It’s strange watching the Minnesota Timberwolves play without Anthony Edwards and still feel… steady. Even dangerous.

That’s not a feeling Wolves fans are used to. Edwards has been the gravitational force — the shotmaker, the swagger, the sun around which everything else orbits. But in his absence, something fascinating has happened. Julius Randle looks like a man reborn, an All-NBA bulldozer rebounding from years of critique, and Jaden McDaniels has finally blossomed into the two-way wing so many scouts once whispered could be “Scottie Pippen–esque.”

This isn’t supposed to be happening in November. And yet, here we are.

Randle, the Reinvention

Let’s start with Julius Randle, because my goodness.

Through seven games, Randle is averaging 26 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on pristine 55.8/43.2/83.3 shooting splits. He’s bullying smaller forwards, dragging bigs into space, and drilling pull-up threes with a confidence that must make Chris Finch grin like he just found the missing piece in his offensive puzzle.

Randle’s playing lighter, quicker, and most importantly — freer. Gone are the wild, shoulder-down charges into traffic. In their place? Craft. Control. Poise.

He’s averaging 1.71 points per isolation possession, a number that would lead the entire league — elite company in an era where isolation efficiency defines stardom. His 75.8% shooting at the rim speaks to a man physically dominant but mentally in rhythm. His 43.2% from three, including a jaw-dropping 55.6% on pull-up threes, screams confidence.

For a player once ridiculed for his shot selection and emotional volatility, Randle now looks like the player New York thought it was trading for — and the player Minnesota desperately needed next to Edwards.

The Karl-Anthony Towns trade that brought him here wasn’t popular at first. Wolves fans saw the risk: an aging forward with miles on his body and a history of postseason inconsistencies. But the front office — Tim Connelly, Chris Finch, and that analytics-savvy brain trust — saw something deeper. They saw the shot creation, the playmaking, the defensive grit.

And now, they’re seeing the payoff.

Jaden McDaniels: The Quiet Bloom

For years, Jaden McDaniels has been the quiet storm in Minnesota’s locker room — a 6-foot-9 enigma with a world-class defensive reputation and an offensive game perpetually waiting to take flight.

This season, that flight has begun.

McDaniels is averaging 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2 assists on an absurd 53.8/46.2/81.8 shooting line. Without Edwards? He’s leveling up: 22.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 64.3% from the field, 66.7% from three, and 91.7% from the line. Those are numbers that should make any analytics department drool.

His midrange jumper — once hesitant, now automatic — gives Minnesota yet another level of offense. His handle looks tighter, his footwork cleaner, his decision-making sharper. The corners and cuts that used to define his offensive life have evolved into drives, pull-ups, and post-ups.

He’s no longer the silent bystander next to Edwards; he’s the co-author of this Wolves attack.

And defensively? He’s still “Seatbelt.” McDaniels ranks in the 91st percentile for defensive plus-minus, guarding the league’s best wings while averaging 2.3 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game.

When you combine that defensive versatility with this new offensive confidence — a near seven-footer who can shoot over anyone and glide to his midrange spots — you start to see what the Wolves envisioned when they drafted him: a future All-Star, maybe even All-NBA, two-way force.

A Team Finding New Dimensions

Minnesota’s 4–3 start might not jump off the page, but the story under the surface does. Without their alpha scorer, the Wolves’ identity is expanding.

Randle’s blend of creation and playmaking has added wrinkles to Finch’s offense. McDaniels’ scoring leap gives the Wolves a third option capable of taking pressure off Edwards when he returns. And the continuity from back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances — yes, we’re saying that now — has created a team that knows who it is, even when missing its star.

Randle and McDaniels have forced a shift in how we talk about Minnesota.

This isn’t just Anthony Edwards and everyone else anymore. It’s becoming Edwards, Randle, and McDaniels — a trio that might just redefine the Wolves’ ceiling.

Because here’s the real thing: Minnesota doesn’t need Randle and McDaniels to be Edwards. They just need them to be this version of themselves — relentless, efficient, confident.

If they can sustain that? The Wolves might not just survive Ant’s absence.

They might be discovering the formula that finally gets them over the hump.