While all the protagonists are already in place, he rushes in front of the scorer's table and blows into his hands to warm them. But Anthony Edwards must wait crouched for 35 seconds before making his debut, taking the place of his short-lived replacement in the five, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Wolves fullback had just missed the midfield of the game against the Blazers. “ I didn't see the time passing “, Ant will explain afterwards, as he often warms up at his own pace with his headphones on and works with resistance bands outside the team locker room.
“ It was a weird game for him with his absence at the start, I don't know exactly what it was, and the elbow injury… But he showed up when we needed him as the match progressed “, describes Chris Finch who appreciated the efforts of his star player on Anfernee Simons (34 points and 14 assists).
A first as a substitute
Coming off the bench for the first time since his rookie season, the Team USA player still finished very far from his usual standards with 13 points (4/10 on shots), 6 assists and 4 rebounds in 35 minutes. “I’m the best 6th man of the year!” » he laughed after the match.
Already last week, rather than arriving late, he had to leave early from the game against the Kings. Author of 11 points in the first half, but not really in his match (2/11 shooting), the 22-year-old did not participate in the second half officially for personal reasons. Several media outlets subsequently reported that he had gone to his partner for the birth of their child.
This night, his average outing did not prevent the Wolves from winning, while Karl-Anthony Towns did not have a great night either (14 points in 21 minutes). Rudy Gobert was notably one of those who was able to raise his level of play.
“ It’s no coincidence that we have depth. When Ant and Kat aren't having a great game, we have a lot of guys who play that role who can score 20, 25 points and take the load. We have to trust each other. Ant can come to me and say 'I'm not into it, I just had a baby, I'm tired or whatever'. Whatever the problem, we take over, or the other way around. He just had a baby, so he probably hasn't slept! “, laughs Mike Conley (19 points).
| Anthony Edwards | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 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 |
| 2023-24 | MIN | 58 | 35 | 46.6 | 37.9 | 84.5 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 26.3 |
| Total | 281 | 34 | 44.6 | 35.7 | 79.1 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 22.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
