DETROIT – If you walk into the Timberwolves locker room, or anywhere in its vicinity after a Wolves victory, the loudest voice you're going to hear is Anthony Edwards'.
After Sunday's victory over the Rockets, even in a matchup that was closer than the Wolves would have liked, Edwards' booming voice was leading the postgame celebrations, and anyone walking in the hallway near the locker room could hear it.
Edwards can talk, and his energy is infectious, but one of the qualities that has most impressed his veteran teammates is his listening, and his desire for players and the coaching staff to dish out tips and constructive criticism.
"He's a great kid. He wants to learn, wants to get better," forward Kyle Anderson said. "He's going to take everything for what you say and apply it or do what he wants with it. But he's never going to give you a bad attitude, or not want to hear what you got to say or never too full of himself. He wants to learn."
Edwards said he has taken it upon himself to be that way as an example to the rest of the team that nobody is above receiving coaching or critiques to their game. Guard Austin Rivers has said players aren't afraid to even yell at Edwards out of fear he might get upset or hurt by what they say, since it's all coming from a good place.
"I try to be the most coachable player on the team just to show everybody else," Edwards said. "Even with Finchy [coach Chris Finch], he cuss me out every day. But I know it's all love, just to show the guys he can do it to them, too."
This has been an important quality for Edwards over the last few weeks because with Karl-Anthony Towns out with a right calf injury, Edwards has shouldered more playmaking and offensive responsibility.
He admits he doesn't always know what to run in certain situations, and he often looks to Finch midgame for that guidance. Earning Finch's trust in those situations has been important for Edwards.
Even when Edwards makes the incorrect play, his teammates can see he is trying to process the game as best he can, and make the best play possible.
"He might force it sometimes, which is going to happen naturally, with how much the ball is in his hands," Rivers said. "No one gets mad just because the kid's trying to make the right play every time, and he's super competitive. He wants to take on the world. So we never get frustrated with him. We just try to teach him, talk to him. He's 21 and learning."
Edwards isn't afraid to be braggadocious. His many viral quotes and video clips involve him talking to himself, like saying he can excel at any sport he tries, to be "A-1 from day one." Or when he said last season he loves all of his shots, no matter how bad the shot selection may be.
But center Rudy Gobert said beneath that surface there is more than bravado.
"He wants to win, and he has the extreme confidence, but at the same time, he has the humility to understand that he's 21 years old and he's still very young in his career and I don't think he's where he wants to be as a player yet," Gobert said. "I think it's great for him to be around guys that have been through a little more and it's to his benefit to be willing to listen."
Listen, process, then act. Edwards has been trying to perfect those three qualities as the team has asked more of him over the past six weeks. Even if he falls short in certain moments, his teammates say it won't be for lack of trying.
"Usually a guy like that, it's hard to talk to sometimes just because they got everything," Rivers said. "But he doesn't act like that. He just continually wants to get better."
