Timberwolves Just Added Further Fuel to Anthony Edwards Hype Train

When the Minnesota Timberwolves were blown out to end their season in Game 6 of their second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, the questions about Anthony Edwards' future in Minnesota quickly began to bubble around the fringes of the NBA world.

While there were never really any substantial worries internally about Edwards potentially desiring a new basketball home, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly quickly squashed any of the rumors, upgrading the roster with a trade for the talented point guard LaMelo Ball.

"He was very excited about the moves we made," Connelly said of Edwards at Timberwolves Media Day on Monday. "He feels we’re primed to make another jump or two. He’s a guy that really feeds off competitiveness, and he couldn’t be more excited about the start of the season.”

Timberwolves clearly see Anthony Edwards becoming even more in 2026-27

Last season was the most difficult year of Edwards's young career. He dealt with nagging injuries throughout the regular season and into the playoffs, only to be made worse by a hyperextended left knee in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets.

Edwards was also wrestling with his new role as the team's de facto point guard, with Donte DiVincenzo replacing Mike Conley in the starting lineup. The switch took Edwards away from his more natural role off the ball and led to a large increase in defensive attention on Edwards.

"Last year his role was a bit all over the place as we transitioned from Mike to Donte," Connelly explained. "I think his playmaking has improved. I don't know if the numbers would reflect that, but I think he's much more aware of where the double's coming from. I think he's much more aware of kind of how people are game-planning him."

Connelly and the Timberwolves believe that the addition of Ball to the roster will completely open up Edwards's game this season. Ball is one of the best high-volume three-point shooters in the NBA, which, combined with his playmaking abilities, will open up space and driving lanes for Edwards to expand his already dominant scoring ability.

Finch agrees with Connelly that Ball will open up Edwards's game, pointing to the opportunity to move him back to his more natural shooting guard position as a reason to believe in the Timberwolves' new backcourt pairing.

"We get a chance to get him back to what I feel like is more of his natural elite role, which is primarily off the ball," Finch said. "It's just getting him back to a more effective and dangerous position where teams can't attack him as early in the possession as possible to make him give the ball up.”

Connelly believes that Edwards has MVP potential. Among the non-negotiables for Edwards this season, if he wants to achieve that level of individual success, is playing better and far more consistently on the defensive end of the floor.

"I think Ant's best chance to be the best player in the world... he has to be the best two-way player in the world," Connelly stated.

"He's gotta be a two-way player. He's gotta be elite on both ends," Connelly continued. "He's shown the ability to be, I think, maybe the best on-ball perimeter defender in the NBA who can guard up. He's so strong. He's got great instincts."

Last season, Edwards's focus on the defensive end of the floor waxed and waned throughout the season. He would show moments of brilliance and intensity, quickly followed by a lack of focus, usually leading to him being backcourt for a layup.

The Timberwolves believe that shifting Edwards back to the shooting guard spot will allow him to free up mental and physical bandwidth for the defensive end of the floor. While that is probably a likely outcome, it does not excuse Edwards for some inexcusable stretches of basketball on the defensive side of the floor.

As they do every season, the Timberwolves will ask more of Edwards than they did the year prior. They will need him to again score at a level near the league lead, defend at a near all-defense level, and become even more of a leader in the locker room with Conley, Kyle Anderson, and Joe Ingles no longer on the team.

As with most NBA teams, the Wolves' hopes for this season largely ride on how well Edwards is able to take on each of those responsibilities. If Edwards is deficient in any one of those areas, the Timberwolves risk remaining a good but far from great team in the Western Conference.

For his part, Edwards made it clear he isn't interested in putting up specific numbers or trying to win the MVP or any other award. Instead, Edwards has only one focus heading into the 2026-27 Timberwolves season.

“I really don't have no individual expectations," Edwards said. "I just want to win. Whatever that looks like, whatever it takes.”

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