Anthony Edwards' Greatness Must Not Be Taken for Granted

Edwards rose to the occasion and saved the Timberwolves' season, like he's done so many times over the last few years.

May 10, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) goes to the basket past San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) in the fourth quarter of game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Stop and think for a moment about how remarkable this is all is. That Anthony Edwards is even playing in this series. That the Minnesota Timberwolves are two wins away from their third consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals. That a player this great, who always seems to rise to the moment, plays for this franchise and this state.

On April 25, in Game 4 against the Nuggets, Edwards suffered a hyperextension and a bone bruise in his left knee that was expected to sideline him for multiple weeks, putting his availability in major question if the Wolves were to advance to the second round of the playoffs. At the time, he was already battling through a painful ailment in his other knee.

Nine days later, against all odds, he was out there for Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs, dropping 18 points in 25 minutes as his team stole the series opener on the road. 13 days after the injury, Edwards played 41 minutes in Game 3 and put up 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists as Minnesota fell just short.

15 days after the injury, in Sunday night's must-win Game 4, Edwards played another 40 minutes and willed his team to victory. He scored 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting and delivered when his team needed him most, putting up 16 of those points in the fourth quarter as the Wolves overcame an eight-point deficit in a 114-109 win.

"Today is Mother's Day," explained Edwards, who lost his mother Yvette when he was in 8th grade. "I just wanted to win for my mom. ... I couldn't lose this game for her."

The Timberwolves should've never found themselves trailing by eight in the fourth quarter against a Spurs team that had lost its MVP, Victor Wembanyama, to a second-quarter ejection. But they did. They were staring down what would've been a remarkably bad loss and a 3-1 series deficit that would've spelled certain doom. Edwards wasn't going to let that happen.

He kept the Wolves close with a couple midrange jumpers early in the quarter when no one else could buy a bucket. Then, down eight, he hit another short jumper and buried a long three from the top of the key to cut the deficit to three points. Afterwards, he flexed and yelled. In that moment, it may have already been clear that the Wolves weren't going to lose this game.

A minute or so later, with Minnesota down four, Edwards had another 5-0 spurt. He drew a foul and hit both free throws, then took a pass from Naz Reid and instantly rose for a three that gave the Wolves their first lead since the middle of the third quarter. He tacked on a layup through contact a couple minutes later as the Timberwolves made play after play to finish off their comeback.

In total, Edwards hit 6 of his 8 shots in the fourth quarter and both of his threes. He played the entire quarter. The Wolves needed every single one of those 16 points.

"This is what he loves, this is what he lives for," head coach Chris Finch said. "Not just big games, but big moments. ... That's who he is. That's who we need him to be. We're lucky to have him. He's special, no doubt, especially given what he's been fighting through over the last month and a half."

ANT SCORED 16 OF HIS 36 IN THE FOURTH.

Went 6/8 from the floor and played all 12 minutes 💯@Timberwolves take Game 4 at home! pic.twitter.com/mSnP2V6nfv

— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2026

Before this series began, there were real questions about how soon Edwards would be able to return and how effective he'd be once he did. Four games in, he's played 130 total minutes and averaged 24.5 points and 6.5 rebounds on 51/41/81 shooting splits. Even clearly without 100 percent of his trademark athleticism, Edwards' elite skill as a three-level scorer has been on full display.

Ant's skill level is off the charts and that's really apparent in how he's adjusted his game while being compromised athletically. dude is a killer. that Q4 was a masterclass

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) May 11, 2026

This is nothing new for Edwards, a four-time All-Star at 24 years old who has been established as a superstar for a few years now. Since his second season, when he was just 20, he's always gone to another level in the playoffs.

Sunday night was Edwards' 50th career playoff game. He scored 36 in the first one, back in April 2022 against the Grizzlies, and he scored 36 in the most recent one. Those are two of his 18 career 30-point games in the playoffs. He just became the seventh player in NBA history to reach 1,300 playoff points before turning 25 years old.

The Timberwolves, who had 18 playoff wins in 31 seasons before drafting Edwards, now have 26 in the last five years. Ant has changed everything for this franchise. And no matter what happens in the rest of this series or beyond, his greatness shouldn't be taken for granted.