Chris Finch is a huge believer in his new Minnesota Timberwolves backcourt of LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards, even if he expects some growing pains along the way.
"There's tremendous potential for those guys to be dynamic, explosive, entertaining, all of that stuff," Finch told Yahoo Sports' Kelly Iko.
"We're looking at idealized versions of everybody when we make these kinds of guesses, but that's also part of our job to try and predict these things. I think the ceiling is extremely high, but we have lots of work to do to solidify it."
Edwards and Ball took the court as teammates for the first time in Monday's 116-97 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Ball finished with 11 points and three assists in his unofficial team debut, with two of his assists setting up Edwards in different spots.
In their first connection, Ball dished it to Edwards for a clean three after blowing by Kevin Porter Jr. and drawing in Edwards' defender, Jaime Jaquez Jr., off the perimeter.
This is exactly what we envisioned in a LaMelo Ball - Anthony Edwards freelance pairing. LaMelo draws KPJ out with a deep fake, drives the gap, Jaime Jaquez helps off the strong-side corner, Ant drills the three. https://t.co/GlYUD98l4m
— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) October 6, 2026
The two then worked a pick-and-roll in the second quarter that led to a fadeaway two for Edwards. Finch rested the duo in the second half after they combined for 25 points through the first two quarters.
"He was great tonight," Edwards said after Ball's first preseason appearance, per Iko. "Y'all know. He plays like his hair is on fire. He gets everybody involved.
"He talked more than I expected throughout the game. That's another big one for me, especially because I love people who talk. Let us know what you see."
Ball and Edwards will have plenty more opportunities to improve their chemistry before the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Minnesota has five preseason games left before it opens its season on Oct. 21 on the road against the Miami Heat.
