Anthony Edwards showed a lot of poise and confidence after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season-ending loss Wednesday night.
Former NBA veteran Kenyon Martin Sr. was definitely not a fan. Martin, who has become an outspoken figure on the online sports talk series Gil’s Arena, unloaded on the Timberwolves star for his passive nature.
“That’s the wrong mentality,” Martin said. “That’s the way these young kids are, I get it. But when you reach this pinnacle, and it’s about winning and losing, and you just saying, ‘Oh yeah, I wanna do it for Mike.'”
Martin believes Edwards can’t take advantage of these moments, given there’s no guarantee that he’ll reach them again.
“I’m not asking him to go in there and flip tables, throw the mic, and scream, ‘F*** you,'” Martin said. “But it’s a consistent theme with him. It’s no guarantee you’re gonna ever get back to the Western Conference Finals, dawg. Go ask Kevin Garnett how hard that s*** was when he was in Minnesota. The furthest he made it is where you are right now. Once. And guess what? The rest of that Western Conference you’re playing in is getting tougher.”
Edwards is still a young star in the league, boasting a resume worth celebrating. He’s elevated Minnesota to two consecutive conference finals appearances, a destination they couldn’t reach since 2000. He has eliminated NBA greats such as Nikola Jokić, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, despite being favored to lose most of his postseason matchups.
The premature labels from outsiders deeming him the “face of the league” shouldn’t detract from what Edwards has done so far, but he does need to play better to reach the NBA’s top echelon.
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