Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Sports Columnist
It would be an understatement to say that the Minnesota Timberwolves were anything but a complete and utter disaster last year.
They gave up an absolute haul to get Rudy Gobert who turned out to be a terrible fit in Minnesota’s scheme. Karl Anthony-Towns dropped in offensive production while getting simultaneously worse on defense. And they finished 8th in the West barely squeaking into the playoffs before getting eliminated in 5 games by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
With all the setbacks Minnesota experienced in 2022, fans had little to no expectations for there to be any noticeable improvement the next year. However, despite these setbacks, the Timberwolves came out and shocked EVERYONE in 2023. Chris Finch found out a way to work Gobert into the offense more while bringing out his full potential on defense. Karl Anthony-Towns returned to his usual form and made noticeable improvements on his defensive end. However, it is the play of one talented young superstar that has defined the Timberwolves season: The Ant-Man himself, Anthony Edwards.
Drafted first overall in 2021, everyone knew that Edwards had potential to be one of the premier players in the NBA. However, his stellar play at such a young age and the comparisons he has drawn to NBA legends such as Michael Jordan has catapulted him into becoming one of the future faces of the league.
This season, Ant-Man is averaging 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a game while leading his Timberwolves to the number 1 seed in the West!
Despite some off the court drama, Edwards has continued to throw down poster slam after poster slam and the Wolves have kept winning with ease. With Gobert anchoring the paint, Conley running the offense, Towns shooting the lights out, and Edwards leading the charge, the Timberwolves looked primed to possibly make a deep run in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, just a few days ago, disaster struck in Minnesota. It was revealed that Karl Anthony-Towns had torn his meniscus and was going to miss at least a month right in the middle of one of the most important parts of the season. With Towns out, the Wolves dream of capturing the number 1 seed in the west seemed like a fairy-tale rather than a possibility.
With the Wolves season hanging in the balance, Minnesota was relying on one man to save them all: The Ant-Man…and boy did he deliver.
In an absolute thriller against Indiana, Anthony Edwards dropped over 44 points while playing on a bad ankle including several key buckets in the clutch.
To add the cherry on top of a masterpiece of a game, Edwards ended it himself with a game winning block in which he got so high that he hit his head against the backboard.
Not only has Edwards displayed his freakish athleticism on more than one occasion, he has proven that he has the killer instinct to take over games down the stretch. Combine this with all the talent in the world and a roster built around his specific skill set, Edwards without a doubt has the potential to become not just one of the best players in the NBA, but one of the best players to ever play in the NBA PERIOD.
Towns’ injury has been a brutal loss for the club, but this win leaves no doubt that Minnesota has found itself in very, very good hands.