If you’re stumbling around downtown Indianapolis back and forth between Lucas Oil Stadium and Gainbridge Fieldhouse this weekend, chances are you will see a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves around town. The Wolves are riding high into the All-Star break atop the Western Conference standings and stand as one of the most well-represented teams in the annual showcase.
Anthony Edwards was selected to his second All-Star Game and Karl-Anthony Towns is representing the Wolves for a fourth time as a reserve in his ninth season. Chris Finch and his coaching staff are also headed to Indy to impart their wisdom on the West All-Stars as a reward (or a punishment) for being the best team in the West. It’s a massive boon for Timberwolves fans accustomed to a week off in February to stare into the snow and contemplate becoming a San Antonio Spurs fan.
But this year is different. For just the fifth time in franchise history, the Wolves are sending two players to the All-Star Game, and it’s only the second time in history the West All-Stars will be coached by the Timberwolves coaching staff as Flip Saunders and his crew led the team in 2004.
Minnesota is one of eight teams sending two All-Stars to Indianapolis, joining the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Phoenix Suns in the NBA’s talent aristocracy. It’s a big weekend to remind the casual basketball world that the Timberwolves are legitimate contenders this season. They have a burgeoning superstar and possible future face of the league in Edwards, one of the best shooting bigs of all time in KAT and a candidate for Coach of the Year in Finch. They also employ Rudy Gobert, one of the biggest All-Star snubs and favorites for Defensive Player of the Year.
The Wolves have lacked star power since Kevin Garnett was a mainstay in the All-Star Game two decades ago. Garnet made 10-straight All-Star appearances in a Timberwolves jersey, eight as a starter, and was named MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game. Ant and KAT are still just reserves and not ready to be the faces of the All-Star team yet. But Edwards is on his way to becoming a perennial starter and fan favorite, while KAT will be a candidate to come off the bench as long as the Wolves are battling for a top seed in the West and worthy of having two All-Stars.
While Ant, KAT, and Finch will highlight the festivities on the main stage on Sunday night, they’ll also take center stage for the Timberwolves on All-Star Saturday Night. It might not be the event everyone actually wants to see him. Still, Edwards will bring his aura to the skills competition as a part of Team Top Picks alongside Victor Wembanyama and Paolo Banchero. They’ll compete against Team Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner, and Team All-Stars with Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, and Trae Young. It’s not the dunk contest. Still, the star power he’s competing with and against will ensure Edwards will have eyeballs on him and the Timberwolves by association as he competes against a slew of young guards he’s often compared to as a young star in the NBA.
Towns is looking to regain the three-point crown he won two years ago and add to his claim of being the best-shooting big man ever. The three-point shootout field is stacked with former and current All-Stars (and Malik Beasley) ready to give KAT a run for his money. Sharing the court with the likes of defending champion Damian Lillard, hometown star Tyrese Haliburton, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Jalen Brunson, and fellow flamethrowing big Lauri Markkanen should ensure fans tune in, and Towns can show off his skills against the league’s best and brightest.
Coaching the All-Star game doesn’t take much preparation or effort, and it comes down to 99% managing rotations and ensuring all of your stars get enough shine on the national stage. But Finch and his staff deserve the distinction for taking an unexpected leap into contention after the underwhelming 2022-23 season.
As for the All-Star Game itself, Ant and KAT have had relatively quiet experiences in their previous trips. KAT scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first appearance in 2018 and followed it up with a quiet 11 and nine points in his two subsequent All-Star appearances. Edwards’ first All-Star bucket was a breakaway dunk, and LeBron James picked him as the first reserve taken in last year’s draft, but Edwards took a cue from the veterans and half-assed his way to 12 points in his first All-Star Game.
The Wolves finally have an opportunity to flex their muscle and show off their copious amounts of talent in front of the entire basketball-watching community in the basketball Mecca of the Midwest. KAT, Ant, and Finch could be at the beginning of a decades-long All-Star partnership that helps vault the Timberwolves into the center of basketball culture.
