La Velle E. Neal III : Timberwolves can't forget about defense while waiting for Anthony Edwards to return

La Velle E. Neal III, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Oct 30, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — There is one way the Minnesota Timberwolves can absorb the 33.3 points per game the offense is missing as Anthony Edwards had surgery on his right knee on Thursday.

Play better defense.

That did not happen on Wednesday during their 119-114 loss to Golden State. In fact, the Wolves were miserable in the first half as they fell behind by as many as 24 points. They found some offensive traction in the third quarter and made things interesting in the fourth.

But then there was Golden State rookie Yaxel Lendeborg slaloming through the Wolves defense for a coast-to-coast layup. Georges Niang driving for a layup. Steph Curry getting to the basket for a bucket. The Wolves had gone to a smaller, quicker lineup at the time and were giving away some size. They also gave up baskets when they needed stops.

It’s understandable that the Wolves offense was going to sputter some in the first of many games without Edwards. OK, it sputtered a lot. There’s going to be talk going forward about who is going to pick up some of the scoring slack.

But they have to be more hawkish on defense, too. You don’t just make up for losing one of the NBA’s elite scorers by waiting for five teammates to each average six or seven more points a game. Better defense can make things easier.

“Got into it a little bit better defensively [in the second half],” Wolves coach Chris Finch said, “but we fouled way too much, as you can tell by the 16 Curry free throws.”

The Wolves brought the intensity in second half, when they scored 33 points in each of the third and fourth quarters. Guess how?

“When we watched the film of the first half at halftime, we were really soft on the ball and they got whatever they wanted,” Wolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. said. “We’ve just got to do a better job.”

Timberwolves came out flat vs Curry, Warriors

The Wolves have to tighten up defensively. Drill down on their responsibilities.

Yes, athleticism and smarts help on defense. You also have to play with desire, urgency and intensity. And there was a severe lack of urgency on Wednesday.

Finch said after the game that his team came out flat. Offensively, they lacked flow and players looked to shoot 3s instead of driving or making an extra pass.

It showed up defensively, as the Wolves struggled to fight through screens and defend the pick-and-roll. They got beat one-on-one. Golden State had free releases down the middle of the lane and attacked.

The defensive rotations were a step behind at times. That can’t happen against a team with the best shooter in the history of the NBA. Curry only needs 6 inches of space to get shots off. Don’t make it easier on him. He was brilliant in the first half as Golden State surged to a 16-point lead at the break.

Curry was a handful for Jaden McDaniels when matched up with him. Wolves fans in attendance began to groan when Curry rose to take his flawless jumper. I’m pointing out the Wolves fans because there were hundreds of fans in Curry apparel that were loving the display.

And as much as Wolves fans dislike Draymond Green — and he was booed frequently — his basketball brain is elite and he’s going to take advantage when opponents slip up.

Maybe the Wolves were in a fog after finding out a day earlier their superstar was going to miss significant time, and now they are planning a response on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“This is one game,” Shannon said. “We lost this game, we’re gonna fix it, we’ll be better next game. But it’s just one game, we’re not gonna overreact. Obviously our best player is out, but we just gotta play better. We didn’t play well at all.”

The Wolves said Edwards had successful surgery Thursday, but they didn’t offer a timeline for his return. Without him, the Wolves offense might be a work in progress. How long that adjustment takes depends on what Finch comes up with when he gets back to the lab.

But Edwards reported to camp determined to make sure his new-look team was going to be on point defensively. That can’t be forgotten.

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