Anthony Edwards had to increase his free-throw rate.

A scintillating start to the season was carried on the back of the superstar’s massive leap from beyond the arc, but you simply aren’t going to shoot 43% from 3-point range on a nightly basis. And when the shots fell at a slightly lower rate starting in December, there wasn’t much else with a high efficiency to fall back on.

Edwards scored 20 points or fewer on six occasions in the month. One of the primary reasons? He averaged just 2.4 free throws in December.

“Going into this season, the focus was just more on catch-and-shoots and becoming an elite-level shooter,” said Justin Holland, Edwards’ business manager who trained the guard for years. “I think with that focus, he went away from getting to the rim. Of course, he heard the chatter about not letting defenders off the hook by not driving.”

It became a point of emphasis post-Christmas to pump up his free-throw attempts. He was leaving money on the table by not getting to the stripe more consistently.

Part of the issue was Edwards’ shot diet. He was driving fewer than nine times per game. Holland noted that on top of the 3-point volume, Edwards was working more on his mid-range game. Fans will recall Edwards’ implementation of the bank-shot from the wing last season. The guard took 3.2 shots per game from mid-range over the first three months of this season.

And even when he did get to the rim, Edwards often wasn’t rewarded for contact when he did.

“With just his speed and force, he does get contacted a lot,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “But those aren’t always the fouls that are rewarded.”

In the past, that’s been a deterrent for Edwards. If he’s not getting a whistle, why even go to the rack? But simply forgoing one of the game’s most efficient scoring areas wasn’t a viable solution. He needed a real answer.

Chris Hines had one. The Timberwolves’ director of player development and Edwards first worked on “the skip step” during the 2023 offseason. It’s a hop-like maneuver that sets up an explosive change of direction off the bounce to gain a step to compromise the perimeter defender.

Edwards takes that hard change of direction dribble directly into a gather step. And his ball pick-up point is near his knees, so now he has a head full of steam and the ball held out in what looks like a tempting spot to attempt to swipe it away, but is too low to actually reach. Edwards gave Hines credit for that, as well — though for a different reason.

“We play one-on-one after every workout, every practice, and all he do is foul me,” Edwards said. “So, just trying to figure out ways to keep the ball away, because short people like swiping at the ball, so just trying to find ways to keep the ball away from him.”

Naz Reid takes pride in knowing Edwards’ tendencies, knowledge he gets to put in use in practices or workouts when he’s switched onto the guard. But has he ever successfully poked the ball away from Edwards in that spot without fouling?

“Not really,” Reid said.

It’s not guardable.

“Not for how low he puts it,” Mike Conley said. “You have to really be thinking to get down there. It’s a great move. I’m glad he put it in his bag.”

It was Hines’ idea. He evaluates his players to determine what they’re great at, what they potentially struggle with and how he can exploit the strengths and minimize the weaknesses to make them as efficient as possible. It’s a process that involves heavy communication with the player.

Edwards’ game is largely composed of strengths. But a guard such as Kyrie Irving’s handles with the ball are a little bit tighter than those of Minnesota’s 23-year-old superstar.

“In the words of Ant, ‘We’re going to keep a spade a spade,’ ” Holland joked. “They’re not a little bit tighter. They’re way tighter.”

Particularly within the confines of the arc. The skip step into his gather creates the runway for Edwards to attack without having to dance with his dribble inside the 3-point line.

“If I can get him a skip step going full speed, there’s nothing you can do to stop him, and you’ve got to reach,” Hines said. “And that’s a technique that we’ve developed from watching film — and we studied it.”

The king of the move over the past decade-plus was James Harden, who paired that move and his patented step-back triple to win three scoring titles and an MVP honor. Harden was known for his ability to draw free throws.

While illegal contact against Edwards often goes undetected due to the speed at which he attacks, it’s easier for an official to catch a defender’s hands slapping the elbow of extended arms — although Hines understands Edwards’ frustration with the number of times even that contact seems to go uncalled.

Still, the results have improved drastically.

Hines and Co. had a goal of Edwards averaging nine free throws a game this season. He didn’t get there, but he averaged eight free throws per game after Jan. 1. In the first three months of the season, it was fewer than four.

Over the final three and a half months of the season, Edwards drew fouls on 14.8% of his 13.6 drives per game, the highest percentage among all 29 players who averaged 12 or more drives in that span.

Finch noted the “art of foul-drawing” is something that’s “earned” in the NBA. Edwards managed to increase his free-throw rate largely without excessive flailing — an unpopular tactic that has become common as players look to gain any possible edge.

“We always talk about playing the game the right way. We’re not floppers,” Holland said. “One, he’s not even good at it. So, it’s about playing the game the right way, and how do you force referees to make the right call? And he figured that out that that’s the best way: where it makes it an obvious call for the referees.”

From Jan. 1 on, Edwards was No. 2 scorer in the entire NBA, averaging 29.5 points a game. He may never be the level of passer Harden was — that’s still to be determined — but Hines could see the guard exceeding “The Beard” as a scorer.

“Because he has way more than James ever had package-wise. He can post you, he can play in the mid-range, and that’s what he wanted to do,” Hines said. “But his superpower is his athleticism and his coordination.”

The skip step and ensuing low gather of the ball was the perfect blend of both. It added a touch of craft to his explosion. Hines gave Edwards a tool he’s using to scalpel defenses to death.

“(It’s) his ability to change pace and change directions at the rate that he does it, and his ability to read and manipulate defenders in a split second,” Holland said. “You give these guys the base fundamental of the move, but Ant has the ability to take whatever you show him and make it his own. And he’ll make it special where only he can do it that way.”

Holland loves the way Hines frames his coaching, recalling Hines telling Edwards, “You’re the artist. I give you the canvass, but I’m going to let you paint the picture.”

It’s been another masterpiece, and just the latest innovation in the seemingly constant evolution of the young guard’s game.

“He’s one of those guys in the league that actually works continuously. He doesn’t stop working,” Holland said. “Most guys get into the season and they’re not really trying to pick up a craft; it’s more so just rhythm and routine and trying to get shots up. But Anthony is constantly trying to improve his craft and figure out ways to get better.”