Last week, Anthony Edwards was asked about leadership on the Timberwolves and he said “I feel we need it.” This week, Edwards says he’s taking command.
“Yeah, 100% sure,” he said Tuesday when asked if he’s ready to lead.
“It’s who I am,” he continued. “Everywhere I’ve been I’ve kind of been that type of guy, so I don’t feel no way about my age.”
The 21-year-old joked that he feels like an “11-year” NBA veteran and added, “I’m three years in but I did come in at 18 pushing 19, so I feel like it’s time for me to step up for sure.”
Edwards verbally announcing he’s ready to be that guy comes at a time when the Timberwolves desperately need it. Karl-Anthony Towns is likely out until January with a right calf strain and it’s no secret that his leadership style has not elevated the franchise to new heights. Jon Krawczynski said on his podcast last week that the Wolves have a leadership problem and they need a kick in the butt.
“They absolutely do miss someone like Pat Beverley….for the times when they need a kick in the butt and they need to be kind just grabbed by the shirt collar and say, ‘Hey, pay attention. This is what’s going on and until you change it we’re going to keep getting beaten like this,'” said Krawczynski.
“They need that back in a major way. I do think that it is a flaw of this roster that the players so far, within the group, seem to have a difficult time communicating with each other and then having whatever feedback that they give each other sink in with their teammates. I don’t know that it’s a group that really, frankly, listens too much. I think that that’s a real problem.”
And just as Krawczynski predicted last week, that void is falling on Edwards’ shoulders.
“He may not be totally ready for that role but it might be heaped upon him because [Rudy] Gobert is not playing well enough to do it, D’Angelo Russell is not that kind of a player and there’s not many other options out there on that roster to jump up and grab everyone’s attention,” Krawczynski said.
Head coach Chris Finch acknowledged the leadership issue on Tuesday.
“Everything about winning requires leadership. It’s something that we’ve not been great at. We’re trying to find a voice collectively, trying to find a personality as a team. Those are things that we’ve got to keep working on, try to cultivating as a team. That’s my job,” Finch said.
“It’s tough. Guys either have it in them to be a leader, but if they do, they might not be ready to bring it out and you’ve got to try to coax it out of them. Leadership is about one thing: Who’s willing to follow you? There’s a million different ways to do it, but all leaders have one thing in common and that’s people follow them.”
We’ll find out more about Edwards’ leadership style when the Wolves host the Indiana Pacers Wednesday at 7 p.m.
