The Minnesota Timberwolves' season is spiraling, as they are just 1-4 in their past five games. Needless to say, the timing is less than ideal with seeding on the line during the stretch run of the season. Timberwolves fans got more bad news on Tuesday when it was announced that Anthony Edwards will miss at least a week with a knee injury.
On Monday, Edwards was ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Timberwolves PR later confirmed that this won't be a one-off injury on Tuesday, as Edwards will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks with right knee inflammation.Â
Ant has dealt with lingering knee and foot issues, but has mainly played through them. Hopefully, Ant will rest up and be energized for the playoffs. Nevertheless, for a Timberwolves squad that is desperately fighting for seeding, this is a concerning sign. Plus, if he's being re-evaluated in one to two weeks, there's an unfortunate chance that this injury stretches on.
Luckily, there's reason to believe that Edwards will return on or ahead of schedule. Earlier in the year, Ant-Man missed four games with a hamstring injury when he was widely expected to be out for longer.
Losing Anthony Edwards for part of the stretch run could be costly
Currently, the Timberwolves hold the No. 6 seed and are just two games ahead of the Play-In Tournament. Sure, on the optimistic side, they're also just two games back from the No. 3 seed. Regardless, with how the Wolves are playing right now and Edwards' absence, it's hard to be optimistic.
Tuesday's game against the Suns is a crucial test for the Edwards-less Wolves as Phoenix currently sits at the No. 7 seed. The best-case scenario is that Edwards misses four games and returns for a crucial showdown with the Houston Rockets next Wednesday.
Even still, staying afloat without Edwards will be challenging. In addition to the Suns, the Boston Celtics pose a difficult matchup -- the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz can't be taken lightly, especially without Ant.
The Timberwolves' offense is extremely dependent on Ant. Unfortunately, this dependence on Edwards has only increased lately. In the past five games, Edwards has led the way, averaging 29 points. Julius Randle (16.2 points) is the only other player averaging more than 15 points. Averaging 7.4 points apiece, Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo are both slumping over the past five games. Furthermore, they are both shooting below 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Ideally, these key players can get back on track without Ant. However, there's also a strong possibility that things spiral even worse and the Wolves find themselves in an undesirable spot in the playoffs.