Minnesota Timberwolves 2025-26 Season Prediction | Will Anthony Edwards get them over the hump?
>> WILL GO BACK TO “HQ SPOTLIGHT.” IT’S BEEN A QUIET OFF-SEASON FOR ANTHONY EDWARDS SINCE HE LED THE TEAM BACK TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. HE HASN’T BROKEN THROUGH THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES. IN MANY TEAMS WANT HIM TO EMBRACE BEING THE FACE OF THE LEAGUE. IF EDWARDS HAS THE CHOPS TO DO IT. QUITE FRANKLY HAVE WE SEEN THE BEST OF ANTHONY EDWARDS AT THIS POINT. HE’S GOT OVER 10,000 CAREER POINTS ALREADY COME A MOST ALL-TIME FOR A PLAYER BEFORE HE TURNS 24. PUTTING UP PROLIFIC NUMBERS AS WELL FOR THE WOLVES IN THE REGULAR SEASON AND IN THE PLAYOFFS. YOU’RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE NUMBERS THEY ARE BUT AGAIN TRYING TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND GET A CHAMPIONSHIP AS ALL THESE GUYS WANT. LET’S TALK ABUT THE TIMBERWOLVES AS THEY GET READY FOR THE 2025 SEASON LATER THIS YEAR. JUOF COURSE WE KNOW THAT MINNESA LOST IN FIVE TO THE EVENTUAL CHAMPIONS OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL. IF WE WERE JOKING ABOUT ANTHONY EDWARDS AS IT’S BEEN A QUIET OFF-SEASON. A POSITIVE THING IF YOU ARE IN MINNESOTA BUT WE WANTED MORE FROM HIM IN THE POSTSEASON. EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT HE’S NOT BEING THE STAR WE EXPECTED HIM TO BE. I KNOW HE HAD INJURIES MIXED IN AS WELL BUT AS HE TURNS THE PAGE TWO YEAR 6, WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS? >> HE SET THE BAR PRETTY HIGH. THEY MADE IT TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS TWO YEARS IN A ROW. HE’S REALLY YOUNG COMING OFF A GOLD MEDAL SUMMER IN THE OLYMPICS. I KNOW HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE THOUGHT AS THE FACE OF THE LEAGUE OR IN CONTENTION FOR THAT BUT HE’S ONE OF THE REALLY YOUNG UP AND COMING SUPERSTARS WHERE YOU WANT A LOT FOR HIM. YOU MAKE IT TO TWO STRAIGHT WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS IT GOES WITH THE TERRITORY. LAST YEAR THEY GO INTO THE POSTSEASON AND THE LAKERS ARE FAVORED IN THE FIRST ROUND TO. THE WOLVES DISPATCH HIM IN FIVE GAMES. STEPH CURRY GOT HURT BUT THEY HAD JIMMY BUTLER, DRAYMOND GREEN, A LOT OF PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF WE THOUGHT THE WARRIORS WOULD WIN THAT. OF THE MOVE ON AGAIN AND GET TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS AND RUN INTO THE JUGGERNAUT OF THE OKLAHOMA THUNDER. I’M SURE HE WANTS MORE FROM HIMSELF BUT HIS CAREER’S BEEN PRETTY GOOD SO FAR. >> I LOOK AT ANTHONY EDWARDS EVERY OFF-SEASON IT SEEMS LIKE THEY ADD SOMETHING NEW TO HIS GAME. TWO YEARS AGO, MINNESOTA HAS THE NUMBER ONE DEFENSE IN THE NBA. HE TAKES A BIG LEAP ON THAT END OF THE FLOOR. LAST YEAR OBVIOUSLY IF THE THREE-POINT SHOOTING TAKING OVER TEN PER GAME. WHAT CAN HE ADD THIS YEAR? I’M LOOKING AT TWO THINGS. PLAY PLAY MAKING UP HER ONE, HE’S HOVERED AROUND FOUR OR FIVE ASSISTS PER GAME DURING HIS ASCENSION TO STARDOM. CAN HE GET UP TO SIX OR SEVEN