After receiving devastating injury news about Anthony Edwards yesterday, the Minnesota Timberwolves took the court for the first time without their superstar against the Golden State Warriors.

There were many potential concerns about how the Wolves will look without Edwards, but the Timberwolves seem confident they can survive the next couple of months without their best player.

"We have enough talent to hold water as the regular season goes on," Timberwolves general manager told Jason DeRusha on WCCO Radio. "When [Edwards] comes back, he’ll be rested. He’ll be healthy. And the rest of the team will have had an opportunity to gain the confidence needed to help push him, and he helps everyone else.”

Timberwolves President Tim Connelly had a similar message earlier in the day, telling reporters, "I think there was a bit of a proof of concept last year in the Playoffs where we were able to play without Ant. I think we have great depth at that position, and I’m confident in the guys we have.”

The Wolves ultimately fell to the Warriors by five points after trailing by as many as 24 in the middle of the game. While the Wolves' performance was less than inspiring, there were still plenty of takeaways that will apply to this extended period of time when Edwards will be on the bench.

Life will be harder for LaMelo Ball

LaMelo Ball, plainly put, had a dreadful game against the Warriors. He scored only eight points on 3-for-11 shooting, including 2-for-8 from beyond the arc. He did have eight assists, but also had six turnovers, which were the lone worry about Ball's game coming out of the preseason.

Without Edwards, the Timberwolves simply need more from Ball if they are going to win enough games. Minnesota will need him to pick up some of the scoring load from Edwards, keep the ball moving for the offense, and limit turnovers to a much greater degree.

That is much easier said than done, as Ball will not see the other team's best perimeter defender each night. Ball has shown some struggles with opponents playing physical with him, and he is about to see a whole lot more of it with his starting backcourt mate out hurt.

Ball has been a highly productive NBA player as a lead creator for many seasons. He has seen every different thing a defense can throw at him. This one can probably be written off as one bad game, but the importance of Ball in limiting it to just that is immense for Minnesota.

Defensive intensity suffers

The Timberwolves had many problems guarding the Warriors. They had no answer for Steph Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg, who combined for 70 points.

With Jaden McDaniels set to take on more of the offensive responsibilities, there is a chance that his defensive game suffers a bit. Tonight, Curry got to wherever he wanted to on the court. Curry also generated 16 free throws, which speaks to the Wolves' poor attention to detail and care on that end of the floor.

For Lendeborg, the Wolves did not have a great defensive matchup for him, a common theme with big and strong power forwards. Rudy Gobert, who had a rough game and played only 20 minutes, might have been the best option to slow Lendeborg instead of putting him on the less lethal Draymond Green.

The Wolves looked like a completely different team on the defensive end of the floor this game. Some of that is missing Edwards, who is a quality perimeter defender when he wants to be, but most of it felt like the Wolves were missing his spirit and competitiveness.

Terrence Shannon Jr. ready for more on-ball reps

Terrence Shannon Jr. is likely to be the player who will see the largest increase in their role during Edwards' absence. Shannon Jr. has always played better with the ball in his hands, and now he will get plenty of those opportunities.

On the first night as the team's new sixth man, Shannon Jr. thrived. He put up 19 points and six rebounds. His most valuable skill, not surprisingly, was pushing the ball in transition for easy points, which led to ten free-throw attempts in this game.

The key for Shannon Jr. will be the defensive side of the floor. Playing consistent, quality defense without fouling. Like many other Wolves players in this game, Shannon Jr. was often out of position, which led to many easy baskets for the Warriors.

Chris Finch said last season they made a mistake playing Shannon Jr. solely out of the corner without the ball in his hands. Now is the time that will be put to the test, as the Timberwolves will be relying on Shannon Jr. to pick up the scoring load left with Edwards injured and Ayo Dosunmu now in the starting lineup.

Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark succeed in new roles

In the third quarter, the Wolves found themselves down by 20 points and in search of a spark. They found it with Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark, who turned the game around and allowed the Wolves to nearly complete a huge comeback.

Hyland knocked down four shots, including three from deep, as he scored a total of 14 points. His up-tempo play style was infectious, and he was also a quality distributor in the second half, racking up three assists in just 16 minutes on the court.

“I think it’s more pace now. More running," Hyland said before the game about what the team needs. "A lot of up-and-down, more excitement too as well. A lot of player stepping up. We got a lot of versatility so I think it’s gonna be good for us."

Clark had a similar impact in his short seven minutes on the court. He blew up the Warriors on offense multiple times and knocked down one of his two three-pointers from the corner.

Until Edwards or Donte DiVincenzo returns, both Hyland and Clark should see plenty of time on the court. The Wolves' comeback came a few points short. Nonetheless, it was good to see a little fight from the bench unit after the new starting group was unable to find any rhythm until very late in the game.