"I came out with no energy at all," said Anthony Edwards four games into his third NBA season, per The Athletic. It's a troubling sign for a team with goals of competing for an NBA title.
Minnesota (2-2) traded multiple first-round picks to the Utah Jazz for center Rudy Gobert this offseason. The move was meant to solidify the Timberwolves' defense, with the core of D'Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Edwards and Gobert leading the team for seasons to come.
"It's normal for me to be bad on back-to-backs," Edwards said. Per The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski,
"Wolves coach Chris Hines is constantly reminding him that there is a scouting report on him across the league" regarding his disappearing act on the second night of a back-to-back.
Per Stat Muse, Edwards averages 18.7 points on 38.8% shooting without rest. With a day off, he averages 21 points on 44% shooting.
It's fair to expect a player first adjusting to the NBA to experience some growing pains, but after two full seasons, that's no longer a valid excuse.
His admittance that it's a running theme throughout his career is stunning in that players usually address their shortcomings as they happen, not allowing them to become habits. Towns addressed how he could be a better mentor to the fellow former No. 1 overall pick.
Anthony Edwards has struggled to find consistency in his game early on in the season, shooting just 3-15 from the field in the Wolves loss to the Spurs last night. pic.twitter.com/ppjoGYGlqX
— ProCity Hoops (@ProCityHoops) October 25, 2022
"Maybe I could do a better job of teaching him how to take of his body," said Towns. He then offered some pointed words to his teammate:
"I know y'all think it's funny ... when he talks about Popeyes ... that doesn't make me happy to hear ... We're high-level athletes."
Until Edwards figures out how to fix a problem that's persisted throughout his career, these Timberwolves might not ever get out of hibernation.
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