Wolves' Failed Anthony Edwards Experiment Ended Up Paying Off Anyways

Chris Finch played his superstar in a new role in 2025-26, a move he admits was not the best. However, it was a needed change that also illuminated what Minnesota needed this summer.

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. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chris Finch frequently admits publicly when he is wrong. He has been on record multiple times this off-season that his decision on the eve of the 2025-26 season to start Donte DiVincenzo and slide Anthony Edwards to point guard came with negative run-off.

“We probably did Anthony a disservice last year at times playing him as a point guard,” Finch said on the Road Trippin’ Show during the Summer League. “It caught up to us. And he did a really great job. But in the playoffs, it was just double team, after double team, after double team.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves knew the importance of getting Edwards back to his natural off-guard position this summer, which is a big reason why they swung for LaMelo Ball. Still, looking back to last season, Finch’s decision to put the ball in Edwards’ hands as a primary initiator was a necessary risk that has already begun to pay off for the Timberwolves.

The move made sense in theory, but eventually backfired

Edwards is already a traditional on-ball player, so putting a 38% career 3-point shooter next to him in the starting lineup by way of DiVincenzo while having Randle’s point-forward abilities to round things out could have worked.

And for stretches last season, it did. Randle averaged five assists per game, tied for the third most for a season in his career. He assisted 3-point shooters well, punishing defenses when they collapsed.

However, Randle was not that type of point forward often enough, and his 3-point shooting (31.5%) shrank the floor even further for Edwards, who was forced to play against a consistently collapsed defense as he attempted to operate as a lead guard for the first time in his career.

Randle was effectively Minnesota’s point guard last season, leading the team in assists. Had Randle leaned more into that type of role, then maybe he and Edwards could have developed a productive two-man game that did not need a legitimate point guard on the court.

However, that never happened. Randle’s best version of himself did not appear often enough, Edwards struggled as a passer, and the Wolves knew they needed change.

But during the season, there was not a button Chris Finch could have pressed to take the pressure off Edwards by returning him to shooting guard. Conley struggled mightily during most of the year, looking unplayable at times. Bones Hyland was the only other natural on-ball guard creator on Minnesota’s roster, but Finch elected to keep his plug-and-play scoring off the bench to aid Minnesota’s lack of scoring depth.

So Finch had to ride out his preferred starting lineup of Edwards, DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Randle and Gobert.

That starting group shared the floor for nearly 4,000 minutes last regular season, during which they recorded a +3.5 net rating with a 117.4 offensive rating, 1.8 points better than the Wolves’ season average. Even without a point guard, Minnesota’s preferred starting lineup produced effective offense, with Edwards taking another step as a superstar scorer.

But that all came crashing down in the playoffs.

The Wolves rode Edwards and Randle as their de facto point guards to the second round, where they met a defensive stalwart in the San Antonio Spurs that threw Finch’s point guard experience back in his face. The Spurs double-teamed Edwards to the point where they almost completely eradicated him from the offense during certain stretches.

Edwards was hobbled with knee injuries against San Antonio, but the blitzing defense against him was so abrasive that it illuminated how severe Minnesota’s need for a certain type of point guard was.

Ant playing as a point guard last season caused a Wolves revelation

The Timberwolves could have theoretically tried to acquire a mid-level point guard this summer. Someone like T.J. McConnell, Tre Jones, or Jrue Holiday, all of whom could start games and set up quality offense, but would not have placed a volume scorer next to Edwards.

In my eyes, Minnesota’s series against San Antonio proved that a mid-level addition would not have been good enough. All along, the Wolves needed someone who could set up quality offense while also being able to score at an All-Star level alongside Edwards, and someone who could do all of that more consistently in big moments than Randle was able to.

Players like that—especially point guards—are rarely available to acquire. They are like quarterbacks in the NFL. When you have a great one who can command your offense, you build your offense around them.

Jan 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) passes the ball against Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LaMelo Ball can certainly quarterback an offense. He also fits the timeline alongside Edwards. So when he became available for trade this summer, Tim Connelly and his staff jumped at the opportunity to bring him in.

Ultimately, Finch’s decision to make Edwards his starting point guard on the eve of the regular season was a mistake for Minnesota’s fortunes last season. Every campaign is precious when employing a superstar talent in the prime of his career, and the Wolves once again failed to make the Finals. At the same time, it was valuable for Finch to switch Edwards’ role last year and see how he could produce in that type of role.

If it worked as Finch had hoped, Edwards could be moving forward as more of a lead guard for this Wolves team. If that were the case, the heavy emphasis would likely have been on replacing Randle with better off-ball shooting next to Edwards this summer. Instead, Finch’s plan didn’t work out how he had hoped, but it did make Minnesota’s needs crystal clear.

Finch switching Edwards to his de facto point guard was a necessary risk to see if he was ready for and capable of that role. And even though the risk did Edwards a disservice last season, it made Minnesota’s need for a point guard of Ball’s caliber clear, which could now help this core finally deliver a run to the Finals.

Get Timberwolves On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.