The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the best teams in the NBA all season long. The squad recently clinched a playoff spot, avoiding a third straight trip to the NBA play-in tournament. They’ve been able to do this without one of their all-stars during the stretch run. However, there is now some optimism that a key piece for the T-Wolves could be back sooner, rather than later.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns may come back from injury early
The Minnesota Timberwolves All-star center Karl-Anthony Towns has been on the sidelines for about a month after suffering a knee injury in a March 4 game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on March 12. It was reported that he may miss the remainder of the regular season and could return for the playoffs.
Now, reports are that Towns is ahead of schedule in his recovers and could get some work in during the team’s final handful of regular season games. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, The Athletic’s Shams Charania stated that there is “optimism“ that Karl-Anthony Towns could return from his torn meniscus before the end of the regular season.
"I do think the Minnesota Timberwolves have enough because this team has all the ingredients..
Anthony Edwards is one of the faces of the NBA already and Karl-Anthony Towns could be back before the end of the regular season" @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/MRmdiyJyUp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 2, 2024
Minnesota Timberwolves current majority owner Glen Taylor also recently told local sports reporter Darren Wolfson that Towns is “ahead of schedule“ in his recovery. However, there is still “no firm timetable” for his return.
What Town’s return could mean for the Minnesota Timberwolves
Since Towns went down, the Minnesota Timberwolves have gone 9-4 in his absence. They’ve been able to stay in contention for the No. One seed in the Western Conference without him. However, reintegrating 22 ppg unicorn is no easy feat. Head coach Chris Finch will have his work cut out for him as he tries to slide Towns back into this well-oiled machine.
First things first, the Timberwolves are not a better team without Karl-Anthony Towns. The team was 43-19 after he played his last game. He is also one of the team’s best shooters, hitting his 3-point shots at a 42.3% clip. However, Towns has not been around for this recent stretch where typically NBA teams want to be finalizing their rotations and playing their best basketball heading into the postseason.
Also, without Towns in the Minnesota Timberwolves lineup, we’ve seen Anthony Edwards take his game to another level. During the last 13 games, Edwards has averaged 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Not to mention the viral highlight plays he’s been making, cementing his place as the Wolves franchise player.
I don’t think Towns will have an issue being the clear No. 2 on the team. However, there will no doubt be some rust he needs to shake off. The hope is that playing in a few of these final games will help KAT get back in the flow of things. Regardless, trying to figure out how to add in an All-Star caliber player before the playoffs is not the worst problem a contending Minnesota Timberwolves team could have.
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