In the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Anthony Edwards was benched by head coach Chris Finch early in the first quarter for his effort on the defensive end.
Following the game, Edwards was asked how he felt about the decision from Finch, to which Edwards responded that while he was upset, his head coach was right, according to Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“I get mad for sure. I be wanting to say something to him. But it’s pointless. He right. Can’t do nothing but be better when I get back in,” Edwards said to Hine. “That’s why I said he right. I get mad, but he right. At the end of the day, I can’t do nothing but take the constructive criticism and come back and show him that I can do it.”
The decision to bench Edwards paid off for Finch, as the Timberwolves went on to win the game 122-104 and Edwards himself ended up as the game’s leading scorer, dropping 28 points and four assists. And this was without the help of Timberwolves All-Stars Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell, both of whom were inactive for the game.
Edwards is posting an excellent sophomore season for Minnesota, averaging 22.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Thanks in part to Edwards, the Timberwolves are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, sitting ninth in the West with a record of 17-20, just three games back of the fifth seed Denver Nuggets. Edwards has a chance to make up for his defensive effort on Wednesday when Minnesota resumes play against the OKC Thunder.
