Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves had their best campaign in two decades. In addition to finishing with a 56-26 record, the Timberwolves made their first conference finals appearance since 2004. Despite losing to the Dallas Mavericks in five games, the Timberwolves proved they are legitimate title contenders. Naturally, there were high expectations for the team heading into this season. However, through the first few weeks of the 2024-25 season, the Timberwolves are not playing up to their level from last season. Recently, star Anthony Edwards explained what needs to change for the Timberwolves to overcome their struggles.
After losing to the Portland Trail Blazers for the second consecutive night, the Timberwolves have fallen to 6-6. After the game, Edwards spoke about the team needing “to mature” and work together as a unit.
“We got the answers. The coaches give us … the answers,” Edwards said. “We just not doing it as a team, one through 15. They give us the answers every night. We come in here at 35 [minutes] on the night, and they tell us what we need to do to win the game, and somehow we don’t do it every night. We got to get back to it. We got to mature, man.”
Anthony Edwards Reveals Cause of Timberwolves’ Struggles
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Season So Far
There is no doubt that the Timberwolves are a better team than their record shows. However, there is some cause for concern. Last year, Minnesota was inarguably the best defensive team in the league. With Rudy Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, as their anchor, the Timberwolves led the league with a 109 DRTG. Additionally, they only allowed 106.5 points per game, another league-leading mark. However, they have not been the same smothering defense they were last year so far. Through 12 games, they are allowing 109.3 points per game (sixth-best in the NBA), and the team has a 110.8 DRTG (eighth-best in the league). While these are still great defensive numbers, they are not the same elite team they were last year.
Another important thing to note is that the Timberwolves could still be dealing with their roster turnover. Most notably, the team traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks late in the offseason. Additionally, the team lost Kyle Anderson, who is playing well with the Golden State Warriors this season.
The Last Word On Anthony Edwards’ Comments
Edwards has already established himself as an MVP-level player and one of the top future stars in the league. A major part of Minnesota’s success last season was because of how well he played. Despite the team’s struggles, Edwards is on pace for a career year. Still, until it translates to wins, it seemingly does not matter for Edwards.
There is plenty of time left for the Timberwolves to figure things out. They are still a great team and made the conference finals last season for a reason. It looks bleak in Minnesota for now, but they have only played 12 games. Once the team begins to figure things out, which few doubt they will, they should begin to look like championship contenders once again.
