Mike Conley is 38 years old and can’t impact the game to the same level he used to.
Rob Dillingham is 20 years old, and whether or not he will eventually be a starting-caliber player in the NBA is still to be determined.
Donte DiVincenzo is a shooting guard whose best basketball comes while playing off ball.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has more than insinuated Anthony Edwards’ new role on the team on multiple occasions – Edwards is Minnesota’s point guard.
It’s the role Edwards wants. He sees himself as an offensive hub-type player who can command the offense. It’s the role Minnesota’s roster now demands of its star player.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
Edwards played an excellent game in many regards Wednesday in Oklahoma City. He hit many big shots. He defended hard. He was one of Minnesota’s only players who could break down the Thunder’s historically dominant defense.
But, as the point guard, he also has to shoulder a share of the blame for Minnesota’s poor late-game execution.
The Timberwolves turned the ball over four times in the final five minutes. The first of those came when Edwards was stripped on a drive to the bucket.
The other three came from DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle. But Edwards was involved in every play. How so? Each of those teammates was attempting to get him the ball on those plays. Edwards is now supposed to be Minnesota’s safe place amid a Thundering storm.
Yet he wasn’t readily available at key points in the final three minutes.
Minnesota called a timeout and drew up a play for Edwards in a tie game with 3 minutes to play Wednesday. But Edwards was denied the in-bounds pass, which forced DiVincenzo to bring the ball up the floor. Which happens frequently in the NBA. But the issue was it then took Edwards seven seconds to cross the timeline. And by the time he got there, a waiting DiVincenzo had been stripped by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The next trip down the floor, McDaniels had the ball on the wing in semi-transition. Randle was posting up, but Finch pointed for the ball to go back to Edwards. But Edwards was lackadaisical in his effort to get open and created no passing lane as he was blanketed by Casson Wallace.
So McDaniels, who had picked up his dribble, had to turn back and attempt to float a pass to Randle that was knocked away for another turnover.
The final turnover was a five-second call in which Randle was unable to inbound the ball in time. Again, Edwards – the primary option – was unable to break free on a play where he didn’t seem to make multiple efforts to do so, leaving Randle nowhere to go with the ball.
That’s not to say Edwards is singularly to blame for the turnovers. The other guys have the ball in their hands and they have to better improvise when Plan A is negated. But as the best player on the team who’s now empowered to direct traffic and claim control of the contest, everything ultimately falls at the feet of Edwards.
“We’ve got to go back and get the ball,” Finch told reporters. “We allowed them to take us out of what we wanted to do too easily in that situation. That’s really it.”
It’s a lot to take on. But it’s the gig for NBA superstars. The same responsibility is placed on the shoulders of Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Steph Curry … on, and on and on.
When the game is on the line, the action at least starts in your hands, and you cannot allow the defense to dictate otherwise.
The best news out of Wednesday for Minnesota was that the guard himself suggested as such. He accepted full blame for the turnovers, even when they weren’t entirely his. Putting the ball in Edwards’ hands may give the 24-year-old more ownership over team performance than ever before.
“I was supposed to get the rock, kinda lazy trying to get the ball, couldn’t get the ball,” Edwards told reporters. “That’s on me. I can’t allow us to turn the ball over.”
The current roster does Edwards few favors in this department. While Minnesota has plenty of talent, it lacks many sure hands or guys who can break a defense down off the bounce. That’s his reality. Point guard duties for him could be even more difficult than they are for most.
Given the apron-era of the NBA, it’s entirely possible the best rosters surrounding Edwards have already come and gone. There will be deficiencies around him every season. It’s on the superstar to cover them up.
Challenge accepted?
“With no designated point guard, I think I’ve got to be the one to bring the ball up – it’s just that simple – so we don’t turn it over,” he told reporters. “Get us into an action, get my teammates shots and we’ll be alright.
“I’m feeling good. I’ve just got to get used to being a point guard, getting to get the rock. … Just to take the pressure off my teammates.”
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
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