Anthony Edwards Loses Award Eligibility

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Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves have their sights set on making their first ever run to the NBA Finals this postseason, following back-to-back losses in the Western Conference Finals.

Unfortunately, at 46-29 with seven games left to play (including tonight against Detroit), the Wolves seem to have the most inconsistent group in the past three years. And for much of the 2025-26 season, they’ve looked like anything but NBA Finals contenders.

Without a doubt, the availability of superstar Anthony Edwards has been one of many reasons for this season’s inconsistencies. To this point in his career, Ant has been an NBA ironman, playing 72 or more games in each of his first five professional seasons.

MN Timberwolves Anthony Edwards no longer eligible for 2025-26 NBA awards

But his troubles staying staying on the floor this year has indeed come back to haunt him. On Thursday night, Edwards was ruled out of the Wolves’ 76th game of the season, in Detroit, with an illness.

Tonight’s game against the Pistons would have been Ant’s 60th. However, one of the 59 games Edwards played in earlier this season (Oct. 26 vs Indiana) only lasted three minutes. Thus, the 24-year-old superstar had no wiggle room remaining.

He needed to play in all of Minnesota’s final seven games, in order to reach 65 games played and qualify for this year’s slate of regular season awards. So when Ant was ruled out Friday just before tipoff, it was costly to say the least.

It’s an unfortunate development for Edwards, who was named an All-Star for the fourth straight season and most certainly would’ve taken home his third career All-NBA selection, had he remained eligible. His 29.3 points per game are a career-best. So too is his 49.3% from the field.

Edwards can focus on health for MN Timberwolves playoff run

At least the Minnesota Timberwolves can expect to get Anthony Edwards back long before the start of their playoff run, unlike Jaden McDaniels, who is out the rest of the season with Patella Tendinopathy.

But now that Ant can’t win any individual awards anyway, he and the Wolves can focus on making sure he is fully healthy for the playoffs too.

Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Entering tonight’s game, the Timberwolves hold the six seed in the Western Conference, with a 4.5 game cushion on the 7th place Phoenix Suns. Unless something goes drastically wrong, they are pretty much locked into the playoffs, without having to fight through the play-in first.

Meanwhile, just 3.5 games separate Minnesota from the third-seed Los Angeles Lakers. In other words, winning still matters so the sooner Anthony Edwards can get back in the lineup, the better.

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