During the Court of Gold documentary, which covered the 2024 USA Olympic team, there was a viral clip where Golden State Warriors and Team USA coach Steve Kerr challenged Anthony Edwards to improve as a rebounder.Â
"Man, you have such a gift," Kerr told Edwards. He elaborated. "I mean ... You were a tailback, you're running over people, right? When is that gonna translate to rebounding? When is that gonna translate to, find a body, and boom! Hit guys."
"That's the next step for you," Kerr said. "You took such a leap last year from the beginning of practice to the end of the World Cup, and then it translated. You became one of the best players in the league. This is the next step ... You got another level you can get to, but it's all the little boring stuff."
With the Minnesota Timberwolves trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid this offseason, they need Edwards to improve as a rebounder more than ever.
Amid all the discourse about the Timberwolves' lack of forward depth, rebounding might be the most pressing specific concern. Even with their loaded frontcourt, they ranked just 12th in rebounding. To ensure there's not a steep drop-off, the Wolves will need more from everyone, and it might start with their star given his elite athletic gifts.Â
Anthony Edwards should improve as a rebounder this season
Look, Edwards isn't a bad positional rebounder by any means; he's averaged 5.2 rebounds per game for his career. At the same time, Ant-Man is one of the best athletes in the league, and there's no reason he shouldn't improve as a rebounder.Â
Luka Doncic averaged 7.7 rebounds last season due to his positional size and feel for the game. Edwards can surely get into this range as a rebounder based on his athleticism alone.
Chris Finch noted that Edwards might be part of the Wolves' solution to defending against power forwards. For that experiment to be successful, he'd need to improve as a rebounder.Â
Last season, Edwards carried too heavy a burden on offense, being overtaxed as both a creator and playmaker. This led to a subpar defensive season where he was often disengaged off the ball. With LaMelo Ball in the mix, we should see Ant unlock more of his defensive upside. One under-the-radar (yet impactful) element of this could be a boost in the rebounding department.
Kerr mentioning Edwards committing to "the boring things" is also super relevant.Â
The Timberwolves are less dependent on Edwards' scoring and shot creation with the arrival of Ball. Of course, he's still the team's number one option, and these skills matter. Regardless, what Edwards really needs to do to take another leap is commit to making a well-rounded impact and regularly doing "the little things" that lead to winning.Â
This is especially relevant on defense. He needs to be more engaged off the ball, will likely have to take on harder matchups, and, of course, be more active on the glass.Â
Interestingly, some of Ant's best rebounding games have come against the best teams in the league. His season-high of 12 rebounds came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and another of his top-five rebounding games from last year came against OKC. Furthermore, Edwards' 6.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs are a slight uptick from his regular-season numbers. This indicates that Edwards' rebounding is in part tied to effort.
If Edwards can commit to crashing the glass every night, he'll help lighten the concerns about Minnesota's viability on the glass and improve his standing in the league. And since he'll have less of an offensive burden, there's no reason why this isn't possible.
Finch is surely emphasizing the importance of rebounding this season. Still, Kerr's old challenge has never been more relevant for Edwards.Â
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