The final say on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ performance this season will differ depending on the fan you ask. However, it’s clear that the team’s performance this season took a step back despite a strong season from Anthony Edwards.
The team’s decision to trade Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle was a radical change nobody in the Wolves fandom expected. While the man the team drafted first overall in the 2015 draft is enjoying his life in the Big Apple, Edwards has been doing a lot of heavy lifting for Minnesota.
The guard is putting the Timberwolves’s offensive gameplan on his back, averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game on decent shooting splits.
While Ant is playing well for Minnesota, he hasn’t been available for multiple reasons. While injuries had a role in taking him off the court, the star guard’s behavior on the court has also caused some issues.
The Timberwolves superstar was already suspended once this season because of his high tally of technical fouls. He will miss another game after going rogue in the Wolves’ latest basketball game.
While this season’s Utah Jazz aren’t the most difficult opponents to face in a team’s final regular-season game, the importance of this game puts question marks on Edwards’s behavior at such a point in the season.
The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that the tech Edwards got in their easy win against the Brooklyn Nets makes his season tally 18, immediately suspending him for one more game.
Krawczynski also reported that crew chief Bill Kennedy handed the suspension because of his word choice towards the game officials:
QUESTION: Why was Anthony Edwards assessed a technical foul in the second quarter?
KENNEDY: Anthony Edwards was assessed a technical foul for use of profanity directed toward an official.
QUESTION: So, it was profanity that you heard?
KENNEDY: That’s correct.
The Timberwolves will face the Jazz in their final regular-season game, while the Warriors will face a much tougher Los Angeles Clippers in their season finale. If Ant-Man were present, they would have a better shot at booking a first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While the Wolves’ roster isn’t solely relying on Edwards, the Georgia product is still the heart of the team’s offense. Not having him on the hardwood might have doomed them to a tough first round against the Houston Rockets.
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