AND PLAY A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE SAY JAYSON TATUM WHO INITIALLY WAS NOT MUCH OF A PLAYMAKER BUT GREW INTO THE ROLE AS BOSTON STARTED TO GET BETTER. CAN HE IMPROVE AS A MIDRANGE SHOT MAKER? IT’S NOT THAT HE’S BAD, BUT SO MUCH OF THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN IMPROVING AS A THREE-POINT SHOOTER. HIS SHOT PROFILE IS EFFICIENT. IT YOU PLAY AGAINST OKLAHOMA CITY, YOU’VE GOT TO TAKE THE SHOTS THEY GIVE YOU AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IT’S IN THE MIDRANGE. THOSE ARE AREAS I HOPE YOU CAN IMPROVE UPON BUT HE’LL GO INTO THAT SIXTH YEAR. I’M VERY OPTIMISTIC HE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE. IF HE DOES, WHY CAN’T IT BE THREE STRAIGHT TRIPS TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS? >> THAT’S THE THING WITH ANTHONY EDWARDS IS WE HAVE SEEN HIM GROW EACH AND EVERY YEAR. HE KEEPS GETTING BETTER. WE SAW LAST YEAR GENTLEMAN IS HE DID NOT HAVE TO DO IT ALONE. TO GET TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS, HE HAD A GREAT SUPPORTING CAST WORK FROM JULIUS RANDLE AND THE EVENTUAL SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR IN NEW ORLEANS READ. BOTH OF THOSE GUYS GETTING EXTENSIONS. BACK-TO-BACK WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS APPEARANCE IS LOCKING UP THE KEY PIECES, WHAT DOES THE OFF-SEASON TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR CHANCES TO DO THAT LAST YEAR? >> THEY TRIED TO TRADE FOR KEVIN TO RENT. IF YOU WANTED TO BE A TIMBER WOLF, THERE IS A CHANCE HE’D BE RIGHT NOW. THEY KEPT THE BAND TOGETHER, THEY LOST NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER, THAT WAS INEVITABLE. SHE’S GIVEN WHERE THEY WERE FINANCIALLY BUT THEY KEEP JULIUS RANDLE, THEY KEEP NAZ REID. GOING INTO THE SEASON. A VERY GOOD SUMMER LEAGUE AND ROB DILLINGHAM NUMBER EIGHT PICK IN THE 2024 DRAFT. CAN THEY ASCENDED TO BIGGER ROLES WITH MIKE CONLEY AGING, ALEXANDER WALKER GONE. CAN YOU GET THE NATURAL DEVELOPMENT THAT KEEPS YOU WHERE YOU WERE AND THAT’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO. I DON’T THINK ORGANICALLY THIS ROSTER IS GOING TO BE GOOD ENOUGH TO COMPETE WITH OKLAHOMA CITY BUT THEY HAVE A CREATIVE GENERAL MANAGER WHO IS VERY AGGRESSIVE IN TIM CONNOLLY. THE NEXT KEVIN DURANT WHOEVER THAT IS A IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OPEN MINDED PLAYING IN MINNESOTA, MAYBE THEN WITH THE YOUNG GUYS COMING UP YOU HAVE THE TRADE SHIPS TO MAKE THE AGGRESSIVE PUSH. RIGHT NOW THEY ARE TOO FAR BELOW OKLAHOMA CITY TO COMPETE ORGANICALLY. IF YOU IMPROVE ENOUGH, MAYBE YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO TAKE THE STRIKE IN THE TRADE MARKET. >> I FEEL LIKE THE OFF-SEASON IS FINE. FOR WHAT TIM CONNOLLY’S TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. WE TALKED ABOUT IT PREVIOUSLY. IF WE ARE BEING REALISTIC, TALKING ABOUT MAYBE IT’S A SITUATION WHERE TIM CONNOLLY AND THE TIMBERWOLVES TAKE A GAP YEAR OR TWO AND RESET THIS THING ON THE FLY. THEY’RE NOT AS GOOD