Anthony Edwards Laments How Opposing Teams Are Defending Him

Timberwolves young superstar struggling with increased defensive attention.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) passes around Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) in the first half at Target Center. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the year with aspirations to take the next step in their ascent and compete for an NBA title. They've been slow out of the gates, though, and entered Thursday night's TNT showcase against the Boston Celtics with a 17–15 record. Chris Finch's side did not capitalize on the opportunity to make a statement, falling 118-115. Star guard Anthony Edwards struggled to a 5-for-16 finish from the field, ending up with 15 points and a -10 plus/minus.

Then in his postgame interview with media he went deep on his frustrations about the way opposing teams are guarding him.

Pretty much the entirety of Anthony Edwards's postgame media was him talking about his frustration with the way teams are putting two on him, taking away his opportunities to be a scorer and forcing him to get off the ball.

"It's not how I want to play, of course. I'm only 23, I… pic.twitter.com/7bJdFS6zeU

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 3, 2025

"That was a good brand of basketball but It's not how I want to play, of course," Edwards said. "I'm only 23, I don't wanna just be passing the ball all night. (I don't want to be like Mike Conley) At all but the way they're guarding me, I think I have to." 

Edwards then confirmed that all the defensive attention and impetus to act more as a distrubitor makes it hard to stay locked in.

"Super hard. Super hard. I'm wired to score the ball... I don't think their plan is 'mentally take him out' because it don't take me all the way out of the game. But them doubling me is definitely, like what is going on?

"I don't want to make it seem like I'm chasing the ball all the time. But when I get doubled and give it up and do the corner and then make it seem like the double team won? I don't know what to do honestly. It's not fun. I don't want to look like I'm not trying or not as good as I am because I can't show it because I'm getting double-teamed."

All of this is understandable and perhaps refreshingly honest. It's also a flashing neon sign for the Timberwolves' opponents that they should continue to throw as many bodies as possible at Edwards until he figures out how to deal with all the attention.

This is obviously not a unique problem. Every superstar who has ever excelled in the league has had to negotiate double teams. Few, if any of them, have said publicly that they don't know what to do about it.

Edwards's scoring average this year is 1.4 points lower than it was last year and he's averaging 1.1 fewer assists. His field goal percentage is also down significantly and he's only attempting 3.8 free throws per contest as compared to 6.8 last season. It's clear that the Timberwolves need him to figure it out and soon. They currently sit eighth in the Western Conference and are only 1.5 games clear of being out of the Play-In tournament.

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