MINNEAPOLIS — Throughout his time in the NBA, Anthony Edwards has never shown hesitation when it comes to voicing his thoughts. Recently, after the Minnesota Timberwolves faced a 115-104 defeat to the Sacramento Kings, the star player offered a straightforward and emphatic critique of his team’s recent performance.
“I believe we’re soft internally as a team,” Edwards expressed candidly. “It’s not about how we play against opponents, but within ourselves, we are not tough. We struggle to communicate with one another, behaving as if we are a bunch of children on the court. It feels like we’re just a group of kids trying to play together. The entire squad cannot seem to engage in conversation, and we need to resolve this issue before it leads us down a negative path.”
The Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference finals in 2024, but their current form is troubling, having suffered four consecutive losses and won just two of their last nine games after a promising 6-3 start. Following a significant roster change with the trade of Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota still appears to be finding its footing and chemistry.
The team’s troubles were evident as they were unable to maintain a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter against Sacramento, only one day following a close 117-111 overtime defeat to the Houston Rockets at home.
“Tonight, we definitely resembled a team of frontrunners,” Edwards remarked. “When we fell behind, nobody step up to say anything. Once we took the lead, the energy ramped up, and everyone was cheering. But when adversity hit again, silence fell over the team. That’s the very essence of being frontrunners. It’s something we all need to work on, myself included.”
He also pointed out that the players seem to be pursuing individual interests rather than working toward a common goal, which he attributes as a major reason for their losses.
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 29 points, shooting 9-of-24 from the field. Yet he did not stop at merely criticizing his teammates during the post-game analysis; he was also seen passionately communicating with players like Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert in huddles.
Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo were significant acquisitions from the trade that sent Towns to New York just weeks before the regular season began. Both players have had inconsistent starts in Minnesota.
On the other hand, Towns seems to have adjusted well with the Knicks since the trade. However, Edwards maintained that the issues at hand transcend just the new players.
“I’m addressing the entire team,” he asserted. “All of us—there are 15 of us—seem to retreat into our own shells, drifting further apart. This situation is visible. We all notice it; I see it, the team sees it, and so do the coaches.”
The fans in attendance on Wednesday night echoed these sentiments, showing their frustration through boos during the game.
“It’s really disheartening—getting booed by our own fans,” Edwards commented on their team’s current standing of 8 wins and 10 losses as they prepare for an upcoming game against the Los Angeles Clippers. “This is just wild; it’s tough to swallow, especially playing at home when we receive such disrespect.”