Referencing Anthony Edwards’ 5 Percent Body Fat, Timberwolves President Discards Rumors Of Ant’s Lack Of Fitness

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ incredible campaign ended following their whimper of a performance at home against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. After the fact, Timberwolves president Tim Connelly was asked whether he believed their star guard needed to work on his conditioning to ensure the team doesn’t flame out similarly next season. He responded,

“I think he’s in great shape [already]. But that’s what I love about him, he’s not content with where he is. Sub 5% body fat… Anthony Edwards had one of the best seasons ever by a 22-year-old. On both ends [of the floor]…

Connelly made sure to emphasize on just what Edwards had accomplished as a 22-year-old in the NBA, drawing attention to just how much he had to overcome.

He took his organization, with his teammates, that hasn’t had any playoff success for 20 years and beat two first-ballot Hall of Famers, beat the defending champs and now lost to heck of a Dallas team. I don’t think it was his fitness level, it was a bit overwhelming to go through that.”

Connelly’s take is spot on. Despite his youth, Edwards took over and led the Timberwolves to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2004. In fact, the franchise won more playoff series over the past month than in the previous 19 years. And despite the challenges it came up against, the team did exceptionally.

As Connelly mentioned, they beat the Phoenix Suns superteam in the first round before taking down defending champions Denver Nuggets in the Conference semifinals in seven games.

The Western Conference Finals loss to the Mavericks will sting. But, if Edwards and his teammates zoom out and look at the bigger picture, they’d be proud of their achievement, especially given just how much they had to do prior to getting to the stage they did.

Anthony Edwards did feel the effects of a lengthy season

Just three days after beating the Nuggets in Game 7 and eliminating them from the playoffs, the Timberwolves were back in action in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks at home.

The short turnaround time clearly seemed to affect their performance as they lost 108-105. In the post-game press conference, Edwards admitted Minnesota wasn’t up for the skirmish they found themselves in,

“I think we just came out flat. We found our energy [midway through the game] but went back to being flat. It was on us. Everything was on us today. I didn’t get downhill as much… We were just tired probably.”

There was no respite for the Timberwolves as they were in action again in less than 48 hours in Game 2. Needing a win, Edwards pushed as hard as he could, but he finally felt the effects of the lengthy campaign and was even forced to use an oxygen tank to replenish his energy before he could finish the contest. His brief absence cost the Timberwolves the game and they couldn’t recover from the 0-2 series deficit.

Edwards’ fatigue is understandable. Since last August, the young guard has played 103 games in just 279 days. He featured in all eight games in Team USA’s FIBA World Cup campaign and played 79 regular season and 16 playoff games for the Timberwolves.

The heavy workload would knock the wind out of the most conditioned athletes, let alone a 22-year-old embarking on his first deep playoff run.

While Edwards should be afforded some leeway, he likely won’t accept it. Instead, the superstar is likely more motivated than ever before now, and will likely be going all-out this offseason to get into the best shape of his young career.