It hasn’t taken long for Anthony Edwards to cement himself as one of the brightest young players in the league. But after back-to-back Conference Finals appearances in a brutal Western Conference, the hope had to be that his team could take a major step forward this season.
But they have continued to toil away in the middle of the pack, as other squads have boasted better regular seasons so far. A strong stretch run could set the Minnesota Timberwolves up for a deep playoff run. But an injury to their superstar has made that path even harder.
Anthony Edwards Remains Out of the Timberwolves Lineup
The first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Edwards barely took any time to become a legitimately impactful performer. Nearing 20 points per game as a rookie, he’s eclipsed that mark in each subsequent season of his career.
Simultaneously, he’s elevated his game in the postseason, making the Timberwolves a perennial threat in the West, including two consecutive trips to the penultimate round. This year, though, has been underwhelming for the team as a whole.
Edwards has been his usual excellent self once again, averaging a career high with 29.5 points while shooting nearly 50% from the field and over 40% from 3-point territory. But the team as a whole hasn’t been able to take that next leap forward.
As of this writing, they sit as the No. 5 seed in the West with a 44-28 record. But just two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 3 seed, they have a chance to take some major strides forward before the season comes to a close.
Each game is vitally important for them at this stage, particularly against the team directly behind them in the standings, the Houston Rockets. However, the opportunity to move higher has been made even more difficult by Edwards’ injury.
After a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-103, his right knee soreness worsened, with the official diagnosis being right knee inflammation. As a result, he was scheduled to miss at least one week.
Since then, he’s remained out of the lineup for the Timberwolves, even as the team has gone 3-1. Unfortunately, they might have to soldier on without Edwards for a while longer. As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported, the four-time All-Star remains limited to individual workouts.
With no clear timetable for a return, the team may have to go through the rest of the regular season without him on the court.
