’t necessarily being mandated by Wolves head coach Chris Finch. It’s merely just the way the team is constructed. I believe it.

Yes, the Wolves are running more off-ball screens that slingshot players into 3s (or hurling toward the basket). And they’re featuring more motion and movement than before. But the massive increase in 3-point attempts is largely just about Edwards.

Karl-Anthony Towns is the self-proclaimed greatest 3-point shooting big ever, and he’s gone. But Julius Randle has always taken his fair share of 3s as well. And shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo is a high-end 3-point ace, too.

Rotation players like Mike Conley, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker already took a ton of 3s before, so nothing has changed there either.

Edwards alone has driven Minnesota’s 3-point surge, jumping from a modest one-third of his attempts coming from deep last season to over half this year. At just 23, he’s still developing, still figuring out the player he’ll need to be to win at the highest level. Tuesday’s game against the Mavericks was a perfect test case.

In the first quarter, Edwards looked unstoppable, pouring in 24 points and hitting 3s from all over the floor. But once Dallas tightened up, pressuring him in transition and closing off those easy looks, everything changed. In the half court, the Mavericks started switching nearly every screen, often with P.J. Washington shadowing him. Edwards struggled to find his shot against their sagging drop defense, and ball pressure led to some sloppy turnovers late in the game.

To go further than the Timberwolves did last season, these are the matchups where Ant needs to draw on his full toolkit, especially his drives. And in a long regular season, Edwards has a prime opportunity to sharpen his playmaking and add layers to his game. Right now, his focus is the 3. But at some point, it also needs to be on making his teammates better by manipulating defenses as a passer.

It’s no surprise the Timberwolves are embracing Edwards playing this way though. His shot looks excellent. This is how teams win nowadays. But this isn’t just about strategy — it’s about the broader evolution of basketball itself.

Think about the way basketball used to be. A tapestry of styles, each team carrying its own identity. The 3-pointer used to be the surprise. The knockout punch. Now it’s just another jab. You could watch a game and instantly know: This is Spurs basketball or This is the Seven Seconds or Less Suns or This is the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. Today? You’d be forgiven if you mixed up the styles. When everyone’s running similar high-volume 3-point strategies, that signature identity fades into the background, and what we’re left with is a league that sometimes feels like a copy-and-paste job.

From a narrative standpoint, the 3-point shot was once a thrill because of its rarity. But do fans really want a player built like Edwards to take a higher share of shots from 3 than Reggie Miller or Ray Allen ever did in their careers? The 3-pointer, in all its efficiency, has become routine, and with it, some of the drama has slipped away.

Don’t get me wrong. Watching Steph Curry make Mike Breen yell “Bang!” with logo 3s is exhilarating. Seeing centers like Brook Lopez adapt by migrating from the post to the 3-point line is commendable. And watching the Celtics blend elements of what the Warriors and Rockets pioneered in the late-2010s to revolutionize the game is remarkable.

Talent across the league is greater than ever, and with parity in the West and in the East behind Boston, competition level is high in the early going this season. But TV ratings saw declines last week, with many factors going into it including superstar absences. When that 3-point style becomes the game’s de facto state for almost all players and teams, the thrill can also start to wear thin for many fans.

For individual players like Edwards, and for the NBA as a whole, the challenge is to find that sweet spot between analytics and artistry. At the end of the day, what most fans want isn’t just a good shot chart — they want a good story. And maybe the story is better when it has a bit more variety in the way it’s told.