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Myron Medcalf
MINNEAPOLIS — Months after his team was eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards called on a legend to help him take the next step in his game: Michael Jordan.
Through a mutual connection, Edwards said, the legendary player offered some advice to the young talent who aims to lead his squad to an NBA championship.
“[He helped me with] getting to my spots, pulling up, shooting over the defender,” Edwards said Monday during the Wolves’ media day.
Edwards, who added that the convos with the six-time champion and Hall of Famer go through their mutual connection, said Jordan also gave him a tip that could help him excel in the paint.
“I think the best tip that he gave me is that most people lean on people in the post with their [butt], and he does it with the top part of his back,” said Edwards, who pointed toward his right shoulder as he talked. “So I think I learned that from him.”
Last season, Edwards connected on just 11 of 39 attempts from beyond the arc over five games as the Thunder eliminated the Timberwolves in five games. This season, Edwards said he has to become a better player in clutch situations and attack the rim more often.
But it’s bigger than just his performance.
He also said this year’s group has an advantage compared to last year’s team because of the chemistry they’ve been able to develop. He said he and Julius Randle have played one-on-one throughout the offseason and learned to balance their spacing on the court to help each other.
That push for more chemistry has been a theme for this franchise.
Most of the Timberwolves, who return seven of their top eight scorers from a year ago, remained in Minnesota this offseason. Edwards said this team is more intentional about supporting one another and building their bond long before the playoffs begin.
“I think winning starts with being together and it starts in the summertime,” he said. “We’ve got to be together. We’ve got to be a team. We can’t wait until the All-Star break to try and become a team. We’ve got to do it now.”
If Edwards, who said Monday that he “added another dimension” to his game, can improve this season, coach Chris Finch said he can become one of the top players in this league. Finch said Edwards has become more obsessive about watching film and molding his body entering the season compared to past years. Those qualities could position the NBA All-Star to compete for MVP honors, Finch said.
“I think [he has to] develop his playmaking and understand how to manipulate the floor with the ball in his hands,” Finch said. “I think he’s got a really good feel for that now, having been through it a couple years now. He’s just got to execute and complete the plays that are there in front of him and then just continue to be that every-night player at a high level that we know he can be, which is what you need to do if you want to be an MVP in this league. And I certainly think he’s got the DNA for it and he just has to really fully embrace it.”
Edwards said his team will have to win more and he’ll have to “average a bunch of points” to get into the MVP convo in 2025-26. But his focus is the win column, he said. Although the NBA champion Thunder might once again stand in the Timberwolves’ way in the postseason, Edwards said teams like the Denver Nuggets, which added Cameron Johnson and other key pieces through trades and offseason signings, and others can’t be overlooked.
“I don’t think it’s just the Thunder,” he said. “I think it’s a whole bunch of teams that got better this summer. I think the Nuggets are going to be really damn good. Give [Nikola Jokic] a couple of shooters, man? They’re going to be hard to beat, so I think we’ve got to focus on more than just the Thunder.”
Throughout the upcoming year, it’ll be beneficial for Edwards to have the attention of one of the greatest players in NBA history if he needs more advice. But his relationship with Jordan thus far, he said, is still fairly casual.
“We don’t really have the relationship y’all think we’ve got right now,” Edwards said. “It’ll come.”