Anthony Edwards chose teamwork over forcing shots

Anthony Edwards finished with only 16 points in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night – a modest total by his standards.

Still, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ rising star felt confident that he approached the game the right way, prioritizing team play over personal stats.

“I don’t look at it like I struggled, or (Julius Randle) struggled,” Edwards explained, addressing the perception of an off night. “They just, they had a good game plan, making us get off the ball. Especially for me, man. They were super in the gaps, I made the right play all night.”

Edwards faced tight defensive pressure throughout the game, with the opposing defense crowding the driving lanes and forcing him to pass rather than attack.

As a result, he took only 13 shots from the field and converted a single attempt from beyond the arc. Still, his focus was on staying disciplined and unselfish.

“It’s an urge that I want to get the ball in the rim, put it up there,” he admitted in a postgame interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But you don’t want to take bad shots and get your team out of rhythm. So I was just playing the game the right way, man.”

In essence, Edwards emphasized maturity and decision-making over scoring totals, demonstrating his growth as a player willing to trust his teammates and read the flow of the game.