Wolves Notes: Edwards, Ball, Gobert, Lyles, Barton

Posted by Admin August 9, 2026 Basketball

Head coach Chris Finch believes the Timberwolves did a “disservice” to Anthony Edwards by using him at point guard so much last season and said they fixed that mistake by trading for LaMelo Ball, relays Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report. During a recent appearance on the Road Trippin’ Show (YouTube link), Finch talked about the results of having Edwards handle the ball too much.

“It caught up to us,” he said. “He did a really great job, but in the playoffs it was just double team after double team. We got to get him back to his natural position off the ball. We didn’t create enough catch-and-shoot threes for him and when you look at the numbers with LaMelo on the floor with his teammates and the efficiency and the production, I mean Kon Knueppel shot seven percent higher from the three-point line with LaMelo on the floor than he did without. I mean that’s a massive stat for a great shooter and that’s a big bump for a great shooter. … And obviously LaMelo’s a phenomenal talent all by himself. We needed the connective tissue. We needed the point guard play.”

Edwards is coming off his best statistical season, posting a career high in scoring at 28.8 points per game while shooting career-best marks of 48.9% from the field and 39.9% from three-point range. But as Finch alludes to, the amount of time he spent with the ball made the team easier to defend, and San Antonio exploited that weakness in their second-round playoff series.

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During that same show, Finch called center Rudy Gobert “a first-ballot Hall of Famer” and said it’s easy for fans to overlook his value, per Eurohoops. “All the things Rudy does at a very high level in the background aren’t always recognized,” Finch said. “His mistakes, on the other hand, are very visible, so it’s easy for people to point them out. I think it’s unfortunate how much criticism he receives.”
After trading away Julius Randle and Naz Reid in separate deals this summer, Trey Lyles might be the Wolves’ best option to start at power forward, Michael Rand of The Star-Tribune writes in a subscriber-only story. Lyles, who played in the EuroLeague last season and signed a one-year deal with Minnesota in July, is the only natural four currently on the roster and could see important minutes if the team opts for a conventional lineup.
Will Barton, who’s being promoted to the Wolves’ coaching staff, earned the trust of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly during their many years together in Denver, states Charlie Walton of SI. Walton recalls that Connelly consulted Barton in 2021 before drafting Bones Hyland, who’s now with the Timberwolves. Barton will focus on player development and is already working closely with Ball, Walton adds.