A summer promise and lessons learned: Why Anthony Edwards and the Wolves have work to do

A few weeks ago, it seemed as though Anthony Edwards could lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to their first championship in franchise history. 

They had systematically dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in five games apiece in the first two rounds of the playoffs behind a grinning Edwards, a fleet of players shining in their roles and a swarming defense. 

Throughout their 8-2 postseason run leading up to the Western Conference Finals, Edwards was being hailed as the future face of the league; Julius Randle had transformed into a star again; Jaden McDaniels was making a name for himself and, after a monster performance in Game 5 against the Lakers, Rudy Gobert was even drawing comparisons to Shaquille O’Neal. 

But the Oklahoma City Thunder exposed the Timberwolves’ frailties, using a suffocating defense to make it painfully obvious that both Edwards and his team aren’t ready for the big stage. That was never more apparent than Wednesday’s Game 5, when they were eliminated from the Conference Finals by a 124-94 drubbing. 

With their season on the line, the Timberwolves essentially waved the white flag midway through the first quarter. They were simply overpowered in every aspect by the Thunder, who led by as much as 39 points. 

This much is clear. 

The 23-year-old Edwards has a ways to go before being likened to Michael Jordan, who famously shined despite the Detroit Pistons’ game plan essentially being a photo of him with an X through it. It took a while for Jordan to figure out how to get through triple-teams and throngs of elbows and, similarly, Edwards is going to need to learn how to play to his potential regardless of what defenses do. 

The fact that Edwards has some growing to do was highlighted next to the 26-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who somehow exceeded expectations this postseason despite leading the league in scoring in the regular season and winning the MVP Award. 

Gilgeous-Alexander was reliable every night. Edwards was the best player on the court some nights. Others, he’d defer too much, such as when he took only two shots in the first half of Game 4. 

Then there were times when Edwards was swallowed by the Thunder, who he likened to “15 puppets, 1 string” in Game 5 after he had just 19 points, including shooting 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder were effective in limiting the Timberwolves. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Edwards has grown so much this season. 

Aside from Stephen Curry, he might be the most fun player to watch in the NBA, with his acrobatic dunks, smooth shot, charismatic grins and nonstop trash-talk making him a class 1A showman who’s on a fast track to becoming a superstar. 

Edwards averaged career-highs this season in points (27.6) and 3-point percentage (39.5 percent) while playing lockdown defense. He also developed as a leader, who would constantly credit his teammates on national TV following games in which he shined.

The cool thing about Edwards is he’s honest and unfiltered. He’s just as happy to share the spotlight with his teammates as he is to call them out when he believes they’re slacking. After dropping four straight games in November, he lamented the Timberwolves’ lack of communication and defensive breakdowns, saying, “We soft as hell as a team…Just a bunch of little kids.”  

But with a combination of both tough love and encouragement, Edwards helped the Timberwolves transform from a team that opened its season with an 8-10 record into one that reached the Conference Finals two years in a row. 

It took a while for the Timberwolves to find their rhythm after a blockbuster trade sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York and brought Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in September. They needed to learn how to play together –  and injuries waylayed their progress. 

But things gelled after the All-Star break, with the Timberwolves going 18-8 to avoid the play-in tournament. Before meeting the Thunder in the postseason, they sailed through the first two rounds of the playoffs with a plus-7.1 differential. Even against the Thunder, they showed their grit and fight, winning Game 3 by 42 points and turning Game 4 into a free-throw shooting contest down the stretch which ended in a two-point loss. 

Ultimately, the Thunder just played their game better than them. 

Remember the Timberwolves’ dizzying physicality that stunned the Lakers and Warriors? The Thunder’s defense made the Timberwolves’ effort on that end resemble the gentle spinning of a Merry-Go-Round. Meanwhile, the Thunder put Minnesota through an industrial-sized dryer on high mode. 

Against the Thunder, Randle went from averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists this postseason to being reduced to scoring six points or fewer in two games. As for Gobert, he went from looking like Shaq to resembling a G League alternate, especially in Game 5, when he had two points and five rebounds. And McDaniels and Naz Reid were often irrelevant against the Thunder. 

Meanwhile, Edwards learned an important lesson. 

While he’s one of the biggest emerging stars in the league, he needs to take his game to another level to take his team across the finish line. 

He’s the first to acknowledge it.

“I’m going to work my butt off this summer,” he said. “Nobody’s going to work harder than me this summer, I’ll tell you that much.”

How bad is the T-Wolves’ Western Conference finals loss for Anthony Edwards? | The Facility

LeSean McCoy breaks down the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 124-94 Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, then explains why the Western Conference Finals loss is not bad for Anthony Edwards.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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