Dryly eliminated by the Nuggets (1-4) at the start of the playoffs, when they aimed to pass at least one round by recovering Rudy Gobert last summer, the wolves will now have to work behind the scenes to improve their roster and establish themselves among the strongholds of the Western Conference.
To listen to their president, Tim Connellyit also seems that Anthony Edwards is the new face of the franchise Minnesota.
” Pretty much every decision we make will be based on Anthony. », announces the former architect from Denver. ” We are tasked with developing who I think is the best 21 (or younger) player on the planet. He’s a great boy, who wants it and is so competitive, his work ethic is unique, out of the ordinary. The more he grows, the more we want to see him win and be surrounded by winners. »
Became All-Star for the first time in his career this year, at the heart of a season where he averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 interceptions (at 46% in shooting, including 37% at 3 -points, and 76% in shots), Anthony Edwards took another step forward in the playoffs, posting 31.6 points, 5.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals on average (at 48% in shooting, including 35% at 3- points, and 85% in shots), in five games against the Nuggets. Despite a complicated first game in the series.
“ He has a special quality that we have already talked about, which is that he is not afraid of these moments. This is where you see what players are made of. Some may back down, but he don’t “, judge Chris Finch.
The hierarchy evolves between “KAT” and “Ant”
What convince the leaders of Wolves to offer their confidence in Anthony Edwards for the future, while Karl Anthony Towns was so far considered the boss of the franchise. The hierarchy has therefore evolved and, according to “KAT”, this is not a problem. Provided that victories are not rare…
” I just wanna win and it’s been like that since I’ve been here “, assures the pivot All-Star, whose association with Rudy Gobert has not yet met expectations. ” I want to bring this organization back to victory and be a winner. Everything else I leave to you to speculate and write about, as I am simply here to win. »
We can thus imagine Minnesota leaving with a similar base next season, but with Anthony Edwards at the center of the project. Hoping that the injuries will leave Chris Finch’s men alone, who will try to get the best out of their trio Edwards – Towns – Gobert and surround it with quality soldiers.
” He is fantastic, as a man and as a player “, adds in any case Tim Connelly about his very young leader, “Ant-Man”. ” We are lucky to have him with us and it would be a failure on my part and the organization not to see him continue to progress and be one of the best players in the league, something he is already starting to to manage. »
Moreover, Tim Connelly also explains that the arrivals of Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson or Mike Conley were intended to allow Anthony Edwards to taste a maximum of the playoffs.
“Too often in our league, development coincides with loss, and we believe the best way to learn to win is to win early and win often.”thus developed the leader. “But it’s obviously a challenge to make sure that we do everything in our power to make sure that he develops, not just individually, but that the team also develops to a level that we think. be able to reach. This will be the challenge of this off-season”.
| Anthony Edwards | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2020-21 | MIN | 72 | 32 | 41.7 | 32.9 | 77.6 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 19.3 |
| 2021-22 | MIN | 72 | 34 | 44.1 | 35.7 | 78.6 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 21.3 |
| 2022-23 | MIN | 79 | 36 | 45.9 | 36.9 | 75.6 | 0.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 24.6 |
| Total | 223 | 34 | 44.1 | 35.2 | 77.0 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 21.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
