In his five seasons with the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards has never been as open and forthright with the media as he was following the team’s 115-104 loss to the Kings on Wednesday.
As reporters gathered around his locker, Edwards bluntly asked, “What do you want to know, why we’re trash?”
It’s a question many Timberwolves fans likely share after the team’s fourth straight loss and seventh defeat in their last nine games. Although the Wolves managed to claw back from yet another double-digit deficit, they appeared to be in control after taking a 12-point lead with just over seven minutes left. But that advantage quickly vanished as Malik Monk (27 points) and De’Aaron Fox (26 points) capitalized on a leaky Timberwolves defense that has faltered in key moments throughout the season. A lackluster offensive execution, including from Edwards himself, sealed the team’s fate, drawing boos from the frustrated home crowd.
After expressing regret about the loss—saying, “I’ma take this one”—Edwards shifted to address broader issues troubling the team. He criticized the Wolves for playing like “frontrunners,” a term he used to describe a team that only shows up when things are going well.
“I don’t like frontrunners,” he explained. “I’m not a frontrunner. I hate to have frontrunners or to think we have frontrunners on the team. But tonight, it definitely looked like we were frontrunners.”
He went on, “When we were down, no one spoke up. Then we get a lead, and everyone’s cheering. But when we fall behind again, it’s quiet. That’s the definition of a frontrunner. We all were frontrunners tonight, including myself.”
Edwards then pointed to deeper, ongoing problems that have plagued the Timberwolves during their disappointing 8-10 start. Speaking with a calm and reflective tone, he acknowledged that the team’s internal struggles were becoming more apparent.
“We’re all going into our own shells and growing apart from each other,” Edwards said. “We see it, the coaches see it, and even the fans see it. They’re booing us… that’s crazy. We’re getting booed in our own building.”
He noted that the disconnect wasn’t just among the new players like Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, but across the whole roster. Edwards lamented the lack of communication on the floor, saying the Wolves played with too much individual focus instead of team cohesion.
“We’re soft as hell as a team, internally,” Edwards added. “Not soft to the other team, but internally, we’re soft. We can’t talk to each other. It’s like playing with a bunch of little kids. The whole team. We just can’t communicate, and we’ve got to figure that out, because we can’t keep going down this path.”
While tensions within the team have surfaced in the past, such as when Rudy Gobert was first integrating into the lineup, Edwards’ comments on Wednesday were some of the most revealing and candid he’s made in his five years with the Wolves.
