The Minnesota Timberwolves had quite the scare when team leader All-Star PF/C Karl-Anthony Towns fell to the basketball court, clutching at the lower part of his right leg. While that type of injury could turn out to be a wide range of injuries that have yet to be determined, the absence of KAT in the Timberwolves’ starting lineup will prove to be a significant challenge for this team.
The Timberwolves not only rely heavily upon Karl-Anthony Towns’ ability to score points, as he is currently the second-leading scorer on the roster with 20.8 points per game, but he is second on the team with rebounds (8.2 rebounds per game) and assists (5.3 assists per game). And for a player who averages an incredible 33.8 minutes per game, his absence will create headaches for head coach Chris Finch.
While Timberwolves fans gasped at the thought of KAT being out for a substantial amount of time, the Timberwolves front office had already placed the call for reinforcements. Who would it be? Would the team try to make do with their current roster?
Surprise call-up for Timberwolves
Someone with the Timberwolves front office must have been paying attention to what has been happening with their G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, so far. There is a player who has been playing lights out, and we have mentioned him several times already. Guess who it is?
NEWS: @Timberwolves transfer center Luka Garza from G League affiliate @iawolves.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 29, 2022
In 7 games with Iowa this season, Garza, who was named G League Player of the Week today, is averaging 27.3 points on 67.6% from the field, including 55.2% from three and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Bringing up Luka Garza is an inspired decision for the Timberwolves at this point in time for several reasons. First and foremost, getting Garza into the Timberwolves’ rotation this early will create an immediate pulse on just how far he has developed, and whether or not it is time to expand his role with the Timberwolves now, or return him to the Wolves with a new plan to develop him further.
GAMEDAY back at the crib. 🏠 pic.twitter.com/NPawVyAhRn
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 30, 2022
Garza checks almost all of the boxes for the Timberwolves’ needs right now. He can score plenty of points, he can haul in plenty of rebounds, but best of all, he has such a sweet and deliberate perimeter shot. Even if he regresses a bit in the transition to NBA competition initially, he has the chance to absorb some crucial minutes for the team, as well as spark a burst of offense when he enters the game off the bench.
Garza could be just what the doctor ordered right now, as the Timberwolves are struggling with scoring from the perimeter. And the timing for his NBA extended work is great, as the Timberwolves can determine if he is already outplaying his Two-Way contract, or needs more time competing in the G-League before calling him up again.