The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t just shuffle the deck this offseason. They pulled a new hand entirely. And the biggest card they laid on the table was trading for LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets. That move changes everything about how this offense can look. It also changes what we expect from Anthony Edwards.
Edwards spent last season as the primary ballhandler, the guy who had to create everything for himself and everyone else. That worked some nights. Other nights, it looked like too much shoulder for one guy to carry. Now, with Ball in the backcourt, Edwards can slide off the ball more often. He can hunt his shot without having to manufacture every possession from scratch. That has head coach Chris Finch feeling something he hasn’t felt in a while.
Finch Wants to Get His Hands Dirty Again
“It’s reinvigorated me in a lot of ways,” Finch told Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune. “It does have the feel of we’re all walking into a new landscape. I intend to assert myself more back into the processes. We have a lot of great coaches who do a great job, but I want to be a little more hands-on this season.”
That last part is worth noting. Finch has always been a sharp offensive mind, but he stepped back some last season, letting his assistants handle more of the day-to-day scheme. He sounds like a guy who saw the lineup sheet change and realized he wanted to be the one drawing up the plays. He specifically referred to Edwards as a “cold-blooded scorer,” which is exactly the kind of player you want catching passes from a playmaker like Ball.
Why LaMelo Ball Fits
Ball ran the show in Charlotte. He was the head of the snake, the guy who made the reads, hit the skip passes, and still found his own buckets when the shot clock wound down. But the Hornets never built a roster around him that maximized his passing. The Timberwolves might be different. Finch loves what Ball brings, especially the way he raises the shooting numbers of everyone around him.
“He’s almost ideal in the sense that he’s got such a high IQ and so much connectivity, and you just have to look at the numbers when he’s on the floor, how much better people shoot,” Finch said. “Yet he can still score for himself if need be. I’ve really, I’ve always had a soft spot for players who could pass. I just think it’s the soul of the game, really, and he’s going to fit with everybody in that regard.”
That’s high praise. And it’s also a clear signal that Finch plans to run real offense through Ball, not just use him as a spot-up shooter or second-side initiator. Edwards will still get his touches, sure. But he won’t have to carry the full offensive load every single night. That might be the difference between another first-round exit and something deeper.
Training camp hasn’t started yet. The real test comes when the ball goes up and the defense tightens. But the pieces are there. And Finch sounds like a coach who knows exactly what he wants to do with them.
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