Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards rejected conventional championship expectations ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, declaring that his squad relies purely on sheer will rather than hope as the league enters another year of open title contention.
Anthony Edwards Shapes the Timberwolves Mentality for a Wide-Open NBA
Entering the 2026-27 NBA season, the league finds itself locked in a prolonged parity era where eight different franchises have claimed the last eight championships. That revolving door at the top inspires hopeful optimism for many contenders, but Edwards views the competitive landscape through a much starker lens.
I don’t really have hope. I just got will.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves star
That uncompromising mindset drives a Minnesota roster that has spent recent years knocking relentlessly on the door. The franchise reached the Western Conference finals in 2023 and 2024 before advancing to the West semifinals last season, piling up 24 playoff wins over the last three campaigns. Only New York and Oklahoma City boast more postseason victories in that span, with 33 apiece.
The Timberwolves announced Anthony Edwards is available to play tonight vs. Dallas after missing time due to a right knee injury 🔥 ANT IS BACK 🐜 pic.twitter.com/eUuNx5lfqM
— https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/2038758237348987256
The historical backdrop of this parity era features a different champion in every single one of the past eight seasons. Boston returned to the NBA pinnacle in 2024, Denver secured its inaugural title in 2023, and Golden State silenced critics who declared its dynasty over by winning again in 2022. Milwaukee ended half a century of championship waiting with its 2021 crown, the Los Angeles Lakers transformed from six years out of the playoff picture into champions in 2020, and Toronto claimed its lone title in 2019.
Roster Shuffling Brings LaMelo Ball and New Depth to Minnesota
On July 10, Minnesota acquired LaMelo Ball and Josh Green from Charlotte in a multi-team trade that sent Naz Reid and draft compensation to the Hornets, while Julius Randle also departed.
Ball steps into a dynamic backcourt role alongside Edwards, a pairing designed to ease the playmaking burden on the explosive guard and open up cleaner looks on the perimeter. Head coach Chris Finch emphasized the unique opportunity presented by the league’s current competitive balance.
How many times do you sit at the big table vs. the kids table? You’ve just got to keep sitting down at the big table, and eventually you can punch through. This parity that we’re in means if you sit down at the table, you have a chance. And I feel like we are that type of team and organization.
Chris Finch, Minnesota coach
Jonathan Kuminga also joins the wing rotation following a recruitment effort led personally by Edwards, while Ayo Dosunmu rounds out a deeper group that retains four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert protecting the rim.
Physical Play and Zero Friendships on the Horizon for Opening Night
Edwards set an aggressive tone for the upcoming campaign through a profane video message shared on his YouTube page, warning opponents that the Timberwolves intend to play with maximum physicality and abandon any notion of on-court camaraderie.
When y’all see the Timberwolves come to town … they on bulls–t. We gonna foul the s–t out of you. … Yeah, we on that. I just want you all to know, that’s what’s going on. … Get your season tickets because s–t’s going to be turned up this year. If you miss a game, you’re going to miss out.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves star
That brand of intense basketball faces its first regular-season test on October 21, when Ball makes his official Minnesota debut during the season opener against the Miami Heat.
Gobert noted that the locker room enters the year older, wiser, and tightly knit, with every daily workout geared toward navigating the grueling road ahead. Edwards, who turned 25 and averaged a career-best 28.8 points per game last season alongside an Olympic gold medal, frames his relentless training schedule around a single ultimate objective.
I wake up every day, go to the gym, work out, treatment, weights, go to the gym again, work out, treatment, weights. Everything is based on what can I do to win the ring. And it’s not like I’m only working out for the ring. I’m working out to go through all the ups and downs to get me to the ring.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves star
