{"id":16986,"date":"2026-05-17T04:45:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T04:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/in-losing-to-victor-wembanyama-and-spurs-its-clear-anthony-edwards-needs-more-in-minnesota-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T04:45:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T04:45:50","slug":"in-losing-to-victor-wembanyama-and-spurs-its-clear-anthony-edwards-needs-more-in-minnesota-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/in-losing-to-victor-wembanyama-and-spurs-its-clear-anthony-edwards-needs-more-in-minnesota-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"In losing to Victor Wembanyama and Spurs, it\u2019s clear Anthony Edwards needs more in Minnesota – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA
NBA Playoffs
To reach the next level of the postseason, Wolves All-Star Anthony Edwards needs help to get there. Alex Kormann \/ The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images<\/span>
MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 Eight minutes and a second remained, but inevitability had already rooted. So Anthony Edwards made the long, disappointing walk down the Target Center sideline to the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 bench. He said it was over, he knew he wasn\u2019t going back in, so he hand-delivered the respect the Spurs deserved.
With 8:01 remaining.
Oh, the symbolism. The subliminal messaging.
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The great Victor Wembanyama so holistically beat one of the NBA\u2019s great competitors to the point of publicly laying down his sword. In his second postseason series, his first against a true great, Wembanyama humbled the proud. Audited by playoff tension, and the Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 resilience, Wembanyama validated the expectations he carries.
His Game 6 \u2014 19 points, six rebounds, three blocks \u2014 lacked the splash of previous performances. With his excellence metastasized in the spirit of Edwards and his Timberwolves, Wembanyama didn\u2019t need to be masterful. One gentle nudge and Minnesota crumbled, 139-109, to end this Western Conference semifinal.
But Edwards offered more to chew on with his pilgrimage of defeat. He could\u2019ve done like the rest of his team and sulked on the bench until the final horn, then met their conquering foes on the hardwood for sportsmanship. Yet he chose a louder concession.
As a preface, the conclusion here, deciphered from the scene by this author, was a plea for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Verbally, Edwards said he believed his Timberwolves, as constructed, could compete with the Spurs and awaiting Oklahoma City Thunder. But when asked about the relentless double teams he faced, he pointed to his teammates by inference.
\u201cIt was no struggle,\u201d he said of handling the defense\u2019s extra attention. \u201cJust trusting in my teammates, trusting in the next action we\u2019re going to make something happen. And I feel like we did, man. We just couldn\u2019t make enough shots to win the game. I think that\u2019s just what it came down to.\u201d
He started by dapping up the coaches. Then No. 5 made his way into the huddle of San Antonio players, interrupting the Spurs\u2019 timeout discussion. Somewhere in there, Edwards quietly declared he\u2019d see them again. That he wasn\u2019t afraid of the new power brewing, and, after owning Denver, he looked forward to a new hill to climb. His hand shakes, half-hugs and chest taps gave off \u201cdon\u2019t let me get Giannis\u201d vibes.
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But a new power is brewing. And Ant\u2019s venture into their space to offer his respect screamed his approval of what the Spurs have, his appreciation for how they move. It could also be interpreted as a message to Timberwolves management: This is what I need.
Friday\u2019s clash of NBA superstars didn\u2019t come down to the superstars. But the co-stars.
In Game 6, Stephon Castle outshined Wembanyama with a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. De\u2019Aaron Fox orchestrated the mauling of Minnesota, dancing around defenders and into the lane at will. Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell\u2019s combined seven 3s felt like 20 cannonballs crashing into the Timberwolves\u2019 spine.
Edwards\u2019 blatant congratulations, after he battled through knee injuries and double teams, highlighted what he had around him.
On a night when Castle and Fox combined for 53 points on 26 shots, allowing Wembanyama to chill, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels combined for 16 points on 21 shots, disallowing Edwards to relax for even a moment.
Any analysis of Edwards\u2019 supporting cast begins with Randle, who was especially putrid in Game 6: three points on 1-of-8 shooting. San Antonio outscored the Timberwolves by 34 points in the 24 minutes Randle was on the floor.
This is a trend with Randle. He\u2019s an All-Star-caliber player with tangible strengths that can be seductive. He can be a tough matchup. He can be a difference-maker. But, invariably, his ability crashes into a concrete ceiling. On the biggest stages, against the best teams, he winds up looking miscast as a No. 2.
