A tense situation for the Minnesota Timberwolves and their fans, who are now staring at a back-to-back WCF elimination. After a dominant showing in the previous contest, Anthony Edwards and Co. failed to protect their home court during Game 4, falling 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Under heavy scrutiny for his showing, “Ant-Man” took just two shots in the first half. He wrapped up the game with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a rough 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, while also committing five turnovers. Not a good look for someone projected to be the future face of the NBA.
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The Thunder coach, Mark Daigneault, did a phenomenal job creating the right matchup to contain Edwards. Lu Dort and Alex Caruso were putting the clamps on the Wolves star, with the latter coming off the bench and occasionally seeking help from Chet Holmgren to employ double teams on “Ant-Man.”
Discussing Minnesota’s embarrassing loss, Shannon Sharpe had some strong words for Edwards regarding facing serious defensive pressure.
“They trap LeBron…..Kobe, Jordan, Steph and KD. If he says what he is, he says he’s the best player in basketball. I don’t want to hear nothing about traps, I don’t want hear him make excuses. You had two shots. You mean to tell me that defense is so good that they only allow you only two shot attempts?” said the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Additonaly, “Shay Shay” didn’t spare Julius Randle either, who had four attempts at the half.
“Ant-Man’s” double team woes
In recent months, we’ve seen Edwards voice his frustrations over being double-teamed. The 23-year-old went as far as saying that he didn’t want to be passing the ball all night. He admitted it was incredibly tough, especially being so early in his career and naturally wired to score. Reports even suggest the T-Wolves reached out to Michael Jordan for guidance.
Nonetheless, Ant may have made a grave mistake when publicly speaking about his struggles. The 2025 WCF is a prime example, with the Thunder hounding the three-time All-Star on every possession. One loss away from Minnesota’s 2024-25 campaign coming to an end, Edwards may need to undergo heavy introspection. The Georgia product cannot complain about being double-teamed, especially since he has repeatedly prided himself on being the best player in the league.
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Warning bell for “Ant-Man”
There has been a lot of buzz around Edwards being the future face of the league, given his crowd-pulling abilities. There’s no denying his versatility on both ends of the floor. The Wolves guard’s athleticism, scoring instincts, and defensive potential have frequently drawn comparisons to “Air Jordan” himself.
However, from how things look today, the NBA ecosystem may have been a little too impatient in crowning Edwards as the successor to greats like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Undoubtedly, the 6’4″ guard has displayed superstar potential, but his inconsistencies during critical moments of a game have been under the radar. The considerable hype is also difficult to justify when “Ant-Man” hasn’t even come close to winning the league MVP, nor made First Team.
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Saying that, until we get that level of production and consistency, we’ll have to hold off on comparing him with the legends of the game and those who delivered when it mattered most and built their legacies on championships, not just potential.