The Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t had many leaders on their team that possess the kind of talent that Anthony Edwards has. After the Wolves lost their first game of the regular season, the former No. 1 overall pick took on the leadership role, and that’s important for the organization’s success.

Minnesota has had its leaders in the past, but they were never good enough where other players would gravitate towards them. There’s been Ricky Rubio, Taj Gibson and even Jeff Teague in recent years. The best leader the Timberwolves have brought in since Kevin Garnett was Jimmy Butler.

Butler had the talent that allowed him to tell players like it is and warrant their respect. Well… maybe not Karl-Anthony Towns, but that’s a story for another day.

Towns has attempted to be the leader of this team, but if we’re being honest, he hasn’t done the best job. It’s admirable to see him shoulder the blame and support his teammates, but what the Timberwolves need is accountability.

We’ve seen that with Patrick Beverley, and you can see other players have reacted positively to that.

The Timberwolves lost their first game of the season to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, and Edwards’ postgame interview was noteworthy. We’re used to seeing the Georgia Bulldog take on the funny-uplifting personality, but that person was absent after the loss.

There aren’t many players who have the stature to talk to Towns and D’Angelo Russell in a demanding/authoritative voice, but Edwards can, and that’s important.

“I’m gonna start talking more as far as, ‘you need to lock in, bruh. Pass the ball. Four people on you, pass the ball, know what I’m sayin?’ I’m finna start talking a lot more. It’ll be better coming from me.”

This is a great sign from Edwards, and there needs to be a voice to hold KAT and Russell accountable. If there isn’t someone taking that role, Minnesota won’t hit their full potential.

When listening to him speak after the game, you could sense his frustration. The Pelicans were 0-3 and without Zion Williamson, but it was a game Minnesota shouldn’t have lost.

Anthony Edwards: "Yeah, wake-up call for sure. Lock in. Lock the fuck in. Everybody coming in here thinking it’s sweet playing the Pelicans. Whooped our ass. Now our back’s on the wall again. We got to wake up."

— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) October 26, 2021

Edwards is only 20 years old. 20!

He can’t even buy alcohol yet, but here he is, dominating the NBA and holding his teammates accountable. Rarely do you see a 20-year-old take on a leadership role, but this is just the beginning.

If he continues to play and speak up as he has, Edwards is going to quickly become the face of the franchise and a player Minnesota builds around. There’s been a lot of fans discussing whose team this is or which window the Timberwolves will lean towards. It’s starting to become more evident that if Minnesota had to make a decision today, they’d choose Edwards.

Sure, they can continue to pay and extend Russell and Towns, but if things don’t work out, they’ll be looking in the direction of the 20-year-old.

Edwards speaking up and becoming a leader of this team is big for the Timberwolves’ success this season and for the future.