Steve Kerr’s old message to Anthony Edwards keeps coming back into focus for the Timberwolves.
In the Court of Gold documentary on the 2024 USA Olympic team, Kerr had a blunt challenge for Edwards: turn that rare athletic burst into better rebounding. He told him, "Man, you have such a gift," then pushed the point further: "I mean ...
You were a tailback, you're running over people, right? When is that gonna translate to rebounding?
When is that gonna translate to, find a body, and boom! Hit guys."
Kerr didn’t stop there. "That's the next step for you," he said.
"You took such a leap last year from the beginning of practice to the end of the World Cup, and then it translated. You became one of the best players in the league.
This is the next step ... You got another level you can get to, but it's all the little boring stuff."
That advice feels even more pointed now. With Minnesota trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid this offseason, the Wolves need Edwards to help more on the glass than ever before.
The broader issue is rebounding itself. Even with a frontcourt that looked strong on paper, Minnesota finished 12th in the league in rebounding.
If that number is going to hold up, the burden can’t fall on the bigs alone. It starts to reach the stars, and Edwards is the obvious place to look because of what he can do physically.
He’s not a weak rebounder already. Edwards has averaged 5.2 rebounds per game for his career.
But with his explosiveness and strength, there’s a lot more there. Luka Doncic pulled down 7.7 rebounds last season, and the point in the source is clear: Edwards has the athletic tools to get into that neighborhood too.
Chris Finch has also floated Edwards as part of the answer when Minnesota has to deal with power forwards. That only works if Edwards becomes more dependable on the boards. The matchup responsibility and the rebounding responsibility go together.
There’s another layer here, too. Last season, Edwards was carrying too much of the offense, wearing the load as both creator and playmaker.
That showed up on the other end, where he was often out of rhythm and not fully locked in off the ball. With LaMelo Ball now in the mix, the Wolves should be able to ask less of Edwards as a primary engine.
That could open the door for more of the defensive impact he’s capable of delivering, including more work on the glass.
Kerr’s line about embracing "the boring things" fits that idea perfectly. Edwards is still Minnesota’s top option, and his scoring and shot creation still matter. But the next jump is about becoming harder to play against in every phase, not just when the ball is in his hands.
That means staying engaged defensively, taking tougher assignments, and being more active rebounding the ball. And there’s some evidence that when Edwards is fully locked in, the numbers follow.
His season-high of 12 rebounds came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and another one of his five best rebounding games last year also came against OKC. In the playoffs, he averaged 6.5 rebounds per game, a small bump from the regular season.
That suggests the rebounding is tied, at least in part, to effort. If Edwards makes it a nightly habit to crash the glass, it would ease one of Minnesota’s biggest concerns and add another layer to his standing around the league. With less offensive burden on his plate, the path is there.
Finch will surely keep stressing rebounding. But Kerr’s challenge, first delivered in a viral Olympic-team moment, has never lined up more neatly with what the Timberwolves need from Edwards now.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Just Built A Lakers Matchup Fans Should Love
Minnesotas trade for LaMelo Ball has already added another layer to a Timberwolves roster that was built to cause problems on the perimeter, and that matters because the Lakers have spent the offseason trying to rework a team that looks very different after LeBron James departure. Los Angeles brought in nine new players, including center Walker Kessler, but the bigger question is whether all that turnover actually solves the kind of issues that tend to show up in a playoff series against a disciplined, physical defense.
From Minnesotas perspective, the matchup is appealing because the Lakers are still viewed as thin on strong on-ball defenders, which could leave them chasing Minnesotas guards and wings possession after possession. With Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels setting the tone on the perimeter, the Timberwolves would seem to have the pieces to pressure a revamped Lakers roster in ways that could matter most when the games slow down and every matchup gets magnified. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Are Sending A Clear Message About Joan Beringer
The Timberwolves offseason has made the frontcourt picture a lot clearer around Rudy Gobert, and Joan Beringer is one of the main beneficiaries. After the roster reshuffle left the team thinner up front, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is positioned to matter more than he did as a rookie, when his minutes were limited and his opportunities came in smaller bursts.
Chris Finch and the Wolves seem comfortable leaning into Beringers upside now, especially as a rim protector and energy piece off the bench. For a team that has already changed the mix around him, the next step is less about patience and more about whether Beringer can turn that trust into a real rotation role. [Read more 🡒]