LaMelo Ball on Anthony Edwards: ‘That’s my brother’
LaMelo Ball speaks about his relationship with new teammate Anthony Edwards at 2026 Minnesota Timberwolves Media Day.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The burden the Minnesota Timberwolves placed on Anthony Edwards last season was palpable, with a hamstring injury early and trouble with both knees late that limited him to a career-low 61 games.
The Timberwolves advanced in the NBA Playoffs for the third straight year, but everything about the team, including their superstar, was just a little off from start to finish.
Edwards has been determined ever since to lead the push to get back on track, and Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly took the first step during the summer by acquiring LaMelo Ball so coach Chris Finch could slide Edwards back to his natural shooting guard spot.
Finch blamed himself after last season for making Edwards the point guard before training camp in a hasty move that had negative ripple effects on the performance of several players.
“I never thought I could develop any point guard skills,” Edwards said with a smile on Monday at the team’s media session at Target Center. “Finchy harps on me passing the ball, but now we’ve got LaMelo so I’m happy.”
Obtaining Ball in a trade with Charlotte forced the Timberwolves to trade fan favorite Naz Reid, the only player on the roster who preceded Edwards and fellow 2020 draft class member Jaden McDaniels.
“I’m going to miss Naz, for sure. That’s my brother, but I’m super happy about the changes in the locker room,” Edwards said. “Just a bunch of different mentalities, personalities. I think it’s going to mesh well together.”
The team that identified its biggest weakness last season as persistent moodiness has been leaning into the joy of their sport and their chemistry, with a trip last month to France organized by native Rudy Gobert serving as an impactful get-to-know-you experience.
“Speed dating for all the new guys,” was how Connelly put it.
Edwards, who’s entering his seventh season, was the catalyst for this improved internal connection. The group text message chat, he said, has “been going crazy” in the lead-up to the beginning of training camp on Tuesday.
“In the past years we didn’t really spend time with each other in the summer. It was like everybody was going and doing their own thing. If we want to win, we’ve got to start early. We’ve got to actually get to know each other. We’ve got to like each other and we’ve got to want to help each other,” Edwards said.
The team that identified its biggest weakness last season as persistent moodiness has been leaning into the joy of their sport and their chemistry, with a trip last month to France organized by native Rudy Gobert serving as an impactful get-to-know-you experience.
“Speed dating for all the new guys,” was how Connelly put it.
Edwards, who’s entering his seventh season, was the catalyst for this improved internal connection. The group text message chat, he said, has “been going crazy” in the lead-up to the beginning of training camp on Tuesday.
“In the past years we didn’t really spend time with each other in the summer. It was like everybody was going and doing their own thing. If we want to win, we’ve got to start early. We’ve got to actually get to know each other. We’ve got to like each other and we’ve got to want to help each other,” Edwards said.
