MINNEAPOLIS — Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said Wednesday that Anthony Edwards has grown.
By that, Finch didn't only mean Edwards is improving his game. He meant the 20-year-old guard has actually gotten taller from the time the Wolves drafted him in November, from around 6-4 to approximately 6-6.
"This is a very Ant thing," Finch said at the Star Tribune booth at the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday. "He told me, 'Don't let me get to 6-6 or I'll be Michael Jordan.'"
Jordan was also 6-6.
There are two consequences of Edwards' late growth spurt, Finch said. The Wolves might feel more comfortable using Edwards as an undersized power forward in certain lineups, and they hope it helps Edwards rebound better, a goal the Wolves outlined for him this offseason.
Edwards averaged 4.7 rebounds last season, but increased that to 5.4 in his last 20 games after the Wolves put a greater emphasis on that statistic for him.
"He's an extremely unique player and has all this raw ability, but he's very literal when you coach him. Like I say to him, 'I need you to go out and do X,' he'll do it," Finch said. "We discovered in the last part of the season [when I'd tell him], 'I need you to get seven rebounds tonight.' We gave him goals almost every game or every period of time, so you give him stuff to focus on and he went out and did that."
Finch said the Wolves have also asked Edwards to improve things he's "already really good at," such as finishing and 3-point shooting. A large chunk of their defensive work will happen in coming weeks.
"The defensive stuff we'll work on when we get back together during the season because that's more conceptually based," Finch said.
