Patrick Beverley, Los Angeles Lakers
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Beverley deserves appreciation from Minnesota Timberwolves fans. He does not deserve credit for starting the franchise’s turnaround.
Beverley recently looked back on his lone season in Minnesota and claimed he helped establish the winning culture that has carried the Wolves to consecutive Western Conference finals appearances.
“I really put on for the city of Minnesota, and I don’t know if people know this, but they haven’t missed the playoffs since I got there. Two Western Conference Finals,” Beverley said. “I’m not saying it’s all me, but I started something in Minnesota for sure.”
It is a classic Patrick Beverley quote: loud, provocative and built around a small piece of truth.
Beverley brought edge to the 2021-22 Timberwolves. He gave a young group a veteran voice, raised the temperature defensively and embraced the significance of ending Minnesota’s playoff drought. His emotional celebration after the Wolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022 Play-In Tournament remains one of the most memorable moments of recent Wolves basketball.
But Beverley did not create the Wolves’ rise. Anthony Edwards did.
Patrick Beverley helped, but Anthony Edwards changed everything
NBA: Playoffs-San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves
May 15, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) looks on against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half during game six of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Minnesota had made the playoffs only once between 2004 and 2021 before Beverley arrived. The 2022 group finally broke through, finishing 46-36 and beating the Clippers 109-104 to claim the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed.
Beverley played an important role that night. He posted 7 points and 11 rebounds, brought his usual defensive fury and turned the postgame celebration into instant NBA folklore. During his one Wolves season, he averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 58 appearances.
That contribution matters. Minnesota needed a veteran who treated a Play-In game as a major moment. Beverley understood that ending the drought would change the expectations around the franchise. He also brought playoff experience to a locker room filled with younger players still learning what it required to win consistently.
Still, the Wolves did not reach the postseason in 2022 because Beverley suddenly made them relevant.
Edwards was 20 years old and exploding into stardom. He averaged 21.3 points per game in his second NBA season, became Minnesota’s most dangerous perimeter scorer and delivered 30 points against the Clippers in the Play-In victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns was an All-NBA-caliber offensive centerpiece. Chris Finch had installed a more functional system. Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid were growing into meaningful rotation players. The foundation was already forming when Beverley arrived. Beverley was an accelerant. Edwards was the engine.
The Timberwolves’ real culture change came after Beverley left
NBA Playoffs: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Beverley’s timeline also weakens his argument.
Minnesota traded him to Utah in July 2022 as part of the package for Rudy Gobert. The Wolves then endured the awkward early stages of the Gobert experiment, navigated injuries and roster changes, and gradually evolved into one of the league’s best teams.
The defining moments of this era came without Beverley on the roster.
Edwards grew into the team’s clear leader and became the player teammates followed when adversity hit. Minnesota won 56 games in 2023-24, reached the Western Conference finals and returned there the following season. Edwards’ performances against elite competition turned him into a national star, while Gobert, McDaniels and the Wolves’ defense gave the franchise a sustainable identity.
That is what changed Minnesota.
Beverley can fairly say he helped reset expectations. He arrived at a crucial point, demanded more from a team that had grown accustomed to frustration and embraced a fan base desperate for a breakthrough. His attitude fit perfectly with a Wolves group ready to mature.
He can also say the 2022 playoff berth mattered. It gave Edwards his first taste of postseason basketball and showed the franchise it could finally matter again. But a one-season role player cannot claim ownership over a four-year transformation led by a franchise superstar.
Edwards has been the common thread through every step of Minnesota’s rise. He was there for the Play-In breakthrough, the Gobert trade, the 56-win season, the conference-finals runs and the latest roster overhaul built around the championship window that only exists because of him.
Beverley helped make one important season memorable. Edwards made the Timberwolves a team opponents fear. There is a difference between contributing to a culture shift and being responsible for it. Beverley deserves praise for the former. His latest claim wanders far too close to taking credit for the latter.