Charles Barkley blasts Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and $110,000,000 star amid Karl-Anthony Towns' scorching run with Knicks

The Minnesota Timberwolves are struggling after breaking up the partnership between Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota traded "KAT" to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo after reaching the Western Conference Finals last season.

The move seemed to have backfired as the Timberwolves hold a 17-15 record heading into their Thursday game in Boston.

Charles Barkley, covering the Timberwolves-Celtics game on "Inside the NBA", did not hold back in his comments:

“They really miss KAT. When Rudy Gobert’s in the game, they’re playing 5 on 4, because Rudy’s not scoring. They really have screwed up Naz Reid. He’s not getting any shots at all, because, Julius Randle is a good player, but he’s so ball dominant.”

Barkley did not spare Anthony Edwards: either

“Anthony Edwards has regressed. He’s become an outside shooter. He’s not aggressive like he was last year. … Last year, ‘This dude like Michael Jordan.’ They just both black. He’s not Michael Jordan.”

Last season, "Ant-Man" averaged 6.7 attempts from deep, a figure that spiked to 9.7 this season. Without Karl-Anthony Towns, who also loved to hoist shots from behind the arc, Edwards can be more aggressive with his 3-point shooting. Edwards is making 41.5% of his shots from that range, but his team has lacked the dynamism and unpredictability when "KAT" was on the roster.

Edwards recognized what was ailing the Timberwolves when he said that his team has no “offensive identity.” Barkley highlighted Rudy Gobert, who signed a three-year, $109.5 million extension in October last year, getting his shots off missed attempts or lobs. Julius Randle is averaging 19.9 points per game as a ball-dominant power forward.

The season is still long, giving Anthony Edwards and Co. enough time to turn things around. Barkley, though, had plenty to say of their performance roughly three months into the season.

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Anthony Edwards and Co. suffer lopsided loss in Karl-Anthony Towns’ return to Minnesota

Anthony Edwards expressed excitement heading into the Timberwolves’ mid-December showdown in Minnesota against Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks. The excitement turned to utter frustration after the visitors drubbed the hosts 133-107.

After the game, Edwards said:

“We don't have s**t on offense. We don't have no identity. I mean, we know I'm going to shoot a bunch of shots, we know Ju going to shoot a bunch of shots and that's all we know. We don't really know anything else.”

Julius Randle did not even greet his former teammates, quickly leaving the floor once the game ended. Rudy Gobert sauntered before dejectedly joining Randle in the locker room. Karl-Anthony Towns held court after an impressive return.

It seems like New York decisively won the biggest offseason trade last year.