Minnesota Timberwolves

For many NBA championship teams, the superstar is also the squad’s most vocal leader. Most multiple-time All-Star and All-NBA selections have leadership as second nature. Coach Chris Finch and Bones Hyland want to see more of this from Anthony Edwards. How exactly did they call out and challenge the superstar?

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Timberwolves’ Hyland and Finch challenge Edwards to be more of a leader

Anthony Edwards has now officially become a veteran in the NBA. He is now in his seventh year in the league, and expectations continue to grow. The Timberwolves have reached two Western Conference Finals but have not yet come close to winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. Coach Chris Finch posits that one missing key to their title-contending formula is Edwards being more of a leader.

The Timberwolves head coach has openly begged Edwards to step up so they can reach greater heights. This would help them match squads like the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said.

«Now, it’s up to him to take the next step in leadership, and that is his voice has grown intelligently and appropriately over the last few seasons. Now, it’s got to be the combination of the voice plus the everyday presence of leading by example, leading when you’re not playing well yourself, just small things,» Coach Finch said.

Typically, Edwards is a very supportive player on the Timberwolves roster. Off the court, he makes sure to hype up his teammates. When he is part of the playing five, the superstar serves as an energy and glue guy even in moments when they face deficits. Now, the evolution that the Timberwolves want to see is for their superstar to be accountable and get his other teammates in line. This key ingredient of being the embodiment of discipline is usually brought by a team’s star player.

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LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo all stepped up  to be this kind of leader. They would get in their teammates’ ears during crucial mistakes and keep their heads up when morale is low. Edwards still needs to learn to do that as he enters his seventh year in the NBA.

Coach Finch is not the only person who wants Edwards to step up as a leader for the Timberwolves. Bones Hyland also made it clear that the team needs a leader to keep everyone in check if they hope to become serious title contenders.

«If our franchise player isn’t our leader, it wouldn’t work as far as us trending towards a championship. I think it puts Ant on a pedestal, just taking on that leadership role. That’s something that I think he should embrace. A lot of us in the locker room, we’re looking for Ant to lead us, so that’s something that I think will be big for us this season,» Hyland declared.

The Timberwolves are a scary team, probably one of the favorites to win the Western Conference, due to the LaMelo Ball acquisition. But none of those acquisitions and schematic changes from Coach Finch will matter if Edwards does not embrace being a leader. Will he grow into that role as the 2026-27 NBA season goes by?

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