The Minnesota Timberwolves are left licking their wounds after getting crushed by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their Western Conference Finals series on Wednesday night. For the second consecutive season, the Wolves made a run to the conference finals, but weren't able to make it a long series when they got there.

There are plenty of reasons why the Wolves couldn't beat the Thunder, the first of which being Oklahoma City itself. Anthony Edwards pointed that out himself after Game 5. However, Minnesota has a lot of internal things that it can look at as well when dissecting how this series went off the rails.

The inconsistent performance of Edwards in this series is one of those things. While he had two 30-point games against the Thunder, he scored less than 20 points in the other three games. The Thunder have a great defense, one of the best in recent history even, but Edwards still has to be more consistent and productive for this Timberwolves squad to get over the hump.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has one area where Edwards can improve his game in order to make things a little bit easier for him, and he aired it out on Podcast P with Paul George.

Article Continues Below
More Timberwolves News
Cavaliers' guard Darius Garland with Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle - NBA trade rumors and scenarios
Timberwolves’ Darius Garland trade headlines 4 intriguing scenarios before NBA DraftBrett Siegel ·
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the third quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
Timberwolves’ future in good hands despite major question marksMaya Aflakpi ·
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) and center Rudy Gobert (27) talk against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half during game four of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
3 best Minnesota Timberwolves trades using No. 17 pick in 2025 NBA DraftRohan Brahmbhatt ·
Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) brings the ball up as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) defends him in the fourth quarter at Target Center with ESPN's Brian Windhorst in the background
Timberwolves rumors: Brian Windhorst details serious Kevin Durant trade pursuitJosue Pavon ·
Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and Chris Finch looking pissed off
Minnesota Timberwolves most to blame for playoff series loss to ThunderJedd Pagaduan ·
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) makes a pass against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) in the second half during game four of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center
Thunder’s Chet Holmgren indirectly fires back at Anthony Edwards after WCF winJosue Pavon ·

“Where I think Ant's gotta get better at, he's gotta develop a post game,” George said. “Where he can let the game slow down, he can get to one dribble and raise up and shoot. I think that helps a player get into a rhythm a lot better when he starts closer and he doesn't have to worry about bringing two defenders to the ball to try to get free.

“Get to an elbow, get to the mid post where you can see the whole floor and play from there. I think that's the next evolution for Ant.”

The Thunder showed a lot of bodies to Edwards during that series, and they have a handful of elite perimeter defenders that made it very tough on him. However, if he had a variety of ways to get the ball and score, he would be much more difficult to defend.

If the Timberwolves want to take that next step and make the finals and eventually win a championship, they need Edwards to take these steps forward. After another disappointing loss at the end of a playoff run, there's no reason to believe that he won't do just that.