Anthony Edwards Makes Honest Admission About His Defensive Effort

One thing about Anthony Edwards is that he's honest — maybe to a fault. He'll tell it how it is, even when it might be something the PR staff would advise against saying.

One example of that came late on Thursday night after the Timberwolves' big 123-111 win over the Thunder, as Edwards gave a highly-entertaining virtual interview with the "NBA Nightcap" studio crew on Prime Video. Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, who Edwards has developed a relationship with over the years, asked a question that is on the mind of Wolves fans everywhere.

"We were in the locker room that we have going crazy tonight," Wade said, "and we were going crazy because we saw the effort and we saw something that we know can get you guys to that next level, and that's the habits that y'all need to actually get to the Western Conference Finals again and get to the Finals. So my question to you is how does that effort and that focus that y'all showed tonight be the calling card and be the norm for this team every time we watch the Timberwolves play?"

"I think it starts with me," Ant replied. "I pick and choose when I want to defend at a super high level, and I think my teammates follow. So I think tonight I came out and decided to defend at a high level, and I just gotta do that night in, night out. We all know how hard that is, but I gotta take the challenge and be willing to do it every night."

Anyone who watches the Timberwolves closely would agree with that self-assessment from Edwards. When he wants to turn up the intensity level on defense, he's capable of doing it at a very high level with his physical build and athleticism. And because Edwards is Minnesota's leader, the rest of the team typically raises its level of defense with him. That was the case on Thursday night against the Thunder.

Anthony Edwards — Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Other times, Edwards — and Julius Randle, who also bears responsibility — are much more lackadaisical on the defensive end. They'll get beaten for backdoor cuts or otherwise get caught flat-footed off of the ball. That usually happens against lower-level teams and can bring down the Wolves' collective defensive competitiveness (although players like Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels almost always bring it on that end).

As Edwards said, it's not easy to have the kind of offensive usage he does and also be locked in on every single defensive possession. At the same time, he's 24 years old, and the Wolves are going to need more of that two-way effort to get over the hump and win a championship.

"If I'm guarding at a high level, I think everybody's gonna do it," Edwards said in the locker room. "So I just gotta make my mind up and choose to do it. ... It's definitely hard. I think I just gotta lean on my teammates a little bit more on the offensive end, just trust them a little bit more, and then just give more on the defensive end."

One thing that could help would be if the Wolves make a trade for a guard who can handle the ball and provide some scoring punch to at least somewhat make life easier for Edwards offensively. But mostly, it comes down to maturity and consistency for Minnesota's superstar. He and his teammates have to find a way to treat every game as if it's a nationally-televised matchup against OKC.

"We gotta be ready to play like we're playing the Thunder every night," Edwards said. "And like I said, it starts with me. I think I take a lot of the teams that we play that's not that good for granted. So it starts with me for sure."

Thursday night was an example of what the Wolves are capable of when they're dialed in on defense. Granted, they're fourth in defensive rating this season and were sixth last year, but that performance looked more like the team — albeit with some new faces — that led the league in defense by a decent margin in the 2023-24 season.

Minnesota Timberwolves outstanding team defense pic.twitter.com/we8ZUo8HLt
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 30, 2026

"That's our defense at its best form," head coach Chris Finch said. "Really good physicality on the ball, set the tone there. On point with our coverages and execution of those things. That's certainly what we're capable of. We gotta bring that out more, not just wait for the best team in the league to come to town. That's the challenge."

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