Finch hands Timberwolves keys to Edwards and McDaniels

Chris Finch says the Minnesota Timberwolves deliberately avoided adding veterans this summer, leaving Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels to take charge of a squad reshaped around themselves.

"We intentionally didn't add veterans this year. I've formed an approach with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. It's time to take the nappies off. Now it's their team. Their words, their tone. Their atmosphere at practice, all of that matters. The time has come. Seven years in the league. It's time for Jaden to have his say. The team knows Jaden is in charge. They understand his approach, his consistency, his work ethic and professionalism. The group knows they can rely on him. He's one of the most passionate players, he energises others. I hope he'll be heard more. Usually he speaks up at the right moment with simple messages: 'We're messing about.' That kind of thing. When the quiet guys speak, others listen. I don't expect Ant to have the basketball understanding of Mike Conley or Joe Ingles. Ant needs to find his own way. We've lost experience and basketball IQ. But the mood in the team is excellent. We'll be capable of a lot. We might not be the smartest team in the league. But Melo reads the game well, and Ant is growing in that direction," Finch said.

Ball and Kuminga arrived as the club's headline additions this off-season. Reports from 10 September described Edwards's own enthusiasm for the move as a factor in persuading Kuminga to accept a smaller salary and join Minnesota, which fits with Finch's account of Edwards being handed a leading role in shaping the dressing room.

Losing Conley's and Ingles's experience leaves a gap Finch does not expect Edwards to fill in the same way. His bet, instead, is on Ball's game reading and on McDaniels, seven years into his career, finding his voice.