Jan 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former NBA Star Sends Clear Warning To Timberwolves Star Anthony Edwards

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Ben Stinar | Last updated May 31, 2025 7:09 PM ET

Anthony Edwards is among the best players in the NBA at just 23.

That said, the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar has lost in the Western Conference finals in each of the previous two seasons.

After the Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Edwards made an intriguing comment when he met with the media.

Edwards: "I don't why people would think it hurt. It's exciting for me, I'm 23, I get to do it a bunch of times... Hurting is a terrible word to use. I'm good."

Recently, former NBA star Kenyon Martin spoke about the comment from Edwards (via Gil's Arena).

Martin: "There's no guarantee you're ever going to ever get back to the Western Conference finals. Go ask Kevin Garnett how hard that s**t was when he was in Minnesota... The rest of that Western Conference that you do play in, young man, is getting tougher."

Martin makes an intriguing point, as many star players were never able to return to the conference finals despite a strong start to their career.

Garnett only made one Western Conference finals appearance over 12 seasons in Minnesota.

Another example would be Carmelo Anthony (who made the conference finals in 2009 with Martin).

The NBA legend never got that far again despite playing 13 more seasons.

Despite being unable to reach the NBA Finals, Edwards is coming off another excellent regular season.

He averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 44.7% from the field and 39.5% from the three-point range.

This article first appeared on Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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