When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded away Karl-Anthony Towns and his $220 million contract, it was expected that many of Towns’ offensive duties and the resulting defensive attention would fall to rising superstar Anthony Edwards.

So far it’s not working.

The Timberwolves lost 118-115 to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, dropping their record to 17-16 a year after reaching the Western Conference finals with a 56-26 record. It was a tough game for Edwards, who shot 5 of 16 for 15 points to go along with six assists and two turnovers.

Edwards had a lot to say after the game about the double teams he faced. Speaking to reporters, including Dane Moore, Edwards said he was not interested in a style of play that would require him to avoid double teams:

Edwards also said that it was “super hard” to stay involved in a double team and that he wasn’t sure what to do:

That’s not exactly what you want to hear from the young player who is the foundation of your team’s entire future. It’s also not hard to imagine every NBA team reading these words and interpreting them as “Keep double-teaming Anthony Edwards.” It works.” interpreted.

Instead of taking another leap in Town’s absence, Edwards was about as productive overall as he was last year, but not as much in the last two weeks. During that time, he made 39.3% of his shots and scored 18.9 points per game as Minnesota went 3-5.

Of course, Edwards isn’t the first young player to face regular double teams. It’s basically a rite of passage for NBA superstars, and the answer is always to either learn how to score through those double teams or make teams more afraid of the possibility of finding the open man. The strange thing is that Edwards bluntly says he has little interest in the second option.

Fortunately, he and the Timberwolves have plenty of time to make adjustments. Their next chance to take a step forward is Saturday’s road game against the Detroit Pistons.