Edwards for MVP? Finch says what he needs to improve

Anthony Edwards already has all the offensive talent needed to enter the MVP conversation, but according to Chris Finch, his next step forward needs to come on the other end of the floor. The Timberwolves coach wants to see a more consistent and impactful Ant-Man defensively, especially in the biggest moments.

The arrival of LaMelo Ball could help as well, taking some of the ball-handling responsibilities away from Edwards. With fewer responsibilities as the primary ball-handler, Minnesota believes Edwards will have more energy to make an impact defensively.

We’ll need him to get back to being a more impactful defender in the biggest moments. His offensive ball-handling responsibilities will be reduced because that’s probably the thing that wore him down the most last year. To have an MVP-type season, I think he needs to add a more significant defensive component

Chris Finch

Finch also emphasized that Edwards has been talking for some time about wanting to become a better defender, but now it’s time to prove it and turn those intentions into consistency:

That’s the challenge. He’s talked about it publicly every season. At some point in your career, you have to take ownership of certain aspects of your game. I think he’s reached that point

Chris Finch

Edwards has already shown that he can be an effective on-ball defender, especially in high-intensity situations. But for Minnesota’s coach, the challenge also extends to rebounding: Finch wants Ant-Man and the Timberwolves’ other perimeter players to improve in that area, with the goal of making the team more complete on defense.

The message is clear, and the challenge has been issued: the offensive talent to enter the MVP race is already there. To turn that potential into a legitimate MVP campaign, Edwards’ next step will be becoming a more consistent and complete player on the defensive end as well.