It was a July afternoon and Anthony Edwards had just gotten home from the gym. He laid down to take a nap and his phone started ringing off the hook. After about the 10th time, he finally checked to see who was calling and it was Karl-Anthony Towns.
“Bro, what do you want?” Edwards said Monday, recalling the summer conversation.
“You didn’t see what just happened?” Towns responded. “We just traded for Rudy.”
The trade for Rudy Gobert not only served as a wake-up call for Edwards’ afternoon slumber, but for a franchise that has been dormant for a majority of the past two decades.
For the first time since the Kevin Garnett era, the Minnesota Timberwolves have major expectations and as they get together for training camp, their eyes are set on turning one of the NBA’s doormats into a legitimate championship contender.
“When you look at the roster and the talent we have in this group, it’s pretty incredible,” Gobert told reporters on Monday. “I’m lucky to be surrounded by a group of guys that I think can accomplish anything. Now it’s about building the right habits and keep learning. Keep getting better every day and I think the sky is the limit for this group.”
A three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert is expected to shore up the Timberwolves’ defense and transform them into a top-six team in the Western Conference.
“It could help us,” Edwards said of the trade. “Maybe we get beat a couple of times and we don’t have to worry about [head coach Chris Finch] getting mad because we got somebody to protect the paint.”
After watching Ja Morant drive into the paint at will in the playoffs, new president of basketball operations Tim Connelly knew he had to make it a priority and therefore used a silver bullet to bring Gobert to Minnesota.
It isn’t just the defense that should benefit from Gobert’s arrival. Gobert flashed an offensive game during France’s charge at the EuroBasket Championships and his presence could do wonders for D’Angelo Russell.
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“I think that trade was super big for D’Lo because he has a rolling big and likes to play in the mid-range,” Edwards said. “I’m not even worried about where I’m at offensively when D’Lo has the ball. As long as Rudy’s on the floor with him, I think we’re in pretty good hands with D’Lo.”
Edwards’s words come with a precedent. During the 2018-19 season, Russell enjoyed the best season of his career playing with Jarrett Allen and the Brooklyn Nets. Averaging 21.1 points and 7.0 assists, Russell made his only All-Star appearance and parlayed it into a big free-agent deal the following summer.
Russell’s emergence could have a residual effect on Edwards, who is looking for his own breakout this season.
After a stellar rookie season, Edwards set career-highs across the board a year ago. Although he took another step towards stardom, he admitted the way the season ended drove him mad.
“I wanted to adopt the mindset of just being a mad man,” Edwards explained. “The way that we lost [against Memphis], we won like four out of the five games and we lost in the last five, six minutes of the fourth quarter. I kind of took it personally with myself on just being better. Being able to hit those shots in the clutch, being in better shape and just working on my game overall.”
After working out with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Edwards said he expects to be a better shooter and rebounder this season. Both would be a positive development for the Timberwolves, but it all comes back to the integration of Gobert.
The Frenchman told reporters he had several conversations with Finch and Connelly throughout the summer and was impressed with their commitment to turning the Timberwolves into a championship-caliber team. Although he knows there’s work to do, Gobert believes the foundation is being laid in Minnesota.
“He’s really doing his best to try to build a championship organization,” Gobert said of Connelly. “That’s why we’re here. You can feel that every detail is important, whether it’s nutrition, whether it’s the body work. Everything this organization can do, they are doing it right now and you can feel that. There’s something going on. “
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