Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has some very high hopes for Wolves rookie sensation Anthony Edwards. However, the 51-year-old shot-caller admits that Edwards still has a bit to learn at this point.
While he has taken the league by storm in what has been a highly impressive debut campaign, there's no denying that there have been a few bumps along the way for Edwards. According to Finch, there are specific areas of Edwards' game that he believes the 19-year-old should continue to work on:
“I think he's got a really, really high ceiling,” said Finch, via Michael Rand of The Telegraph. “… He needs to learn some habits about competitiveness through all parts of the game. Understanding that as a top player — whether that's in the league or on a specific franchise — you are going to set the tone for how the team plays whether you like it or not. And he has that ability.”
Being the first overall pick, Edwards will always garner much attention from opposing teams. However, after he went off for a career-high 42 points on March 18th against the Phoenix Suns, the Timberwolves youngster will now have a huge target on his back the rest of the way. Nevertheless, Finch believes that the scoring part is merely one aspect of Edwards' game:
“We don't expect him to go out and get 42 (points) every night … but we also need him to kind of value some of the smaller pieces of the game,” Finch added. “We think he can be a better defender. We know he can be a better rebounder. We know he can get in transition more. These are things that don't necessarily take skill, they just take application. He's learning that the NBA game, you play all the time, but he's learning that with success comes more responsibility. Because you're now a focal point of game plans. He's seeing a few defensive looks since his 42 (point) night that until he solves, he's going to continue to struggle and we might as well.”
These are some lofty expectations Finch has bestowed on a rookie that hasn't even turned 20 yet. Although, based on what we've seen from Edwards so far, we have to agree with his coach here that Anthony Edwards is more than capable of filling this role for the Timberwolves.
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