Chris Finch Schools Anthony Edwards For ‘Quitting’ with 8 Minutes Left In The Game

Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Atlanta Hawks on New Year's Eve without Anthony Edwards for the last eight minutes.

Chris Finch Schools Anthony Edwards For ‘Quitting’ with 8 Minutes Left In The Game

Chris Finch and Anthony Edwards (Image via FirstSportz)

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During the offseason, those associated with the NBA came to know that Anthony Edwards had been working on incorporating some new skills that would help the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025-26 season.

That work he put in was helping his team as they managed to put together a good run of wins, which theoretically could have pushed them up to third in the hotly contested Western Conference.

However, their recent three losses in four games have them now on the verge of sliding down into the play-in spots. One of them was the overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, where Edwards performed admirably.

No one would know what would have happened as the controversial Scott Foster ejected the 24-year-old with seconds remaining. Since then, the team lost to the lowly Brooklyn Nets and then suffered a blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Obviously frustrated with the performance and rightfully so, but he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team.

Chris Finch said as quoted by ESPN

This was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach, who was not happy with the way his star player reacted with a little under 8 minutes left in that game.

This reaction was natural as Anthony Edwards, frustrated after his team was down by 29 points at that time, stood up from the bench, tossed his towel, and went into the locker room.

Anthony Edwards had family in the stands at the Hawks game

The Minnesota Timberwolves eventually finished the game with a score of 102-126. This happens to be their second straight blowout road loss, with a win against the Chicago Bulls sandwiched in between.

Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards
Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards (Image via Polymarket Hoops/X)

Ever since they started their run of wins in November, this was the fourth time they lost by a considerable margin. Such blowout losses can frustrate players to the point where they struggle to find answers.

For Anthony Edwards, one reason that could explain why he apparently ‘quit’ on his team is that he had a lot of family members attend this game at State Farm Arena. ESPN reported that the Georgia native had his friends, family, including his grandfather, cheer him on at the Hawks game. With them in attendance, he did score 30 points before leaving the game.

But at that point, he probably felt that the loss would be too much of an embarrassment for him, which probably led him to leave the team with nearly 8 minutes left to play.

Anthony Edwards might have to rein in his emotions

One of the reasons many members of the media and fans wanted to crown Anthony Edwards as the next ‘Face of the NBA’ was largely because of his swagger. The Georgia Bulldog has a natural attitude in him, which many find to be on the lines of what some of the past greats have had. The only thing remaining was for him to prove through his body of work that he was deserving of that moniker.

The problem with those emotions is that they could also spill over to the other side. In the Holiday season alone, his actions have cost them a game, and now his teammates will be asking coaches as to why he felt it was right to desert them.

With more than half of the season left, the last thing the Minnesota Timberwolves need is for their best player’s emotions to get the better of them.

If anything, Chris Finch and his coaches will have to guide him into understanding that the long grind requires a steady head. It does not mean that he should let go of his attitude. Rather, he needs to channel it in a way that helps the team succeed.

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