Bad news for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards will be sidelined with a right knee injury at the most critical point of the NBA season. The franchise announced that the guard will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks after missing the matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
Knee inflammation: what happened to Edwards
Medical tests revealed inflammation in his right knee with no further details provided regarding any structural damage.
The franchise stated that updates will only come after the next evaluation, leaving the actual return timeline for the 2001-born star uncertain.
A major absence in the playoff race
Edwards’ absence comes at a crucial moment: Minnesota currently sits sixth in the Western Conferencewith the Suns right behind. Despite a recent head-to-head win, Phoenix still holds the season tiebreaker (2-1).
Head coach Chris Finch tried to downplay the impact of the injury, emphasizing a key point:
We’ve been through this before. Ant has played in about 95% of the available games in his career, which is extremely rare. This year we’ve had to deal with his absence more often. We have to respond and play better as a team, without thinking one person can replace his scoring
Chris Finch
Finch also clarified that the decision to shut down Edwards was not purely technical:
It’s a decision that goes well beyond my role, made together with the medical staff and doctors
Chris Finch
Signs of struggle had already emerged in the recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder: Edwards finished with 19 points but on poor efficiency (6-of-17 shooting) and just one field goal attempt in the fourth quarter clearly limited by the knee issue.
Historically, Edwards has been extremely durable: just nine games missed over the previous three seasons. This year, however, he’s already at 10 absences – a number that could also impact his chances in the individual awards race.
With 14 games left to play, he can afford to miss no more than six to remain eligible.
The schedule doesn’t help the T-Wolves
The matchup against the Suns was only the first leg of a back-to-back: the Timberwolves will return to action immediately against the Utah Jazz, but once again without their team leader.
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