Brian Windhorst says the LeBron James-type player will decide the Minnesota Timberwolves Western Conference Finals.
For the first time in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves won back-to-back berths in the Western Conference Finals.
In the 2025 playoffs, the Timberwolves have already eliminated the La Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
While playing at the elite level, Anthony Edwards has another Timberwolves star that turns out to be the organization’s X-factor.
When the Timberwolves traded with Julius Randle, many remained shocked by the decision. Randle’s pre-season struggle didn’t improve things for him.
However, Randle silenced critics in the 2025 postseason with a sensational run. With that in mind, NBA analyst Brian Windhorst had the “miniature LeBron James” admiration for the Timberwolves star.
“He averaged 25, 7, 7. 6 feet nine point forward and averaged those numbers. Who reminds you? What about LeBron James?
“He’s acting like Miniature LeBron James, a force of his size this postseason. He can become a playmaker. He can play a variety of roles in offense and play a variety of roles in defense,” Windhorst said.
He added: “This type of player next to the ants takes the wolves to the next level. The reason they’re here is because of the way they stretched.”
To be precise, Randle averaged 25.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists against the Warriors in the second round. Plus, Randle’s chemistry with Edwards was key to eliminating dubs in just five games.
Timberwolves recently locked Horns vs OKC Thunder in Game 1 of the WCF series. As expected, the T-Wolves had no answer to Thunder and experienced a 114-88 defeat in the opening game.
Despite the blown loss, Randle left a trace in the game as he was the only player to break the Timberwolves’ 20-point mark.
To be precise, Randle finished the night with 28 points, eight rebounds and one steal. The rest of the team struggled to shoot well, but Randle shot 69.2% from the field and 83.3% from the deep.
With Randle playing at this level, Edwards and Rudy Gobert will need to bolster their games in the second round of the series, hoping to tie the series together 1-1.
