The Timberwolves have had a few days off since they lost Sunday to Golden State.
In that time, the coaching staff has gone back and reviewed Anthony Edwards’ decision making in clutch time for every game this season. On Sunday, Edwards played his worst game in those moments this season as he forced shot after shot that clanked off the rim. After hitting a three-pointer that gave the Wolves a momentary one-point lead, he missed his next six shots as the Wolves lost 114-106.
It turned out Sunday was the outlier in what coach Chris Finch said has been a good season for Edwards in that department. More often that not, Edwards has made the right decisions when faced with double teams in late-game situations
“We felt that he has made the right play 80% of the time, which is great,” Finch said. “That switch, I think started to happen mid to late last year, knowing that in the playoffs it was coming. He did a really good job, I thought, of early playoff series of really creating offense for making the right play and then letting the game come to him as it did. I think he just got a little excited, got probably in a little personal battle the other night, and I think that’s where the regret comes.”
Edwards didn’t address the media afterward but did say loud enough for reporters to hear that he was “terrible” in Sunday’s game.
Point guard Mike Conley said he and Edwards had a conversation on the way back to the team hotel where he said Edwards told him, “I botched it.” But Conley has noticed a different tenor to those kind of chats with Edwards over the years. They have gone from Edwards regretting missing shots he feels he should have made to regretting wrong decisions to pass or shoot late in games.
“Say we had that game a year and a half ago, he might’ve been talking about a separate thing about how he missed a shot and how he should’ve made it,” Conley said. “Now it’s not about if he made or missed a shot. It’s, ‘Man, I should’ve found that guy in the corner’ or ‘I should’ve taken one more dribble, one less dribble.’ Things like that are on his mind, as opposed to makes and misses.”
Finch said last season Edwards’ decision-making in clutch time likely graded out around 50%. Sunday not withstanding, it’s one of the areas Edwards has made dramatic growth in over the last two seasons.