Edwards' early exit sparks concern as Gobert, DiVincenzo sound alarms

With Anthony Edwards throwing a towel and leaving the bench with just under eight minutes left in Minnesota's blowout loss in Atlanta on New Year's Eve, the heat on the Timberwolves has been turned up with the calendar flipping to 2026.

"We just looked slow everywhere," head coach Chris Finch said. "They were just beating us to every ball, beating us all over the floor."

It's the same thing that happened in a lackluster loss to Brooklyn on Saturday, which the Wolves responded to by, as Edwards said, taking their frustration out on the Chicago Bulls on Monday. But with the Wolves trailing by 29 points, 109-80, with 7:52 left in Wedneday's game, Edwards tossed his towel and went to the locker room, never returning to the bench and declining to speak to reporters afterward.

"It's obviously frustrated with the performance, and rightfully so, but he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team," Finch said of Edwards, who had 30 of Minnesota's 80 points at the time he bolted on his team.

Anthony Edwards threw his towel during a timeout and went to the locker room with 7:52 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter 😬 pic.twitter.com/oIIx7n1l3k
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 1, 2026

Edwards was obviously competitive and trying to lead his team in his hometown, but most others on the team played without energy. Donte DiVincenzo didn't point fingers, but he acknowledged the team's lack of competitiveness.

"We just gotta do it. There's only so much you can talk about. How many meetings, how many film sessions, how many times does Finchy have to talk to us? It's frustrating because in Chicago you play well, you respond, and then you come in here and lay an egg," DiVincenzo said. "You gotta respect the opponent, but you also gotta respect the game. Like, come out and play hard and compete for one another, and we're just not doing that on a nightly basis."

"It's the compete factor," DiVincenzo continued. "You compete, and then you give yourself a chance every single night. You don't compete, and you're relying on talent, and sometimes shots don't fall, sometimes you turn the ball over. The competing factor is the biggest thing. You compete, and it covers up so much, and it's just not there."

Rudy Gobert agreed, saying the Wolves were lifeless.

"Not like a team that wants to play for a championship, that's for sure. It doesn't seem like we had any type of urgency, any type of resilience, any type of — I don't even think it's physical energy — any type of life," Gobert said. "That shows on both ends. Offensively, it just seems like we're playing an individual sport. And defensively, it just feels like there's not any extra effort. I think the two are connected, but yeah, against any team in the world we'll get smacked.

More concerning was that Gobert didn't have a surefire answer when asked if the team is in a "good place" from a "cohesive" standpoint.

"I don't know. I think we have an amazing opportunity. But, yeah... something has to happen," he said.

Is there anything Finch and the coaching staff and do to fix the issue?

"They can't control how hard you play," DiVincenzo said.

However, Finch didn't seem very concerned after the loss.

"We've been through stretches like this. Every team goes through it. They'll hang together," he said

Finch may not be hitting the panic button, but when Edwards is leaving early, and veterans like DiVincenzo and Gobert are questioning the team's attitude and effort, problems are surely brewing.

The next chance to respond comes at 4 p.m. CT Saturday against the Miami Heat.

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