The Timberwolves appear to have returned to their dominant form from the 2023-24 NBA season. They’ve won their last two games convincingly, restricting their opponents to less than 95 points each. Their recent surge of success comes following superstar guard Anthony Edwards calling the team out.
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“Not to the other team, but like internally we soft, like we can’t talk to each other. Just a bunch of little kids, just like we playing with a bunch of little kids,” Edwards said after Minnesota’s November 28 loss to the Kings. That was the T-Wolves’ fourth consecutive loss, and they looked like a shadow of the squad they were last season.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons believes Edwards’ harsh words were necessary to steer the squad on the correct path. Parsons took to FanDuel TV’s Run It Back alongside Lou Williams and Michelle Beadle to discuss Minnesota’s recent improvement. He could only point to one deciding factor for the team’s improved play,
“Every team sometimes needs a little push in their a**. Anthony Edwards gave that to them… This is a good step in the right direction. This is a team that’s not soft, but they’ve shown that they can play soft. There’s enough talent in this room for this team to figure it out.”
“Every team needs a little push in their ass.” – Chandler Parsons
The Timberwolves are 2-0 since Anthony Edwards called his team “soft”
https://t.co/rf97duBLJQ@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/RmEfZdCOen
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 3, 2024
Edwards’ comments lit a fire under this team, as Parsons pointed out. They’ve won two straight games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Lakers. Specifically, in their blowout win against the Lakers, the squad displayed a defensive effort reminiscent of the good ol’ days.
Minnesota had a distinct personality throughout the 2023-24 season. They possessed the league’s best defensive rating, which they used to bolster their offense. This season hasn’t been the same. Furthermore, they had dropped to seventh in defensive rating and lost control of the basketball style that had made them famous.
However, since being called out by Ant-Man, they have appeared defensively competitive in the West. Despite the limited sample size of two games, nothing done by the Timberwolves indicates that it is unsustainable. Emulating that level of performance on both ends of the floor has the potential to put them back in contention in the West.
The Timberwolves’ showing this season
In the 2023-24 season, the Timberwolves finished with a 56-26 record, only two wins away from their franchise-best in history. They witnessed their most successful postseason run since 2004 as well, clinching a berth in the Western Conference Finals. However, this season started much slower.
The Timberwolves have a .500 record so far (10-10). If the NBA playoffs began today, they would be on the outside looking in. They are currently ranked 11th but are only one game away from a Play-In position and two games from a top-six seed.
Minnesota’s next five games will be a difficult challenge. They will meet the Clippers, Knicks, and Warriors three times. All of these teams are playoff-caliber and will be difficult to beat. On the other hand, finishing this stretch with a winning record could be extremely advantageous to their locker room in the future.
