Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns is reportedly suffering from a torn meniscus and will undergo surgery to fix it, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to the report, he will be re-evaluated in a month’s time, with the hope of being able to return in time for the playoffs.
Towns had already been ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to what was first diagnosed as knee pain, despite earlier reports that day indicating he was suffering from a torn meniscus. It is not known when he was first injured.
It’s a blow for a Timberwolves team that is slightly holding the Western Conference seeding spot. The team is 44-19 and one game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-19), 1. 5 games ahead of the defending champion Denver Nuggets (42-20). and 3 games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers (40-21).
Between now and the end of their regular season on April 14, the Wolves will face the Nuggets 3 times and the Clippers once. They will do it without the cities.
The 28-year-old had a strong season in the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 22. 1 points and 8. 4 rebounds while shooting 50. 6% from the box and 42. 3% from three. With Minnesota now led by young superstar Anthony Edwards, Towns’ ability to serve as a second scorer, a smart rebounder and wonderful space on the court have been valuable.
Without him, Edwards is on an island as a scorer, as fellow starters Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels will likely fill him with offensive threats.
That Thursday night, when the Wolves needed 44 issues and an epic block from Ant to get a win in Indiana:
Anthony ?Edwards scores pts and flies away for an INCREDIBLE last-second rejection to seal the victory for the Timberwolves. pic. twitter. com/lQUyMfbYSV
Gobert is the team’s second-leading scorer with 18 points.
In Towns’ absence on Thursday, Kyle Anderson entered the starting lineup, even though Nickeil Alexander-Walker also spent 28 minutes off the bench and made 17 starts this season. Undoubtedly, Minnesota’s offense and intensity will be put to the test without KAT.