Chris Finch isn’t leaving any wiggle room for Anthony Edwards on the defensive end.
With LaMelo Ball now in the mix, the Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping Edwards can spend more energy where it matters most. But that only works if his defense rebounds from what was, by any measure, a rough season.
In a recent interview with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, Finch said the expectation is simple.
“It’s not negotiable for his defense to come back a little more,” Finch said, while adding he understood that Edwards’ defense took a hit because of all they were asking him to do offensively. “It was probably an unfair burden for Anthony,” Finch said. “And I thought he navigated it as best as he possibly could.”
That’s the heart of the issue for Minnesota. Edwards was asked to carry a heavy load on offense last season, and Finch clearly believes that wore him down on the other end. With Ball helping lighten that burden, the Wolves are banking on a better version of Edwards defensively.
And they need it.
Edwards has all the physical traits you’d want in a high-end defender. He’s an explosive athlete with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, and he’s shown real flashes as an aggressive on-ball stopper. That’s why the league has long viewed him as a potential two-way force.
But the full package hasn’t shown up consistently. Last season, especially, his off-ball defense slipped badly.
He was too often caught on back cuts, and he had trouble with rotations and screen navigation. Over the course of the year, the Wolves were 5.7 points per 100 possessions worse with Edwards on the court.
That kind of drop-off can’t be part of the equation if Minnesota wants to get the most out of this backcourt. Ball has his own defensive limitations, which only raises the stakes for Edwards to tighten things up. If those issues stick around, the Wolves’ perimeter defense could be in real trouble.
There’s also the way the roster is shaping up around him. With Jaden McDaniels expected to spend more time guarding forwards, Edwards will likely shoulder more on-ball responsibility.
That makes his focus and discipline even more important. The bigger problem for him has been off-ball habits and engagement, though he still wasn’t an elite point-of-attack defender either.
The bottom line is straightforward: Edwards has the tools, the opportunity, and now the roster support to become the true two-way star Minnesota needs. Finch has made the standard clear. Now it’s on Edwards to meet it.
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