On Saturday, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards made his NBA preseason debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves at home against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Edwards totaled five points, four rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes of work off the bench in the 107-105 loss. He managed to shoot just 2-of-9 from the field, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range, while he committed five fouls and three turnovers.
The struggles of Edwards in his first preseason game were to be expected. The 19-year-old has just one week of training camp under his belt and did not have the opportunity to participate in Summer League as a typical rookie would have.
Despite the slow start, teammate D’Angelo Russell saw positives with his game.
“I like his game,” Russell said after the game on a Zoom call with reporters. “He doesn’t force it. He is trying to make the right play out there. He’s getting to his spots. He’s not making shots, that’s an adjustment, but you can tell he has some flavor to him.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AzGgxYFg6o
Minnesota is going to bring Edwards along slowly during the early part of the season.
The remaining two preseason games will give Edwards the chance to get his conditioning back to game speed as he also works on his comfort level on the floor. Overall, Edwards will need more time to get adjusted but showed some good things on Saturday.
The Timberwolves play next on Monday once again vs. the Grizzlies.
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