After the Minnesota Timberwolves’ embarrassing loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center on Monday, emotions were obviously running high. While the final score may not have reflected it, the Timberwolves had been beaten badly on their home floor by an inferior team.
Immediately following a game like that, it’s not uncommon for a player to sound off in a postgame interview and say something that they normally wouldn’t say. That may have been what occurred in the press conference Monday night when Karl-Anthony Towns was asked about Anthony Edwards, and how he can help Ant be better in games played on back-to-back nights.
“Maybe I could do a better job of teaching him how to take care of his body,” said Towns. “That’ll be on me. I know y’all think it’s funny up here when he talks about Popeyes and all that. That doesn’t make me happy to hear. We’re high-level athletes.”
Was Towns wrong to bring up Anthony Edwards’ diet?
Karl-Anthony Towns’ comments were referencing a game from last season where Anthony Edwards brought his Popeyes order with him to a postgame press conference. Ant has since mentioned that he’s cut down on his fast food consumption, stating in preseason that he didn’t eat any fried foods Monday through Thursday in the offseason. He also said that he didn’t plan to eat any during the season.
Even so, the topic of fast food is clearly one that bothers Edwards’ veteran teammate. While Karl-Anthony Towns gives off the impression that he’s much more serious with his diet as a professional athlete, it doesn’t seem to have been as big a concern for Anthony Edwards, at least until recently.
So were Towns’ comments out of line? Maybe, but after Edwards put up a dud of a performance on Monday with just nine points on 3-for-15 shooting, it certainly seems like he took the best possible opportunity to bring up the topic. But despite the criticism, Towns voiced that he still wants to be there for his younger teammate.
KAT still stood up for Edwards with comments
“I don’t want Ant to think it’s all on him,” said Towns. “That’s why he has brothers, that’s why he has teammates. We go out there, if he’s not feeling it that night, we pick up the slack.”
KAT finished his comments by making it known that the team’s successes or failures will never fall squarely on one player. He expressed that it was their collective duty to lift each other up when it comes to these kind of things.
Overall, it doesn’t seem like Timberwolves fans should have any reason for concern with team chemistry. The comments Towns made may have seemed harsh on the surface, but they came from a place of true care for his teammate and trying to reinforce accountability as a group.