Anthony Edwards has always carried himself with swagger, but this summer, he’s approaching things differently. According to NBA insider Jon Krawczynski, the Minnesota Timberwolves star has gone completely dark on social media to focus solely on his game.
For the first time in years, he skipped international play and instead used the offseason to drill down on weaknesses that cost him in two straight Western Conference Finals defeats.
“He has been off of the social media grid and working on his game. He hasn’t had any international play this summer for the first time in a couple of years, which I think has allowed him to buckle down.”
“He was pretty forthright after the loss to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals that he’s still got a big step to make to get to the level of a Shai, or a Luka. I think he still came into the summer believing it was a little too easy to take him away from the game.”
Krawczynski explained on SiriusXM NBA Radio that Edwards came into the summer with a clear-eyed realization: as great as he is, he’s not yet on the level of Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That became obvious when Luka’s Mavericks knocked him out in 2024 and Shai’s Thunder overwhelmed the Timberwolves in 2025, both series ending in just five games.
Statistically, Edwards has never been better. Last season, he averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and a career-high 39.5 percent from three. His production earned him All-NBA Second Team honors for the second straight year and pushed the Wolves into legitimate contention.
But the gap between being a perennial All-NBA player and being in the Luka/SGA tier is massive. Both Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander are nightly offensive engines who dictate everything on the floor. Edwards, as explosive as he is, has admitted that defenses found it too easy to take him out of rhythm in high-stakes playoff games.
That’s why this summer is all about sharpening the edges. Edwards has been described as “buckling down” on his work, with a focus on consistency, playmaking, and shot creation against elite defenders.
Without Team USA duties or FIBA responsibilities, he has finally had a full offseason to work uninterrupted. At just 24 years old, that kind of concentrated grind could be the difference between being a star and entering the MVP conversation.
Beyond the numbers, Edwards is also evolving into the leader the Timberwolves have needed since Kevin Garnett. Reports from inside the team say he’s become increasingly vocal, holding teammates accountable and pushing the locker room to focus on closing the gap in the West.
Of course, Edwards already holds a historic place in Minnesota. He’s led the Wolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals, something Garnett only accomplished once. But the next step is the hardest: breaking through to the Finals and actually competing for a championship. To do that, Edwards knows he has to elevate from being a great scorer to a Luka-level problem that no defense can solve.
By going silent on social media and dedicating his summer to nothing but basketball, Edwards has signaled that he’s ready to close the gap. The question now is whether the work translates when it matters most. For Wolves fans, the dream is that this is the offseason where Anthony Edwards takes the leap from All-NBA talent to undisputed superstar.
