Anthony Edwards returned to his home state on New Year’s Eve and it looks like he is too excited to welcome the new year as the Minnesota Timberwolves left his team’s bench seven minutes early.
Problem is, that’s not what happened. There’s nothing to celebrate for him and he made it obvious. His team dropped the game against the struggling Atlanta Hawks. They were beaten badly and the victory was out of their hands early in the first half.
Edwards, who was frustrated three days ago after they lost a winnable one against the Brooklyn Nets, was filmed heading to the locker room with seven minutes to go and his team down by 29 points in the fourth quarter. They lost the game by 24 points, 102-126.
Analyst Skip Bayless thought this string of Edwards’ unruly behavior should be criticized.
“So Anthony Edwards came apart, got frustrated and got himself ejected in OT at Denver on Christmas. Now he left the bench with 7:52 left and went to the locker room as Minn was getting blown out back in his home area in Atlanta. So many commercials, so little mature leadership,” he wrote on X.
While Bayless is not happy with his attitude, many of his fans thought his walk out was justified.
He can’t do it alone letting Alexander walker go was a huge mistake and you did not replace him
— Man (@ManGotEm) January 1, 2026
I’m not sure why people are hating on him for doing this. He’s the only one on the roster that shows up and shows any heart on a night to night basis. This should be a strong ass message to Tim that the roster be constructed is abysmal and needs to do something soon to fix it.
— CB (@cbloch97) January 1, 2026
This is the Timberwolves in a nutshell shell, right here. Plenty of talent, no discipline, and a coach who has enabled the entire way. He’s their pal, and they love him. So what happens when he finally plays coach? They throw a big fit and quit. This is why they are who they are. https://t.co/AQehNu5C5N
— 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙝’𝙒𝙖 𝙉𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙧. (@JNeladelphia) January 1, 2026
Coach didn’t like Anthony Edwards’ response
While the fans are trying to understand him, his head coach thought that was not a desirable decision. Chris Finch said he understands where Edwards is coming from.
However, he insisted that it is not okay that he gave up on the team.
“Obviously frustrated with the performance and rightfully so, but he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team,” Finch said.
Timberwolves are still the sixth best team in the West. They will have a two-day rest before going on a road trip against the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.
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