The small steps forward that may represent a giant leap for Anthony Edwards

The leap for Anthony Edwards may not be coming in a single bound in his third season in the NBA. Maybe it’s more like a triple-jump, with a series of smaller bounces that eventually add up to a giant vault forward.

What Edwards did in a badly needed Timberwolves victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night started in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers two days earlier. Thrust into lead playmaking duties by an injury to D’Angelo Russell, Edwards is quickly learning how to combat aggressive double teams, get his teammates open looks and control a game without a big scoring night.

In one of his most mature performances of the season, Edwards put up 19 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and just two turnovers in a 112-110 road win. For a young player who is typically at his best when he’s riding a wave of emotion to big dunks and splashy step-back 3-pointers, this was a game highlighted by discipline, poise and an understanding of how the game was going and what the Timberwolves needed from him.

The Wolves were down Russell and Jordan McLaughlin (calf), both of their point guards. Rudy Gobert (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) and Taurean Prince (shoulder) were all out as well, leaving Edwards to take on so much more of the responsibility. But instead of forcing himself upon the game or being baited into a toe-to-toe scoring duel with Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Edwards took the ball into his hands and quarterbacked the Wolves offense with patience and precision.

“We’ve been trying to preach to Ant, it’s not how much you score, it’s how much you create,” coach Chris Finch said.

The lessons are starting to sink in. The loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night could have just been a throw-away game, the kind a struggling and injury plagued team is expected to lose against one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference. But the Wolves got something out of it by putting Edwards into that lead ballhandler role and throwing him at the Clippers, a team loaded with wing defenders.

With so much Minnesota firepower sidelined, the Clippers sent the kitchen sink at Edwards, trapping and double-teaming him as soon as he touched the ball. It forced him to make quick decisions, recognize the holes in the defense and get the ball moving. He had only three assists and five turnovers in the game, but the Wolves clanked many of the open looks he created for them in a 99-88 loss.

Running a team is the hardest job in the NBA, especially for a 21-year-old who has made his mark in this league as a scorer. In a season that has started off so underwhelmingly, the crash courses Edwards is receiving now could be starting to take hold. Those hard moments against the Clippers helped build the blocks that Edwards stood on in Oklahoma City.

“It’s amazing for him, and I think it’s a credit to who he is as a player when they bring a second guy to make you get rid of the ball,” Gobert said after the Clippers loss. “It’s a big…