The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a frustrating New Year’s Eve loss to the Atlanta Hawks, and the aftermath placed the spotlight squarely on franchise star Anthony Edwards.
With the game effectively out of reach late in the fourth quarter, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch pulled his starters with eight minutes remaining and turned to the bench unit. Edwards reacted visibly to the decision, throwing a towel and leaving the bench area before the game concluded, heading back to the locker room.
After Minnesota’s 126-102 defeat, Finch addressed the incident publicly, expressing disappointment that Edwards did not remain on the sideline with his teammates. Finch acknowledged Edwards’ frustration with the team’s performance but emphasized the importance of staying engaged and supporting the group through the final buzzer.
Edwards finished the night with 30 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 33 minutes, but Minnesota was outscored heavily during his time on the floor, and the loss dropped the Timberwolves to 21-13. The decision to sit the starters appeared to strike a nerve with the 24-year-old, who was playing in Atlanta, his hometown and near his alma mater at the University of Georgia, with several family members in attendance.
Edwards declined to speak with reporters following the game, offering no public explanation for his early exit.
The incident followed another emotional moment just days earlier, when Edwards was ejected from Minnesota’s Christmas Day overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets. In that game, he scored 44 points but was assessed two technical fouls, the second coming late in the contest. Afterward, Edwards expressed general frustration with the team’s struggles and the need for change, without pointing to a specific solution.
Minnesota has now lost three of its last four games (as of January 1), falling to Denver, the Brooklyn Nets, and Atlanta, with a lone win coming against the Chicago Bulls. Despite Edwards’ strong season averages of 29.1 points, five rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 49.9 percent shooting, the Timberwolves have slipped to sixth in the Western Conference, sitting just a game and a half above the Play-In line.
Health has not been a major obstacle during this stretch. Edwards was briefly listed as questionable with a minor shoulder issue following the Denver loss, but he returned against Brooklyn and scored 27 points, easing those concerns. More recently, Terrence Shannon landed on the injury report with a left foot abductor hallucis strain and is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to Charlie Walton of ZoneCoverage.com.
The larger issue facing Minnesota as it moves toward 2026 appears to be playmaking. The Timberwolves lack a reliable point guard to consistently organize the offense. Veterans and young options such as Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Bones Hyland, and Shannon have not provided steady production in that role.
Donte DiVincenzo has taken on more ball-handling responsibilities alongside Edwards, but he has never been viewed as a true point guard. Notably, Julius Randle currently leads the team in assists at 5.8 per game, followed by DiVincenzo at 4.1, with no other Timberwolves player averaging more than four.
Minnesota was previously linked to Chris Paul, but those rumors have cooled, and even if a move were possible, he and Conley are no longer at stages of their careers where they can dramatically alter a team’s trajectory.
As the trade deadline approaches, the Timberwolves are expected to explore options to add a playmaker. The market is limited, however, and acquiring that missing piece could require sacrificing meaningful assets, adding another layer of pressure during an increasingly tense stretch for the franchise.