With the Knicks in the 2023 playoffs, he averaged 18.8 points on 41.4 percent shooting \u2014 more than five points below his average that season as an All-Star. In Game 6 against a Miami Heat squad featuring Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 41. But Randle had just 15 points on 3-for-14 shooting in a loss that eliminated New York. The Heat went to the NBA Finals that year.
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Randle missed the 2024 playoffs with an injury. The Knicks, after famously being ousted by Indiana in Game 7, traded Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns.
In his postseason debut with Minnesota last season, Randle looked to be the missing piece. He punished the Los Angeles Lakers and torched the Steph Curry-less Warriors. He appeared to be the perfect complement to Edwards.
But against Oklahoma City in the West finals, Randle had two massive duds in the only two non-blowouts in the series. He went 2 of 11 in Game 2 and 1 of 7 in Game 4. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a gluttonous amount of support in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
In the first round this year, Randle wasn\u2019t bad against the Denver Nuggets. But he struggled to impose his will. After Edwards went down with a hyperextended knee, Randle\u2019s game didn\u2019t turn up. The Timberwolves survived only for Randle\u2019s game to completely whither against the Spurs.
Wembanyama\u2019s presence loomed over Randle like a nightmare.
Randle amounts to an NBA bully. A forward with skill, he rams his shoulder to get where he wants, often into the paint. He finished the regular season with the 12th-most shots in the restricted area, even more than Wembanyama, and made 67.4 percent of his attempts.
But he avoided the paint this series like the French Freddy Krueger roamed there. He only took 25 shots in the restricted area in six games, making only 13. And Randle\u2019s 3-point shooting faltered with his confidence. He went 4 of 21 from deep. His two biggest weapons neutralized by WWJD \u2014 What Wembanyama Just Did.
\u201cDefensively, man, he\u2019s incredible,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cHe changes every shot at the rim. He goes \u2026 after every block, whether it\u2019s goaltending or not or what the challenge is. Yeah, it\u2019s tough. It\u2019s kind of tough to go to the rim against a guy who\u2019s like 7-6. He\u2019s pretty good.\u201d
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Randle has scored 20 or more points in just six of his last 17 playoff games. The evidence suggests he can\u2019t be the second-best player on a championship team.
Minnesota knows this feeling of falling short. They\u2019ve been sent home gutted before. But unlike how the last two seasons ended, this defeat doesn\u2019t feel like the precipice of something greater. The Timberwolves feel further away from a title. Not just because they didn\u2019t make a third straight West finals. But because they don\u2019t look ready, as constructed, to deal with the powers above them.
San Antonio feels like the rising juggernaut. Oklahoma City has the makings of a dynasty. And the Lakers with Luka Don\u0107i\u010d sit a move or two from being elite. Edwards is climbing with all his might and still losing ground. He needs help. The kind that doesn\u2019t fade. The kind that faithfully punishes the extra attention he receives.
This predicament might be worth drastic measures. One of the more obvious solutions sits in Milwaukee. But whether the Timberwolves can pull it off or not, Giannis represents the quandary of the Timberwolves. They need one of those. A real star. A proven, imposing commodity. Giannis tests their comprehension of their circumstance and their resolve for championship glory. They have to decide if this is who they want to be. If this is enough. Because in Edwards, they have a superstar worthy of more. And hungry for more.
For three seasons straight now, the Timberwolves have been sent home in convincing defeats. In their last three elimination games \u2014 in 2024 at home to the Dallas Mavericks, in 2025 at Oklahoma City and 2026 at home to San Antonio \u2014 Minnesota lost by a combined 81 points. At the end of a long season, after spilling all their valiance and ability, when they\u2019ve reached the highest level they can go, the Timberwolves have lost by an average of 27 points.
Oh, the symbolism. The subliminal messaging.
What does that say about this team? Edwards, as he congratulated the Spurs in their huddle with 8:01 on the clock, likely had an answer in mind.
Except, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s a question for me.\u201d
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NBANBA PlayoffsTo reach the next level of the postseason, Wolves All-Star Anthony Edwards needs help to get there. Alex Kormann \/ The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty ImagesMINNEAPOLIS \u2014 Eight minutes and a second remained, but inevitability had already rooted. So Anthony Edwards made the long, disappointing walk down the Target Center sideline to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}