Being last year’s Western Conference finalists, the Minnesota Timberwolves began the season with high expectations. Halfway down the campaign, with a mediocre 24-21 record, they sit seventh in the conference. Things couldn’t get any worse. Or maybe they could. Brandon Jennings thinks so, believing that the road ahead would get tough for Anthony Edwards and Minnesota, exacerbated by the exit of Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Jennings believes Edwards “is going to peak in the next one or two years”, and boldly stated that it wouldn’t look like what people expect. Minnesota’s trade of KAT has hurt the 23-year-old’s future outlook that much, he added.
The former Milwaukee Bucks playmaker shared his concerns for Edwards when the Gil’s Arena crew began discussing other up-and-coming young guards in the NBA.
“Anthony Edwards might be in trouble. With these young guns coming up, I think [Edwards] gonna get lost in the sauce,” said Jennings.
If the Timberwolves don’t get back into elite winning ways, Edwards loses credibility. And the separation in credentials and reputation he had created from other rising stars in the league, including Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green, will wane.
Julius Randle has struggled to replicate Towns’ impact with the Timberwolves. And Jennings isn’t too confident in Edwards’ future as the team attempts to mend issues that never would have existed in the first place.
KAT is right now posting career-best numbers in his first season with the New York Knicks. He, undoubtedly, had his fair share of struggles in Minnesota. But Towns did prove to be a capable second option on a contending team.
No one else on the Timberwolves roster has stepped up to fill his shoes, leaving Edwards a target for opposing defenses.
Edwards has had to do it all on offense for the Wolves this year
It would be a bit surprising to see Edwards peak in his age-25 season. But Jennings does have a valid point about the star guard flaming out if the team doesn’t get him more help.
As things stand right now, the future of the Timberwolves is uncertain outside of Edwards, who signed a rookie-scale maximum extension with the franchise last summer. Rob Dillingham could become a real star too. Beyond that, much of the franchise’s core — highlighted by Randle and Rudy Gobert — is aging and unlikely to improve.
Edwards has already aired his frustration with the constant double-teams he has faced this season. But considering the team’s lack of other consistent offensive weapons, blitzing the All-NBA scorer is the most sensible strategy for the opposition.
His offense has also drastically changed from the seasons before. With Karl-Anthony gone, the team lost a consistent 3-point shooter. The direct consequence of this has been a massive increase in Edwards’ attempts from beyond the attempt. He is taking 3.1 shots more than last season which is adversely affecting his drive-and-slash scoring style.
If the Timberwolves aren’t able to bring in another star to shoulder more of the offensive load, Edwards could grow even more frustrated. While there’s still plenty of time to turn things around, Edwards may not be destined to stay in Minnesota unless some serious reinforcements are added.
