LaMelo Ball gives Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards a new answer to an old problem

Chris Hine, Star Tribune on Jul 14, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — The atrium at Target Center has, in recent years, become the preferred venue for the Timberwolves to hold introductory press conferences.

In 2022, after acquiring Rudy Gobert, they put up a mural of Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Less than a year after that, they had to scrub Russell from it, when President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly traded him to Los Angeles.

It underscored the frequent roster change that has been a hallmark of the Connelly era, and that churn led to Tuesday, when the Wolves, in that same spot, introduced their latest prize acquisition, LaMelo Ball.

The Wolves are hoping Ball and Anthony Edwards form the backcourt duo of their future. Both came into the league in 2020 and were No. 1 and No. 2 in the Rookie of the Year voting that year (with Ball beating out Edwards).

Before the draft that year, Edwards and Ball did Zoom calls with reporters. Edwards was his usual talkative self while Ball was, well, not as talkative.

Neither player has changed much since then, as Tuesday’s press conference showed. Though the enthusiasm with which Ball is joining the Wolves came through in his to-the-point comments.

“I believe I could do a lot,” Ball said when asked about joining a playoff contender like the Wolves. “Just coming here ready to play, here to learn, give it my all.”

On his chats with Edwards about their partnership: “I’ve known Ant for a minute. We’ve been talking. Everybody excited. We’re ready to get to work.”

And on what he admires about Edwards’ game: “Mindset. He don’t let nobody affect him in front of them. Just go after it. Love that.”

The bulk of the words in the 21-minutes press conference came from Connelly and coach Chris Finch. Connelly has long been a fan of Ball’s game and who he is reputed to be as a teammate.

Coming out of last season, the Wolves said they needed a true point guard who can alleviate pressure on Edwards. They needed connectivity to help with a moodiness problem that hovered over them all season. Ball checks all those boxes in their eyes.

“He’s a real point guard,” Connelly said. “They’re hard to find. I think you see the impact he has on his teammates. … He’s been through a lot, he’s still only 24 years old. He’s a guy that’s going to help lead us.

Even if the Wolves didn’t make the acquisition of Ball specifically to defeat the Thunder and Spurs, the teams who eliminated them from the playoffs the last two seasons, Ball’s skills and size (6-foot-7) should compensate for what they were lacking against those opponents.

“You got to have a big backcourt,” Finch said. “We learned that through the playoffs this year.”

He will take ball handling and playmaking responsibilities off Edwards’ plate, and he will free Edwards from some of the double teams those teams threw at him. Ball has a lack of playoff experience; his Charlotte teams never made the playoffs. But the Wolves, through their scouting, think Ball is a highly competitive player who has a positive impact on his teammates. They saw that in his numbers last season, when Charlotte surged in the second half to make the play-in tournament. What did he take from that experience after not being in contention most of his first five seasons?

“Just going the right way,” Ball said, keeping it simple. “Whenever you’re winning it’s the right. And losing, that’s obviously the wrong way.”