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The Minnesota Timberwolves‘ fans have a lot to look forward to next season with LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards on the same roster.
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Edwards is one of the game’s best scorers and most exciting finishers. Pairing him with a flashy point guard with high-level passing skills gives Minnesota a dynamic backcourt that is sure to deliver highlight plays.
But that’s not the only thing Ball’s arrival guarantees.
According to Matt Barnes, it also gives the Timberwolves a player who can push Edwards to a different level, and vice versa.
“I think Ant and LaMelo are going to take each other’s games to another level. They’re competitive. You seen the team’s been over to Europe in the offseason to build the team’s (chemistry),” said Barnes.
Minnesota Timberwolves are the most “must watch team of the year” says NBA Champ Matt Barnes.
“I think Ant and LaMelo are going to take each other’s games to another level. They’re competitive.”
“I really felt like Bron sliding into that space would have been perfect. Bron… https://t.co/WEpIXpxXtopic.twitter.com/QLvjlZTRg8
– Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 16, 2026
Barnes wishes T-Wolves landed LeBron
Edwards and Ball were both drafted in 2020. Edwards was the Timberwolves’ No.1 pick, while Ball went No.3 to the Charlotte Hornets. They went head-to-head in the Rookie of the Year race, but Ball ultimately won the award.
Since then, however, Edwards has had more success, earning four All-Star and two All-NBA selections, while Ball has only one All-Star Game appearance.
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While everyone likes the Ball-Edwards pairing, many question the Timberwolves’ roster moves. They gave up Naz Reid and Julius Randle to free up cap space to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu, who is also a point guard. Barnes said these moves left a void at the power forward position, which he feels could have been filled if Minnesota landed LeBron James in free agency.
“I really felt like Bron sliding into that space would have been perfect. Bron playing power forward for Minnesota was my ideal choice, but they got depth, a young team, and a good coach. They might still be one piece away from being championship contenders, but I feel like they’re the most must-watch team of the year,” Barnes added.
The connective tissue
While Barnes is focused on the Timberwolves’ weakened power forward position after the departures of Reid and Randle, their head coach, Chris Finch, said their main goal this offseason was to take Edwards off the hook for playmaking and let him focus mainly on scoring.
“It’s about making your best players better, and we probably did Anthony a disservice last year at times playing him as a point guard, and it kind of caught up to us,” Finch
“He did a really great job, but in the playoffs, it was just double team after double team. We got to get him back to his natural position off the ball. We didn’t create enough catch-and-shoot threes for him. We needed the connective tissue. We needed the point guard play.”
By adding Ball, Finch hopes to unleash the best version of Edwards next season. And if he can do that, maybe he can make up for the loss of Reid and Randle. If that happens, lack of power forward depth might not be an issue for last season’s Western Conference semifinalist.
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This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 1:59 AM.