Anthony Edwards is starting to look less like the Timberwolves’ young star and more like the guy setting the tone for everybody else.
That shift has been building all offseason. After Minnesota added Jonathan Kuminga in free agency, Jon Krawczynski reported that Edwards had a real hand in recruiting him, helping address the team’s need for a starting power forward. It’s the latest sign that Edwards is stepping into a bigger leadership role with the franchise.
He’s now played six seasons in Minnesota, matching Jaden McDaniels for the longest tenure on the roster. For a while, Naz Reid had been the one with the extra year under his belt, but Reid was sent to the Charlotte Hornets in the trade for LaMelo Ball, and that left a leadership gap behind.
Edwards has moved to fill it.
One of the first things he did was make Ball feel at home after the trade. Edwards said at FanFest in July that Ball stayed at his house for a few days after the deal, and the two have already been working out together regularly. Their connection started before they ever played a regular-season game side by side.
The bonding hasn’t stopped there. The team’s trip to France to visit Rudy Gobert also became part of that effort, with Edwards and Ball paying the bill. From the outside, it looked like the kind of trip that can tighten a group fast.
That’s a notable change from the scrutiny Edwards faced late last season. Questions about his leadership picked up after he dapped up the San Antonio Spurs’ bench before the fourth quarter was even halfway over in San Antonio’s series-clinching win in Game 6 of the conference semifinals.
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Timberwolves Still Have One Roster Question They Can't Ignore
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Josh Greens departure helped clarify the roster picture, yet it also sharpened the question of who backs up the bigs if the Wolves want another veteran presence. A minimum contract would be the likeliest path, and the market includes familiar stopgaps at center, along with a possible reunion in Kevin Love, whose NBA career began in Minnesota more than a dozen years ago. [Read more 🡒]