Kevin Garnett is loving the success his former franchise, the Minnesota Timberwolves are having. He’s encouraged by the partnership between former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns and rising superstar Anthony Edwards, explaining how Edwards has outgrown the role of Robin and how the pair need to take control of the team together.
“[Anthony Edwards] has too big of a personality to be Robin. He’s too big of a personality. It’s time for them to come together and become one. It ain’t about stepping back, it’s about both stepping forward together. They are the faces of the franchise.”
Garnett explained how mentality is a key reason behind why duos thrive, openly saying he wouldn’t have been able to succeed in Minnesota if he had a teammate like Stephen Curry drafted to the franchise.
“This is why me and Steph couldn’t get together. This is why me and [Paul Pierce] worked. You got to have a yin and a yang. Me and P are alike, but we know how to coexist and work together. That’s one thing bro and I locked down day one. Steph came off as he wanted something of his own, and that wasn’t Minnesota. I can’t control what another man wants.”
Garnett elaborated on how the pair can grow the franchise to new heights.
“My advice to KAT is always, ‘Hey, you and young fella, get on the same page.’ As a rookie, you go through KAT. Now he’s done proved himself, he has a brand. He got a whole, ‘That’s who Anthony Edwards is?’ And it’s growing. The best thing for them now, get together and say, ‘This is what we on,’ let them two initiate it and go. As the two go, the Wolves are gonna go, and everybody below that will fall in.”
Garnett conceded that these Wolves are extremely special.
“They got something there they haven’t had in a long time. I’m talking about Wiggins and LaVine was there. They didn’t have this. They got a bonafide superstar who wants the last shot, can hit the last shot, can put it on your f***ing head, and when he locks in, he can D up too. I love the young Wolves and I’m looking forward to seeing that.”
“[Anthony Edwards] has too big of a personality to be Robin… [Ant and Karl-Anthony Towns] are the faces of the franchise… This is why me and [Paul Pierce] worked. You got to have a yin and a yang.”
— Kevin Garnett 🗣️
(via @allthesmokeprod)pic.twitter.com/ZMNe6LU0Af
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 20, 2024
In their history, the Timberwolves have received the No. 1 overall draft pick only twice. The first was in 2015 when they drafted Karl-Anthony Towns, and the second time was in 2020 when they drafted Anthony Edwards. Four years on, the duo has changed the history of the franchise forever.
Basketball is a team sport, so finding value in other draft picks such as Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid greatly helped the franchise, as did the massive gamble they took on by acquiring Rudy Gobert. Edwards and Towns are the perfect faces to fulfill the vision of GM Tim Connelly, as the Wolves are eight wins away from an NBA title.
Edwards is averaging 28.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists this postseason, taking the mantle as the Wolves No. 1 option in emphatic fashion. On the court, he’s clearly leading the team whether in production or through his communication with his teammates.
Towns is averaging 18.8 points and 9.3 rebounds this postseason, excelling next to Edwards and providing impactful scoring. He has even stepped up defensively, holding his own in one-on-one matchups with players of Nikola Jokic‘s caliber, while fitting in perfectly within the Wolves’ aggressive team defense strategy.
The present is bright but the future could be brighter, as the Edwards-Towns duo has finally figured out their perfect dynamic to enable winning, along with the complementary roster that’s been built around them.
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