Kevin Garnett Sends Clear Message to Anthony Edwards Amid Ankle Injury
Minnesota Timberwolves icon Kevin Garnett's message to Anthony Edwards should resonate more after the guard's Game 2 injury scare. The star guard went down in the second quarter with an ankle injury after Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his ankle during a layup attempt.
Ant has been dealing with an ankle issue since the Los Angeles Lakers series, which made this scare more serious for many. Initially, he was questionable to return to the game, but he managed to finish the duel as one of the team's leading scorers.
Advertisement
He dropped 20 points, the same as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and four less than Julius Randle. Edwards added nine rebounds, five assists and three steals on 6-of-13 shooting.
After the game was over, Edwards explained how the Wolves' vice president of medical operations and performance, David Hines, helped him make sure he felt good enough to return to the court.
"Once we got to like the third movement in my ankle, I'm like, 'All right, it's starting to feel good. If we tape it, I'll see how it feels,'" Edwards said, per ESPN. "[Hines] does a great job of making sure I'm good before I get out there, so big shoutout to David."
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony EdwardsCredit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Garnett, who led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals in 2004, is rooting for his former team to go all the way to the NBA Finals. He knows Edwards is the key for the Wolves to challenge for the championship, but he must step up to achieve his goal.
Advertisement
During Thursday's episode of his "KG Certified" show, the "Big Ticket" urged Edwards to bring the same energy he showed against the Lakers.
"Consistency--very hard to do," Garnett said. "To be consistent with bringing a certain level to play, both ends like he puts out, that's a lot. If Minnesota is gonna have a chance, Anthony Edwards is going to bring that same energy he was playing with LeBron and when he was playing Luka. He has to come in here with that. He has to keep his foot on the gas and then the Randles, the McDaniels, 'three DaVinci [DiVincenzo],' all those guys, they follow him when he's like that."
The ankle injury raised some eyebrows around the Timberwolves' fan base, but Shams Charania reported on Thursday that Edwards is expected to take the court for Game 3. The Warriors are already dealing with Steph Curry's absence and the Timberwolves losing Edwards would put them in a complex position.
Minnesota is eager to recover its home-court advantage, but the Warriors want to get as many benefits as possible from playing in front of their fans on Saturday.
Related: Timberwolves Legend Kevin Garnett Sends Lakers Fans Strong Message After Playoff Win
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Jarred Vanderbilt
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt quickly became a fan favorite when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired him in the February 2023 trade that mercifully jettisoned Russell Westbrook. He became a contributor as they made their run to the Western Conference Finals that year, even as his limitations became clear. But last season, he was riddled with injuries. A heel ailment forced him to miss the first several weeks of the schedule, and just when he was hitting his stride, he injured his foot in early February and was forced to sit the rest of the way. Advertisement That foot injury caused Vanderbilt to miss the first couple of months of this season, which made fans pessimistic that he would return at all. But he made his season debut on Jan. 25 and remained relatively healthy the rest of the way. Jarred Vanderbilt's season stats In 36 regular-season games with the Lakers, Vanderbilt averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 16.1 minutes a game while shooting 48.8% from the field. In the first round of the NBA playoffs, he averaged 1.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes a game while shooting 33.3% from the field. Overall analysis Vanderbilt, the 6-foot-8 forward in his seventh season out of the University of Kentucky, continued to be a spark plug off the bench for Los Angeles. He would often box out hard and help out on the boards, which was something the team badly needed. Defensively, he continued to show his versatility and effectiveness by guarding players at multiple positions. Advertisement However, his weaknesses remain intact. He shot 28.1% from 3-point range, and he's the type of player opposing teams would almost practically pay to shoot the ball from the perimeter. He isn't a strong finisher at the rim in traffic, and sometimes, his effort and energy aren't fully consistent from game to game. Figuring out how to best use Vanderbilt on the offensive end continues to be a process for the Lakers. He can handle the ball in transition and finish fast breaks fairly well, but in the halfcourt game, he often seems nearly useless offensively. What's next for Vanderbilt? The forward signed a contract extension prior to last season, and that extension runs through the 2027-28 season. While he will make between $11.5 million and $13.29 million for the rest of that contract, he may not be an easy player to trade due to his very limited offensive game. Advertisement Still, expect to see his name in trade rumors and mock trades over the next few weeks until the Lakers' roster for next season takes shape. Overall grade: B-minus/B This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Jarred Vanderbilt
USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Jarred Vanderbilt
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Jarred Vanderbilt Forward Jarred Vanderbilt quickly became a fan favorite when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired him in the February 2023 trade that mercifully jettisoned Russell Westbrook. He became a contributor as they made their run to the Western Conference Finals that year, even as his limitations became clear. But last season, he was riddled with injuries. A heel ailment forced him to miss the first several weeks of the schedule, and just when he was hitting his stride, he injured his foot in early February and was forced to sit the rest of the way. That foot injury caused Vanderbilt to miss the first couple of months of this season, which made fans pessimistic that he would return at all. But he made his season debut on Jan. 25 and remained relatively healthy the rest of the way. Jarred Vanderbilt's season stats In 36 regular-season games with the Lakers, Vanderbilt averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 16.1 minutes a game while shooting 48.8% from the field. In the first round of the NBA playoffs, he averaged 1.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes a game while shooting 33.3% from the field. Overall analysis Vanderbilt, the 6-foot-8 forward in his seventh season out of the University of Kentucky, continued to be a spark plug off the bench for Los Angeles. He would often box out hard and help out on the boards, which was something the team badly needed. Defensively, he continued to show his versatility and effectiveness by guarding players at multiple positions. However, his weaknesses remain intact. He shot 28.1% from 3-point range, and he's the type of player opposing teams would almost practically pay to shoot the ball from the perimeter. He isn't a strong finisher at the rim in traffic, and sometimes, his effort and energy aren't fully consistent from game to game. Figuring out how to best use Vanderbilt on the offensive end continues to be a process for the Lakers. He can handle the ball in transition and finish fast breaks fairly well, but in the halfcourt game, he often seems nearly useless offensively. What's next for Vanderbilt? The forward signed a contract extension prior to last season, and that extension runs through the 2027-28 season. While he will make between $11.5 million and $13.29 million for the rest of that contract, he may not be an easy player to trade due to his very limited offensive game. Still, expect to see his name in trade rumors and mock trades over the next few weeks until the Lakers' roster for next season takes shape. Overall grade: B-minus/B
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Could the Lakers end up trading Luka Doncic?
The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans seemingly gained a new lease on life, especially when it came to contending for the NBA championship, when the organization landed generational superstar Luka Doncic in that stunning trade four months ago. While it hasn't paid dividends just yet, that trade was presumably made for the immediate future beginning next season rather than the 2024-25 campaign. But is it possible the Lakers will get buyer's remorse at some point? While Doncic has the potential to become one of the five to 10 greatest basketball players of all time, he hasn't exactly been in great shape, and many have criticized him for allegedly not taking good care of his body. Advertisement Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report listed Doncic as the team's most untouchable player in terms of trade talks in a recent article. But he did imply that there is a scenario in which L.A. may end up wanting to move on from the Slovenian wonder. Via Bleacher Report: "In Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers have a bridge to their post-LeBron James era," Hughes wrote. "He'll be the superstar cornerstone upon which the franchise's next decade is built. "The only way that'll change is if [Nico] Harrison's justification for moving Dončić this past February—poor conditioning and shoddy defense—reaches a point where Los Angeles winds up with the same concerns. "Of course, if you view the trade from Dallas to L.A. as a wake-up call for Dončić, it's pretty hard to imagine his bad habits continuing." So far this offseason, it looks as if Doncic is already changing those bad habits. He looked noticeably slimmer at a recent Real Madrid game, and at least one report has indicated that he has at least changed his mindset as far as his fitness and conditioning. He has a player option for the 2026-27 season that he can decline in order to become a free agent next summer. But he did indicate in a recent interview that he would like to remain with the Purple and Gold long term. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Could the Lakers end up trading Luka Doncic?
