Some of the lessened defensive output from Edwards can be attributed to the increased bandwidth and energy that were being required of him on the offensive end. On the flip side, the inconsistency and boredom that Finch mentioned appeared to play a large role as well.<\/p>\n
The addition of LaMelo Ball should greatly help the first part. LaMelo will slide in as the team’s point guard, allowing Edwards to move back to his more natural shooting guard position. The three-point shooting ability of Ball<\/a> should also make everything easier for Edwards, who will see far fewer double-teams moving forward.<\/p>\n It’s now up to Edwards to play with much more consistency night-to-night. If the Timberwolves want to close the gap<\/a> between them and the top of the Western Conference, there can no longer be talk about issues of boredom, complacency, or lack of effort like there constantly was a season ago.<\/p>\n The regular season and the playoffs could not be any more different in the NBA. The Timberwolves themselves are proof of that. They’ve looked like a significantly different team in the postseason compared to December through March.<\/p>\n The Wolves have also shown that the flaws shown don’t just go away without a solution. The tendencies that a team builds during the course of the 82-game season can tell a ton about whether or not a team can win the championship. NBA teams can no longer “flip the switch” and win four straight playoff series. A team’s identity needs to be built during the regular season, not found in the Playoffs.<\/p>\n Edwards agreed with that idea in his season-ending exit press, saying, \u201cYeah, I feel like you\u2019re supposed to build championship habits in the regular season.” When asked if the team did that, he quickly responded, \u201cNo, we didn\u2019t build habits during the regular season, no.\u201d<\/p>\n While Edwards was far from the only Timberwolves player with inconsistent play last season, he made it clear in some of his final words to the media last spring who the change needs to come from first.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s a collective effort, but it definitely starts with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Get Timberwolves On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.<\/a><\/p>\n
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