Anthony Edwards left as referee after Minnesota’s loss to Golden State on Saturday at Target Center, saying the referees were “terrible.”
“The reasons they’re calling a foul, the reasons they’re not calling a foul, that was devastating,” Edwards said. “They don’t want to talk back to my coach, they don’t want to talk back to me. I say one thing to the referee and they give me a tech. … They’re just sensitive and terrible. They never give us the advantage. They punish me and (Julius Randle) for being stronger than our opponent every night. We’re not getting any calls. So yes, that’s how I feel about the referees in every match we play.”
Edwards said the lack of foul calls affects the way he plays, insinuating that he attacks the rim less because those drives aren’t rewarded with whistles.
“I’m being punished because I’m stronger than my opponent, so they get the benefit of the doubt,” Edwards said. “They bump into me the same way they bump into everyone else, and I never get any calls.”
Edwards’ free throw percentage has dropped significantly this season, although that has coincided with the spike in his three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Randle’s free throw volume is on par with what it was during his time with the Knicks.
As a team, the Wolves don’t shoot many free throws. They receive just 20.6 per game, the sixth fewest in the League. But on the other hand, their opponents are shooting just 19.1 free throws per game, the fourth fewest in the NBA. Minnesota’s opponents are called for more fouls per game than the Wolves. In general, Wolves matches are handled with a looser whistle. That favors a team like Minnesota, which tends to play such a physical defense that came in handy in last year’s playoffs.
The one thing teams generally ask for is consistency, and the data suggests Minnesota is getting exactly that. But it’s not surprising when an established star like Edwards is alarmed that he doesn’t get into the charity sphere as often as his peers. But the reality is he doesn’t attack as often as a guy like Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who lives at the free throw line in part because he leads the NBA with more than 21 drives per game. By comparison, Edwards drives fewer than 13 times per game. That’s down from his 14.6 drives per game a year ago.
He can point to the lack of a whistle for that drop. But he’s also rightfully taking more three-point attempts with the improvement in his jump shot. And spacing has been a major problem for Minnesota’s offense, potentially limiting the creases for Edwards.
The star guard has been baffled all season by Minnesota’s lack of offensive prowess. He spoke about the team’s lack of an offensive identity after Thursday’s loss to the Knicks. The Wolves then scored 15 points in the first 18 minutes of Saturday’s loss to Golden State. But it only does so much good to continue to publicly harp on the same shortcomings of the team night after night. So Edwards took aim at another target within the officials.
Sure, there are times when Edwards makes a mistake and it doesn’t get called. He feels like he’s getting the short end of the stick. He’s also likely growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of offense in general in Minnesota. Saturday marked the fourth time in eight games that Edwards finished with fewer than 20 points. He’s shooting just 42.4 percent from the field over his last 18 games after a blistering start to the season.
Minnesota’s offensive production as a team has bottomed out during that period.
Nothing comes easy right now. Edwards doesn’t feel like officials are helping his case.
“It’s just hard when everyone keeps saying, ‘Play through it.’ Play through it,’” Edwards said. “It’s easy to say that if you don’t have to deal with it, it’s frustrating.”
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