Anthony Edwards may perceive himself as the NBA’s best player. But his coach wants him to start playing like the best player on the floor even when his shots aren’t falling.
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch took his superstar guard to task after Edwards struggled in Minnesota’s 99-88 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday.
Finch called out Edwards’ lack of energy, especially early, since he started 0 for 8 and had just one point in the first half. The Timberwolves scored just 31 first-half points and trailed by 13 points, even though Golden State lost fellow superstar guard Steph Curry to a strained hamstring.
“It starts with Anthony,” Finch said. “I thought as Anthony struggled early then you could kind of see the light go out for a while.
Edwards discovered his game in the second half, finishing with a team-high 23 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. But it was too little, too late, since the T-Wolves only outscored the Warriors 57-55 in the second half.
A Troubling Trend
At 23 years old, Edwards is one of the brightest young stars in basketball. He willed Minnesota past the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round by averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
Edwards seemed motivated to dominate against the Lakers’ superstar-laden lineup, led by LeBron James and Luka Doncic. It harkened back memories to Edwards’ brilliant performance in against the reigning-NBA champion Denver Nuggets in last year’s second round, where he averaged 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
But somehow Edwards is having the most trouble getting going in series where Minnesota has home-court advantage. Last year, he wilted under the bright lights of the Western Conference Finals by shooting just 43 percent in Minnesota’s surprising five-game loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
In Games 1 and 2 at home, Edwards was just 7 for 19 (36.8 percent) and averaged only 20 points in two one-possession losses to Dallas. That may be what fueled Finch’s frustration Tuesday.
“You’re the leader of the team, and you’ve got to come out and set the tone,” Finch said. “If your shot’s not going, you still have to carry the energy.
“If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy, coming into the opening second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.”
Finch also felt Edwards was too aggressive and did not trust the flow of the game.
“He came out with a predetermined mindset of what he was trying to do rather than just playing the game that was in front of him,” Finch said.
Edwards’ Rebuttal
Edwards is renowned for his confidence, so unsurprisingly he didn’t agree with Finch’s criticism.
“Nah,” he answered when asked whether he felt off in the first half. “I felt like I played great defense; I just couldn’t do nothing on offense.”
Plus, even though he did not connect on a field goal in the first half, Edwards thought he did everything right except put the ball in the basket.
“I got everywhere I wanted to get, I just couldn’t finish,” Edwards said. “I think that was the only thing. I got everything I was looking for in the first half. I just didn’t finish.”
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