When the Minnesota Timberwolves tip-off the 2025-26 season, they will have one of the brightest young stars in the NBA on their side in Anthony Edwards. But as the three-time All-Star enters his sixth season in the league, one thing that still eludes him is an NBA Finals appearance. An NBA Finals appearance has also eluded the Timberwolves throughout their franchise history, and Anthony Edwards was very candid in terms of what he needs to do to help lead the team there, as per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“We ain’t going to get to the Finals without going through Luka [Doncic] or Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander],” Edwards said. “I just got to keep getting better. That’s the main thing.”
Anthony Edwards was referring to the last two Western Conference teams to get to the NBA Finals in the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively. Both of those seasons, Edwards and the Timberwolves lost to the Mavericks and Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. It is important to note that Edwards did get through Doncic last season when the Timberwolves eliminated the higher-seeded Lakers in the opening round.
For Timberwolves assistant coach Chris Hines, leading the team to their first ever NBA Finals appearance is the next step in Edwards’ career trajectory.
“He’s gotten to the Western Conference Finals twice, which is hard to do. But he’s lost the same way,” Hines said, “At some point you have to take it a step forward. At some point you have to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘What do I need to do to get it?’”
During the Wolves’ run to the Western Conference Finals last season, Edwards averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 45.3 percent shooting from the field, 35.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 71.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
