Anthony Edwards knows he and LaMelo Ball will encounter some ups and downs

Jul 21, 2026 - 03:25

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Anthony Edwards knows he and LaMelo Ball will encounter some ups and downs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After pulling off one of the biggest trades of the offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves are headed into the 2026-27 season with a blockbuster backcourt. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball are fantastic players who could form the league's best guard partnership.

During his days with the Charlotte Hornets, Ball was already a top-tier playmaker. Now that he is in Minnesota, he could be even better because he is playing alongside a superstar like Edwards in a high-octane offense under head coach Chris Finch.

Anthony Edwards admits he expects some obstacles alongside LaMelo Ball

After multiple years of playing with frontcourt partners like Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle, Edwards finally has a backcourt partner to work alongside. While he has done a wonderful job filling in as the primary ball-handler, everyone knows that Ant is a true shooting guard.

Now that Ball is on the Timberwolves, they have a clearer dynamic under Finch. Ball will be the primary playmaker for the team, while they still have a fantastic foundation with Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. It is the same core that helped them to two Western Conference Final appearances over the past three years.

MORE:Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball are already working on their chemistry

Adding Ball to that core only improves the roster. Of course, it is not all sunshine and rainbows for the Timberwolves. Edwards himself admits that it won't be a perfect partnership at first because he thinks there will be some problems here and there.

"It’s definitely going to be ups and downs. First year together maybe a lot of downs. We’ll celebrate both of them. Celebrate the ups, celebrate the downs," Edwards said to Taylor Rooks at Fanatics Fest.

This is a fair perspective from a superstar like Edwards. He knows that he and Ball are a good fit alongside each other, but there will be some humps they have to go through. Thankfully, he has a healthy outlook on it, which bodes well for the Timberwolves because their star player is being realistic and ambitious.

If this works out, Edwards will be the key to unlocking the team's potential because he found the best way to work with another top-tier guard.