For a second straight season, the Minnesota Timberwolves came up short of making it to the NBA Finals. The team was upset. However, Anthony Edwards was surprisingly upbeat. “I don’t know why people would think it would hurt, it’s exciting for me. I’m 23,” he said about the loss to the OKC. But no matter how young or optimistic, Ant was at the doorway of potentially winning a championship. Moreover, as the cornerstone, his comments drew mixed reactions.

But Austin Rivers, a former guard for the Timberwolves, thinks Edwards is masking his feelings. “The reason I don’t like it coming from him is it screams that like, and this isn’t the truth, obviously he’s hurting,” he said on his podcast. It’s hard to argue against it. Edwards and the Timberwolves went through a dramatic turnaround to even make it to the postseason.

But their hard work was crushed by a daunting Thunder team. And although Rivers knows Anthony Edwards may not be telling the truth, he encouraged him to. “I’d rather him be like, man, this has been tough, man. You know, we’ve lost two years in a row. We’ve came short. There’s things that I need to do to learn to be a better leader and player,” Rivers advised on Off Guard.

What the former Clippers guard wants from Edwards is transparency. If Ant-Man can dance and celebrate exhilarating wins, he should also be as honest in losses as Rivers believes. But Edwards chose to remain positive in order to approach the summer with the pain of such losses lingering.

That was evident in his speaking about his goals for the summer. “Nobody is going to work harder than me this summer,” the Timberwolves ace told the media. So his focus remains undeterred. Anthony Edwards wants to be the best and is thrilled to improve as he is still years away from his prime.

Austin Rivers was a fan of those comments. However, he also thinks that just Edwards working hard isn’t going to be enough. The Timberwolves front office needs to be active during the offseason as well.

The Timberwolves need a gang

Watching the Thunder-Timberwolves series, Rivers felt OKC found it easy to guard Anthony Edwards. He blames the Timberwolves roster construction for the same. In his view, Ant is the only threat. That allowed the Thunder’s expert defense to zero in on the 23-year-old.

He feels like there’s clear scope for improvement. And it starts with Edwards’ co-star. Rivers proposed a swap for Julius Randle and the Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray.

“Dejounte Murray would be a guy, first off, can play on both sides of the ball. He used to be a fantastic defender, still has it in him. Can create his own play and initiate offense… You need guards attacking,” Rivers proclaimed.

Rivers feels like having a guard who can initiate action will be the best fit besides Edwards. It would give the athletic guard space to utilize his slashing abilities, which the Thunder shut down because they were “sitting there waiting”.

Randle was inconsistent during the series against the Thunder. But he served as a prolific second option during the Timberwolves’ postseason run. He averaged a career-high 21.7 points in the playoffs while being his most efficient. The only area Randle called himself out for was his rebounding numbers dropping.

Moreover, he also wants to improve defensively. Anthony Edwards calls great defense the Timberwolves’ identity. Hence, it was a surprise when Rivers asked for another trade for Rudy Gobert.

“I would try to move Rudy. And again, this isn’t a Rudy thing. Rudy’s just older now. I would try to move Rudy. I try to move Julius. And I would try to get guards and wings that could all attack and drive,” Rivers added.

While Gobert is a solid defender, his involvement in the offense isn’t as high. Carrying a $35 million hit, the Wolves might search the market for an agile center with scoring tendencies. But while they may not follow Austin Rivers’ exact suggestions, one of his points did hit home.

The Timberwolves need to get a “gang” around Edwards to get defenses off his back. Although the star, the postseason is all about having more than one trick. Against the Thunder, it seemed like Minnesota was calling on Anthony Edwards to make something happen.

That needs to change for the Timberwolves in order to achieve greater success. But which players can they really move?