AS OKLAHOMA CITY AS ROCKETS OR NUGGETS ON PAPER. WHEN YOU’VE GOT ANT IN HIS PRIME, YOU WANT TO KEEP THEM HAPPY, YOU CAN’T REALLY DO THAT. HE WENT INTO THE OFF-SEASON IN A PICK 2 OF 3 SITUATION WITH NAZ REID, JU JULIUS RANDLE, NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER. I UNDERSTAND THE CHOICE. THEY SIGNED THE TWO FOR THE LONG TERM. THE THING I’M LOOKING BEYOND THAT IS NOW YOU’RE GETTING A LOT MORE TERRENCE SHANNON HAND, ROB DILLINGHAM, JAYLEN CLARK MOVING FORWARD. HAVEN’T ADDRESSED MIKE CONLEY-SIZED PROBLEM AND I LOVE MIKE CONLEY. HE’S A GREAT DUDE AND A CONSTANT PERPETUAL BUT HE’S GETTING OLDER AND HE HAD A DOWN YEAR LAST YEAR. MAYBE THEY PULL DONTE DiVINCENZO INTO THE STARTING LINEUP ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T HAVE A GREAT SHOOTING YEAR EITHER. THEY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A GUARD PROBLEM THAT THEY’VE GOT TO WORK OUT BUT ULTIMATELY IT’LL BE CAN THEY GET HOT IN THE PLAYOFFS AND MAKE A RUN? THEY DIDN’T LAST TWO YEARS AND LET’S SEE IF THEY CAN DO IT IN THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR. >> BOTH YOU GUYS BRING UP TERRENCE SHANNON HAND SO MAYBE THAT’S WHERE WE SHOULD GO NEXT AND THE CONVERSATION. HAVING YOUR JERSEY RETIRED AT YOUR ALMA MATER UPSIDE DOWN BY THE WAY WHEN HE WENT BACK TO HIS COLLEGE PROGRAM TO BEING THE START OF SUMMER LEAGUE PLAY IN VEGAS. YOU WERE HIGH ON TERRENCE. YOU THINK HE COULD CRACK INTO THE STARTING ROTATION THIS YEAR. >> HE’S A SCORER. IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PLAYER FILLING IN FOR A NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER. HE’S VERY MUCH A CLASSICAL ARCHETYPE NOT GREAT ON THE BALL BUT A GOOD SUPPORTING PLAYER. YOUR HOPE WITH TERRENCE SHANNON TO HIM AND ROB DILLINGHAM IS WELL IS THEY CAN GROW INTO A GOOD SECONDARY SCORE THAT YOU CAN PUT NEXT TO ANTHONY EDWARDS SO HE HAS A LITTLE BIT LESS PRESSURE ON HIM. LET ANTHONY EDWARDS FOCUS ON PLAYMAKING AS HE TRIES TO IMPROVE ON THAT FRONT. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH WHAT I SAW OUT OF TERRENCE SHANAHAN IN SUMMER LEAGUE. THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE EVEN THOUGH HE’LL NOT START THE YEAR AS A STARTER, DONTE DiVINCENZO MORE OF A VETERAN. EASIER TO FIT IN SKILL SET AS A THREE-POINT SHOOTER GETS THE NOD EARLY. IF IT’S NOT MIKE CONLEY. OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON I THINK KYLE SHANAHAN WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE HE DESERVES A BIGGER ROLE WHETHER IT’S MORE MINUTES OFF THE BENCH OR A STARTING JOB. THE TIMBERWOLVES ARE HOPING HE CAN GROW INTO A CORE PLAYER FOR THEM. IF HE PROVES THAT ON THE COURT, THEY’LL GIVE HIM A CHANCE. >> WE SAW THE NUMBERS AVERAGING 22 POINTS PER GAME. SHOOTING ALMOST 40% AS WELL FROM DEEP. A BIG SITUATION AND A BIG BOOST ON OFFENSE HE CAN GET GOING INTO THE YEAR. LOOKING OUT THE OFF-SEASON GRADES, YOU’RE ON THE SAME PAGE. YOU GAVE THEM THE B, YOU GIVE HIM A C+. IN 2025, I WILL GIVE YOU THE FIRST WORD. WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS ON HOW FAR DO YOU SEE THEM GOING? >> IF YOU ARE THE WOLVES, YOU EXPECT YOU WANT TO GET BACK TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. THE WEST, WE SAY THIS EVERY YEAR, BUT HE BECOMES TRUE AND TRUER EVERY YEAR IS THE WEST IS SO LOADED. YOU GOT THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AT THE TOP OF THE WEST. THEN YOU’VE GOT THE ROCKETS WHO SIGNED KEVIN DURANT. