The Spurs are exposing weaknesses the Wolves didn't know they had

As the San Antonio Spurs gear up for Game 6 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, cracks are beginning to show for the Wolves. San Antonio has aggressively sought to get the ball out of star Anthony Edwards' hands.

The Spurs have been sending doubles at Edwards every chance they get to force him to give up the ball. They have even been willing to give up open corner threes to his teammates.

Thus far, that strategy has been effective, even though Edwards is averaging an impressive 23.6 points per game this series. Him being double-teamed for most of the game and having trouble finishing at the rim thanks to star Victor Wembanyama has hurt the Timberwolves' offense.

The Spurs are exposing weaknesses the Wolves didn't know they had

Having a starting-caliber point guard was always a need for the Timberwolves. However, they made due this season with a 38-year-old Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Edwards, and Julius Randle all sharing playmaking responsibilities.

Now, it's looking like a huge problem. Conley has played a minimal role in the series thus far, DiVincenzo is out with an ACL tear, and Randle is struggling. That leaves Edwards to shoulder the playmaking role in addition to scoring, and it's clearly having a negative impact.

In addition to scoring and passing, Edwards is being relied on to defend. As a result, we saw him begin to wear down in Game 4, and that might have happened in Game 5 had it not been a blowout.

The Spurs must continue to pressure Anthony Edwards

By double-teaming Edwards and forcing his teammates to make plays, the Spurs are gambling that the math will work out in their favor. The Spurs know that when Wembanyama is in the game, the Timberwolves aren't going to attack him.

If the Wolves do, things may not work out in their favor. Worse yet for Minnesota, Spurs defenders stay at home when Wemby's in the game, preventing open threes.

If Coach Mitch Johnson decides to play Wembanyama, say, 38 minutes in Game 6, it would give the Wolves only a narrow opening to attack the Spurs. Even still, the Spurs would probably continue to ratchet up pressure by sending doubles Edward's way, hoping to wear him down.

With few obvious counters to San Antonio's strategy, the Spurs will hopefully close the Timberwolves out in preparation for a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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