Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with a bone bruise and hyperextended left knee, per ESPN. The All-Star guard sustained the injury in Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. The Wolves, who also lost starting guard Donte DiVincenzo in the game to a torn Achilles, went on to win Game 4 and lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.
The injury occurred in the second quarter, when Edwards elevated to challenge Cam Johnson’s shot at the rim. As he landed, his leg locked up, and he immediately fell to the ground, grabbing at his left knee in pain. He was helped to the locker room as he couldn’t put any weight on the leg, and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
There was some initial fear that Edwards suffered a more significant injury, but imaging verified there was no ligament damage to the knee.
While they still managed to come away with a 112-96 win in Game 4, thanks to Ayo Dosunmu putting on a superhero cape to record the most points (43) by a reserve in 50 years, the rest of the postseason becomes much more daunting for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards injury return timeline
If the Wolves finish off the Nuggets without Edwards, they’ll likely be facing Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the second round. That was always going to be an uphill battle for the Wolves, but the mismatch will be even more magnified now that Edwards will miss several weeks.
The second round of the playoffs will begin by May 5 and stretch through mid-May. Edwards’ multi-week recovery timeline means he’d likely miss at least the first four or five games of a second-round series and could be sidelined for the entire round.
Minnesota’s offense hinges on Edwards’ offensive versatility and dominance. He forces the defense to make difficult decisions in either doubling him, which runs the risk of leaving someone else open, or play Edwards straight up and be vulnerable to his ability to attack the rim at will. You take that offensive engine away, and the Timberwolves are left with a massive hole that will force this team to play differently going forward.
Ant’s impact
Wolves this season with and without Anthony Edwards (including playoffs)
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40-25
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Record
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12-9
|
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114.6
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Offensive rating
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112.0
|
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111.0
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Defensive rating
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106.1
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It’s going to mean more reliance on Julius Randle, who has struggled to efficiently score in the playoffs so far. Randle is shooting just 42% from the floor, and while Dosunmu’s performance saved the Wolves in Game 4, Randle wasn’t as effective as he should’ve been once Ant went down. It’s not a matter of being more aggressive, because Randle’s attempting 15 shots a game, but his shot selection has to be better with Edwards out the next few weeks.
Dosunmu’s time to shine
With Edwards out, the Wolves will likely be moving Dosunmu into the starting lineup. They obviously can’t expect him to go supernova every game, but his emergence as a scorer in this lineup since being traded to the Wolves in February should be somewhat comforting in the wake of the Edwards news. Dosunmu isn’t just a scorer, he’s an incredibly efficient one. His 58.7% effective field goal percentage ranks in the 94th percentile amongst combo guards in the league.
Dosunmu gets to the rim at a higher rate than even Edwards does, and ranks fourth amongst combo guards on non-corner 3s this season. His usage rate certainly plays a role in that, as he’s never been the primary scorer on the Wolves or even on the Bulls over the last four seasons. But in the last two games against the Nuggets, Dosunmu proved that even if he’s taking more shot attempts, his efficiency doesn’t waver. We’ll see if that continues to hold true with Edwards out and more defensive attention on him, because the Wolves are going to need Dosunmu to captain the backcourt for the time being.
But it won’t just be all on Dosunmu and Randle. Naz Reid, who’s struggling to connect from 3-point range, will need to break out of his slump for the Wolves to have a chance in the second round. It’s going to be an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Timberwolves from here on out, because it’s going to take everyone operating at peak levels to account for the loss of Edwards, as well as DiVincenzo.
