Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns suffered a torn left meniscus on March 4 and underwent successful surgery a week later with the hopes of returning to the court during the NBA playoffs. Now, it seems like the Timberwolves' star could be ahead of schedule and ready for the opening round of postseason play.
Towns, who has missed the team's last 16 games with his meniscus injury, recently participated in his first team scrimmage on Sunday, leading to a level of optimism that he will be able to return before the playoffs start on April 20, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Without Towns, the Timberwolves have posted an 11-5 record behind Anthony Edwards' brilliance. In these 16 games Minnesota has been without their big man, Edwards has averaged 25.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor. His leadership, plus the Timberwolves' team defense, has really helped pave the road for this team's potential success heading into the playoffs.
Naz Reid has also been one of the main reasons why the Timberwolves have been able to maintain their position at the top of the Western Conference standings without Towns, as the potential Sixth Man of the Year has averaged 18.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from deep without Towns in the fold.
After the Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 127-117 on Sunday night, Edwards made it clear that the Timberwolves haven't forgotten about their star big man, adamantly stating, “KAT coming back!”
When will Karl-Anthony Towns return?
There is still no clear timetable for when Towns will return to the floor for the Timberwolves. Initially, the team said he would be re-evaluated in four weeks when they announced his successful surgery on March 12. This means the team will likely provide another update on his status before the conclusion of the regular season, one that will paint a clearer picture of when the 28-year-old could possibly resume basketball activities in meaningful games.
The fact that Towns has progressed to playing in a team scrimmage less than four weeks after surgery is a major step in the right direction, especially considering that Philadelphia 76ers reigning MVP Joel Embiid missed over two months worth of action before recently returning due to his meniscus injury.
In light of Towns ramping up his activities behind the scenes, the Timberwolves are optimistic that he can return before the end of the regular season to at least get some real minutes in to see how his knee reacts. Three of the team's remaining four games will be in Minnesota, including their final two games of the regular season at the end of the week. Assuming he suffers no setbacks, it is looking likely that Towns will return to play in either one or both of these games against the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns to conclude the year.
In a total of 60 games this season, Towns has averaged 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from three-point range. A key part of the Timberwolves' offensive plans, Towns' return to the lineup will be a significant boost to a team that continues to fly under the radar despite holding the 1-seed in the Western Conference with a week remaining in the season.
Minnesota is a handful for any team to deal with defensively. This is why getting Towns' offensive production back in the fold alongside Edwards makes them an even more dangerous team than they already are.
The Timberwolves will provide an official injury update on Towns sometime during the final week of the regular season.
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