The Minnesota Timberwolves made a big move in the NBA offseason acquiring Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz. They are hoping that he will shore the team’s defense up as they have struggled on that end of the court for a few seasons now.
Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, will certainly help, but it will take a little while for the team to gel.
Adding a player of that caliber into the lineup makes for some adjustments to be made. There are now expectations for the franchise after they made the playoffs last season as a No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
With expectations, the outlook of the players needs to change. Right now, there may be bigger issues than defensive assignments arising in Minnesota. In a recent interview, Karl-Anthony Towns shared some displeasure with his young teammate, Anthony Edwards.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Edwards found himself in some hot water this offseason when he said some incentive things that got posted online. He apologized, but Towns wants to see even more maturation from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“I know y’all think it’s funny when he’s up here talking about Popeyes and all that shi. That doesn’t make me happy to hear.”
My, how the tables have turned for Towns. It wasn’t very long ago he was the young pup on a team with some veterans that wanted to see him put a little more effort into his craft to improve on the court.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Heading into the 2017-18 season, the Timberwolves made a big trade by acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls. Towns, who was also going into his third season in the NBA, was pushed harder than he ever was previously by the uber-competitive Butler.
Their personalities clashed and Butler was gone 10 games into the following season, landing with the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, Towns is in the position that Butler was all those years ago as the older player that is looking for the team to take things a little more seriously and make winning a No. 1 priority.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
While Edwards may be viewed as the face of the franchise by some, this is still just as much as Towns’ team as the resident veteran. He is the longest-tenured player on the team and his words carry some weight. Hopefully, Edwards heeds the advice of Towns, who has now been on both sides of the coin.
