Chris Finch isn’t waiting around for somebody else to hand the Timberwolves a new identity. He said the roster shift this summer was deliberate, and it was built around one message to his young core: it’s time to grow up and own the room.
In an 80-minute conversation with Britt Robson of the MinnPost, the Minnesota coach explained why the Wolves didn’t bring in a batch of veterans this offseason. Finch said he wants Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and the rest of the group to start carrying more of the load without leaning on older voices to do the heavy lifting.
“I think ultimately you have to lead by example. So I would put him in the “team leader” category. Ultimately, his team knows what drives Jaden; they know the consistency of his approach - his effort and professionalism are always there.”
Finch praised McDaniels for the way teammates already respond to him, pointing to his effort, professionalism and edge. He said McDaniels has always had his teammates’ backs and has long been one of the team’s more combative personalities.
“They know that he has always got their back, even to the point where he is one of our most feisty guys, one of our instigators. And they love all that about him.
Can he be more vocal? I hope so.
But it is not that - he has always been the guy who says simple things, like “We’re bullshitting here,” things like that.”
Finch said the Wolves have intentionally cleared out some of the veteran safety net and want the younger players to take on more responsibility for the team’s tone.
“And so when the guys who rarely or never speak do speak, you listen to them. But we purposefully haven’t added a bunch of veterans to the team this year. My approach with Ant, with Jaden, or with all these guys is: if we’re going to take the diapers off, let’s take the diapers off.”
He made the point even more plainly after that.
“Like, it’s your team now. What you say and the way you say it, and setting the tone from the first days of practice; that stuff matters.
And it’s time. It is seven years in the league.
I feel like Jaden will do his part in that.”
At the same time, Finch said he does not want to force players into personalities that do not fit. He said that kind of pressure can create anxiety instead of leadership.
“But I have learned that it is not fair to put players in positions - you think about other things in life; if someone asks you to be outside yourself to do something, it is uncomfortable. And that can drive anxiety all the time: “I’m supposed to be this other thing.”
The departures of Joe Ingles and Mike Conley left the Timberwolves without two of the veterans who had helped steady the group, and Finch was asked whether that changes what he expects from the younger players.
“Yeah. But again, following the same logic, I wouldn’t expect Ant to be Mike Conley or Joe Ingles, or even try to process the game the way they did. Ant needs to lead according to his personality.”
Finch acknowledged the loss of experience and basketball IQ, but he said he still likes the feel of the group.
“There is always room for growth with all those guys. Yeah, we lost a lot of experience and basketball IQ through those guys. My biggest concern though, Britt, is - I feel like the mood of the team is good and I feel like we’ll be able to do things.”
He added that the Wolves may not be the smartest team in the league, though he believes the team’s feel for the game is trending in the right direction.
“Maybe we won’t be the smartest team in the league - I don’t know. But I feel like LaMelo has a really good feel for the game, and Anthony’s feel for the game keeps improving.”
Finch’s final concern centered on Rudy, who, in his view, lost some important voices when the veterans departed.
“My biggest concern is that Rudy lost a lot of allies. Guys who understood him and knew how to talk to him could help him help us. And as I go into the season, I am just conscious of making sure that there are people on the team who can still “speak Rudy,” Finch concluded.
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels have already shown flashes of being the kind of leaders Minnesota expected them to become. McDaniels, in particular, was a stabilizing force in the 2026 playoffs against the Nuggets, when Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu were out injured and Edwards was playing through one of his own. He helped steady the younger players and played the glue-guy role in that series.
Now the Wolves are younger, thinner on veteran voices and adding new young talent like LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga. That puts even more on Edwards and McDaniels as Minnesota tries to build toward contention this season.
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