Why is Anthony Edwards playing more minutes?

By: Randall Gimm

The Timberwolves’ improved rookie, Anthony Edwards, has been getting more trust with the ball in hands and more fourth-quarter minutes. He is currently averaging 31.5 minutes per game. That is second to Isaac Okoro at 31.8 and just above Tyrese Haliburton’s 30.1 mpg.
Last night against the Jazz, Edwards played 38 minutes but could not seem to find his shooting touch. He shot 1-10 on three-pointers (the one made three was close to a miss as well) but showcased his clutch finishing ability. He can take contact mid-air, hang, and adjust so well at his young age and he loves to prove it, he did it twice in the fourth quarter alone. He is finding different ways to affect the game and you could tell that he was not discouraged by his shooting woes. These are great signs for Edwards and the Wolves front office.

His increase in minutes this season appears to be because of the initial absence of D’Angelo Russell and later, Malik Beasley. But the real reason is Wolves Head Coach Chris Finch is letting Edwards work out the kinks in his game. The more he does this now, the more it will allow Edwards to be comfortable on the court leading up to next season.
During an interview with Tyler R. Tynes from GQ, Edwards said, “Coach Finch “really let me play my game. [Finch told me] ‘Just play yo game, do you!’ So, I’m just having fun at that point.” Anthony Edwards is well known as a funny guy in the NBA, so it doesn’t surprise me that he plays better when he’s happy. Finch is establishing a report with someone who could be his leading scorer in his junior, if not his sophomore season.

The Wolves have been officially removed from play-in game contention and are using this time to work in the young guys; McDaniels, Edwards, Vanderbilt, and Naz Reid. You could even say that D’Angelo Russell coming off the bench is a part of this plan to share his minute load and ease him back from injury. Chris Finch is making an immediate impact towards longevity with this team. He is focused on his young core and building a culture of throwing young guys out there to see if they can swim to find the areas that need improvement within the roster. You can see there is more cohesion with the Wolves on offense. They know their sets and counters to them.

Like I previously mentioned, Edwards is building a report with his team. You can sense that it is working with the wolves improved 4th quarter play (which was atrocious under Ryan Saunders), better communication, and better defensive rotations. We are starting to see flashes of what this team could be, and I give the credit to Finch for wasting no time making an impact on this team.

Chris Finch is known for his ability to build an offense. That has been showcased since he arrived in Minnesota with KAT getting higher assist numbers and the team scoring in larger margins. Now, in this series against the Jazz, the Wolves showed great resilience after a 33-17 first quarter last night. They bounced back on offense with 7 3s from D’Angelo Russell and motivated team defense. Can Edwards be that same scoring leader when the team gets to a slow start? That is what the wolves want and need out of him. Edwards is able to remain a reliant scorer and someone who brings hustle and energy is what can and will take him to that next level.

With 10 games remaining in the season, I imagine that the wolves will play these games out as if they matter. The way they played last night and Saturday was not ‘tanking basketball’. Finch is capitalizing on these ‘garbage time games’ to test his offensive and defensive sets against a live defense. He would not be setting a good example if the Wolves were to tank. He wants to find the holes in their team and address them appropriately in the offseason, rather than focusing on the draft.
I am going to be watching closely these last 10 games to see the improvement points for the team and if Edwards can secure the Rookie of the Year Award.