A video taken during Tuesday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers appears to show Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards exchanging words with someone.
"You’ve been hurt for 2 years n***a."
– Anthony Edwards to Jarred Vanderbilt
(h/t @LeagueAlerts )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 23, 2024
In the video, Edwards can be heard saying, “You’ve been hurt for two years,” leading to some folks speculating that he was chirping at Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt hasn’t exactly been hurt for two entire years, but injuries did derail his 2023-24 season, and he is still sidelined as the 2024-25 season gets underway.
The 25-year-old was limited to 29 games and six starts last season. When he did take the floor, he averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
The season prior, he landed with the Lakers in a midseason trade, and he helped L.A. reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Vanderbilt was an important piece for the 2022-23 Lakers, making his injury issues last season particularly troubling.
With any luck, he’ll be able to play a key role for the team this season. He projects as an important frontcourt piece for J.J. Redick’s squad.
While it’s hard to be certain exactly who Edwards was speaking to during Tuesday’s game, his intensity wasn’t enough to get Minnesota in the win column. Los Angeles earned a 110-103 victory to start the season 1-0 and send the Timberwolves to 0-1.
Edwards finished the game with 27 points, six rebounds and three assists. He led his team in scoring, but Lakers big man Anthony Davis was the MVP of the night, as he totaled 36 points, 16 boards, four assists, one steal and three blocks.
The Lakers and Wolves will meet again two more times during the regular season. The next meeting will come on Dec. 2, and the following one will come on Feb. 27. There’s a chance that both Edwards and Vanderbilt will be on the floor during those two meetings, which could be interesting if Vanderbilt is indeed who Edwards was chirping at.
For now, the two teams will focus on moving forward with their seasons until they meet again.
