Last week we reported that the Timberwolves star had fallen due to a torn meniscus and was expected to be out indefinitely. After further evaluation and subsequent surgery, he will now be out for a specific period of time, and it’s not a short one.
Karl Anthony Towns out for a month after knee surgery
According to a announcement of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cities of Karl-Anthony underwent surgery to repair his torn meniscus on Tuesday and will miss at least the next four weeks of the season. According to reports, the big man will be re-evaluated during the final week of the NBA regular season. This news is of course a major blow to the team’s ambitions after it was initially reported that Towns would return at some point early in the Western Conference playoffs.
While this might still be the case with the timeline mentioned above, it would be a mistake to consider it assured. At this point, there is still a long way to go before such a decision can be made, given the severity of what Towns suffered. Needless to say, if it were to turn out that he can’t return at all, it would pose a major challenge for a team that is currently #3 in the West and playing some of the best basketball of the league. As for Towns himself, he averaged 22.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season, which is one of the main reasons why the Timberwolves are where they are . With Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, the team was great.
So, what happens now for the Minnesota Timberwolves?
On both occasions Towns missed games this season before this moment, it was forward Kyle Anderson who started in his place. Next to Rudy Gobert, he’s actually been quite effective, just like he was last season when Towns missed 29 games. In addition, the composition allowed the Timberwolves to bring Naz Reid as one of the best reserves in the NBA, his contribution was welcome. Of course, it must be said that Reid was particularly effective on defense. As for the offense, there’s really no way to fill the void that Towns’ absence will create.
What we can expect is that Anthony Edwards – the Timberwolves’ leading scorer – will have less freedom in the future and much more production responsibility. Frankly, it may be that the lack of space for Edwards to operate in poses a bigger problem than the absence of Towns himself. When the 28-year-old left the court, the T-Wolves scored 106.1 points per 100 possessions, which was worse than the 30th-ranked Memphis Grizzlies offense. We don’t need to tell you that this isn’t ideal.
Regardless, the Wolves now have fewer than 20 games left before the end of the season and three of them are against the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets (March 19, March 29, April 10), who are now one match ahead of them in the standings. ranking with the No. 1 seed. With the cities available, the Timberwolves are more than a handful for the Nuggets as he can take on the responsibility of guarding Nikola Jokic. Without it, the perspective is completely different. That said, it’s worth noting that Minnesota signed the 30-year-old forward. TJ Warren to a 10-day contract on Wednesday. If he can provide some offensive production at the 4 spot off the bench, expect to see the veteran extend his stay because at this point, it’s a matter of all hands on deck for the Timberwolves.
