Anthony Edwards will be entering his sixth season in the NBA with the Timberwolves since being selected first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. There are two players who still remain his teammates from his rookie year, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. With the Timberwolves’ media day taking place on Monday, Edwards was asked which of his former teammates he misses the most. He mentioned two players who were also his teammates as a rookie, Josh Okogie and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Anthony Edwards names the 2 former teammates he misses the most
At the Timberwolves’ media day, the 24-year-old Edwards was asked numerous questions about the upcoming season. Expectations are sky-high after back-to-back conference championship appearances. One question asked of him made him need to reminisce, though, when asked about which of his former teammates he misses the most.
"Jarred Vanderbilt…and Josh Okogie, Edwards said. I miss both of them just as much…well JO didn’t play that much when I was here. So I can’t say I miss him on the court, but those are my brothers."
Anthony Edwards was asked which players he misses the most in Minnesota. His answer: Jarred Vanderbilt and Josh Okogie.
— John Meyer (@meyerNBA) September 29, 2025
While what Edwards said is partially true about Okogie, it’s not fully correct. In Edwards’ rookie season, Okogie actually started 37 of his 59 appearances while averaging 20.3 minutes. That was Okogie’s third season in the league, with his first two also coming with Minnesota. The following year, his minutes were nearly cut in half (10.5). Those are the two seasons that Okogie and Edwards played together, as he joined the Suns in free agency during the 2022 offseason.
The season before Edwards joined the league, Vanderbilt was traded to the Wolves in February of 2020. He was mostly assigned to the Iowa Wolves of the G League, only appearing in two games with Minnesota. It was in Edwards’ rookie year that he earned a role with the team, starting 30 of his 64 outings. The following year, the 6-foot-8 forward was essentially a full-time starter (67 starts in 74 games) and averaged what is still a career-best 8.4 rebounds. Vanderbilt was involved in the 2022 offseason trade that brought Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves.
Okogie and Vanderbilt both currently rostered by Western Conference teams
After spending last season with the Suns and Hornets, Okogie joined the Rockets this offseason on a 1-year, $3.1 million deal. On a Houston team with championship aspirations, the 27-year-old is expected to be more of a depth piece, only used when the team isn’t at full strength.
Now 26 years old, Vanderbilt has spent each of the last two full seasons with the Lakers and remains rostered by them. Unfortunately, injuries have made his appearances rather infrequent, as he has only played in 65 games (and all 5 postseason games last season).