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY LOADED, ONE OF THE DEEPEST TEAMS IN THE NBA. THE NUGGETS WHO TOOK OKLAHOMA CITY TO SEVEN GAMES. BY THE WAY, THEY GOT MUCH BETTER. THERE’S A WORLD IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE WHERE THEY COULD’VE UNSEATED OKLAHOMA CITY. NOW THEY GO INTO A MUCH BETTER BENCH BECAUSE THEY BRING BACK BRUCE BROWN, TIM HARDAWAY. THERE’S A LOT OF TEAMS IN FRONT OF THE WOLVES. THE WOLVES FINISHED AS A SIXTH SEED. I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE SIXTH SEED. MAYBE IT’S A LITTLE BIT DISRESPECT CONSIDERING THEY MADE TWO STRAIGHT WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. IT’LL BE HARD FOR THEM TO OVERCOME. THEY WENT ON THE RUNS LAST YEAR. THEY’RE GOING TO LOSE THE FIRST ROUND LAST YEAR AND I WAS WRONG ABOUT THAT SO WOLVES FANS, THE SUCCEED IN A FIRST ROUND LOSS BUT PROVE ME WRONG AGAIN. >> YOU READ MY MIND, THEY WERE THE 6 SEED LAST YEAR AND THEY MADE THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. BUT IT’S A PRETTY BAY ASTERISK ON THAT CONSIDERING THE WARRIORS WITHOUT STEPHEN CURRY, I HAVE HIM AS THE SUCCEED AGAIN BEHIND THE TEAMS YOU MENTIONED. OKLAHOMA CITY, THE TWO L.A. TEAMS. THEY’LL LOSE IN THE FIRST ROUND BUT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEING SOMETHING OF A GAP YEAR. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TANK BUT IT’S A YEAR IN WHICH THEY LOST ALEXANDER WALKER. BREAKING THE GUYS INTO THE ROTATION. I THINK THEY ARE FIGURING OUT WHAT THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR YEARS WILL LOOK LIKE. IF YOU WIN 48, 50 GAMES IN THE RANGE, YOU MAKE THEM LOOSE ON THE FIRST ROUND, BUT YOU’VE DEVELOPED YOUR YOUNG GUYS. I THINK IT CAN BE A WIN OF A SEASON. I’M NOT FOCUSING SOLELY ON GETTING BACK TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. I’M THINKING MORE ABOUT DEVELOPING THE YOUNG GUYS. IF THEY DO, IT’LL BE A GOOD SEASON NO MATTER WHERE THEIR SEASON ENDS. >> YOU GUYS FINDING THE SAME OUTCOME. IN THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES IN 20 OF 25. WE ARE TALKING A LOT OF FOOTBALL BUT KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE THUNDER OF COURSE BECAUSE THE REIGNING CHAMPION’S ARE LOOKING RUN IT BACK. IF THEY ARE ON TRACK TO DO SO. WE TALKED ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES, 18-1 ODDS TO GET TO THE NBA FINALS IS NOT A
Sam Quinn and John Gonzalez join CBS Sports HQ to discuss the latest news surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves and the expectations for the upcoming season.
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