SAN FRANCISCO – Timberwolves fans got an up-close look at the emergence of “Anthony Edwards: vocal leader” when the Wolves lost to the Kings just before Thanksgiving.
Edwards sat back in his chair at his locker and spoke for nearly 10 minutes that night about what he thought was wrong with the team. His primary concern was the Wolves weren’t communicating with each other in blunt terms without getting defensive.
Flash forward to Friday night in San Francisco, [after a 107-90 victory over the Warriors](https://www.startribune.com/timberwolves-victory-golden-state-warriors-turnovers-anthony-edwards-steph-curry/601192013). The Wolves won their fourth straight game after Edwards’ remarks, and a happy Edwards was speaking to reporters as Julius Randle was sitting two stalls over. Randle was listening in on what Edwards had to say, and Edwards saw that.
In that moment, Edwards showcased a more subtle way in which he has been a vocal leader over the past few seasons.
In praising the team’s defense, Edwards cited Naz Reid’s and Randle’s commitments to that end of the floor, and in particular with Randle, he said, “You know, I’ve never see him play defense before. That’s … incredible, and he’s right here, put the camera on him. He be guarding his \[tail\] off.”
Edwards sprinkled in a few expletives, as he is prone to do. Randle just sat at his stall and laughed. But that statement is an example of how Edwards can call out teammates with a deft touch. He will use humor while making a point that has cutting truth to it. He can let Randle know how he feels by making Randle laugh and not insulting him and making Randle laugh — while also being positive at the same time.
In reporting a book on Edwards this summer, I interviewed multiple people from Edwards’ college days at Georgia and with the Wolves who said this was how Edwards gets his points across — with a wink, smile and a laugh, but he’s also going to let you know what he really thinks. Nobody summed that up better than point guard Mike Conley.
“It’s like a fine line, because when he says stuff, it’s not condescending. It’s not a way of like, ‘I’m better than you, you’re the reason we lost.’ It’s almost borderline where he’s always funny and making jokes to where that joke has that truth in it,” Conley said in September. “It’s like ‘Oh, that is funny, but damn, you’re right.