The Minnesota Timberwolves knew that getting to the NBA Playoffs for the second consecutive season was a big deal. But it was never supposed to be the end of this season’s story. Yes, the Timberwolves had faced adversity all season long. And yes, so of that adversity was self-inflicted.
But this was the second season for the Minnesota Timberwolves competing in the NBA Playoffs, and while there were plenty of changes to the team’s roster, the core of the Timberwolves team was targeting to be more competitive this season.
Well, that has not happened yet. And now, with the Timberwolves down by a record of 0-3, the truth is that this series will need to take on a huge shift of momentum to alter what appears to be the inevitable loss of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs once more.
And that’s a shame. When the Timberwolves’ defense seems to be up to the challenge, their offense is as flat as a blown tire. If the Timberwolves bench shows up, the starters struggle. When the starters put up a fight, the bench lets them down. In Game 3, the Denver Nuggets bench put up 29 points. The Timberwolves bench scored just 10 points.
The game was decided by nine points.
Ant-Man is playing huge in this Round 1 series
The Minnesota Timberwolves may be down in the series 0-3, but the team has to love what they are seeing out of All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who has averaged
MPG 34.5 | 29.5 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 4.5 APG | 2.0 SPG | 2.0 BPG | 1.0 TPG | 4.0 PF | 4.5 Ast/TO
With the exception of rebounds and assists, Anthony Edwards is leading the team in scoring, stealing, and blocks. That is phenomenal for a 21-year-old sensation whose NBA career will only improve from here.
Anthony Edwards tonight:
— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) April 22, 2023
36 PTS
7 REB
5 AST
Now tied 2nd with Kobe Bryant for most 30 point playoff games before turning 22 years old. pic.twitter.com/KIBkNLqIJI
Even as other players on the Timberwolves roster have struggled to show up in the highlight reel, only to fade into the background in the next game, Anthony Edwards continues to compete at a high level. Even as he struggled to put up his customary 30+ points in Game 1 (he only scored 18 points), he remained very active on the defensive side of the basketball court.
The Timberwolves have the benefit of two highly talented tiers on the current roster. The veteran tier is made up of Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mike Conley, and others. They are the veterans, the guy who should be stepping up and leading the team in the tough sledding like the NBA Playoffs.
The second tier is the incredibly promising group of young players on the roster, led by Anthony Edwards, including Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, Luka Garza, Wendell Moore Jr., and others. They are the young players whose best years in the NBA are ahead of them.
YESSS1R 🔥🔥🔥
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 22, 2023
WHAT. A. SEQUENCE. pic.twitter.com/sRRVcvel8G
Right now, the Timberwolves have managed to straddle the fence and stay committed to both groups. But this NBA Playoff series may begin to lean the front office toward a youth movement in the future.
The Nuggets cruise to 3-0 in Minnesota 💪
— ESPN (@espn) April 22, 2023
They are one win away from the Western Conference semifinals! pic.twitter.com/nPpBCLWtsD
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one game away from elimination. Only the Timberwolves and the Brooklyn Nets have dug a hole this deep in Round 1.
But there is always a silver lining. The Minnesota Timberwolves front office knows that SG Anthony Edwards is staking a claim to leading this team going forward. Now, it will be up to President Tim Connelly to decide what to do about it.