Anthony Edwards on T-Wolves' Playoff Loss to Grizzlies: 'We Handed It to Them'

Anthony Edwards thinks the Minnesota Timberwolves blew their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Timberwolves guard told Zion Olojede of Complex that Minnesota "handed" the series over to Memphis.

"Man, I feel like we handed it to them, man. It was like taking candy from a baby, and they took the candy," Edwards said. "We had every game won, man, and I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened."

Minnesota led at halftime in five of six games against Memphis, and three of the Timberwolves' losses involved blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter.

While it would be easy to point to Minnesota's playoff inexperience as the main factor in the loss, the Grizzlies weren't exactly playoff-tested. The Wolves' loss came down to a complete lack of discipline, as they consistently chucked up bad shots and took their foot off the gas on the defensive end.

Management cashed in all their chips in hopes of making a deeper playoff run earlier this offseason by trading for Rudy Gobert, who should fortify the middle of the defense. That said, Gobert's Utah Jazz teams have been defined by their own playoff failures.

Minnesota's ceiling will be driven by the development of Edwards, who should ascend to All-Star status in his third NBA season. The Georgia product averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 2021-22 but remained inconsistent on a night-to-night basis. Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns are essentially finished products from a developmental standpoint; the only way Minnesota has a legitimate shot at making a deep run to the postseason is if Edwards realizes his No. 1 overall pick potential.