When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert in the offseason for a plethora of future first-rounders and valuable role players, pundits immediately questioned one thing. How would they manage to fit their blockbuster addition alongside franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns, especially when they're two centers who aren't particularly adept at guarding the perimeter?
However, after just 19 games together (and 21 games played overall for the Timberwolves), Towns proceeded to suffer a non-contact calf injury that has sidelined him for the past 46 games. With the Timberwolves in the middle of a heated playoff race, getting Towns back would be a major boost, talent-wise, even if there may be some issues to deal with when it comes to re-integrating him into the lineup.
And on Wednesday, head coach Chris Finch revealed that Karl-Anthony Towns took some much-needed baby steps in his road to recovery, with the star center set to go through some “live action on the court”.
“Today he's going to have some live activity on the floor, the first time in forever. Some controlled, live action on the floor. I know he's looking forward to that,” Finch said on KFAN Sports Radio 100.3, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Karl-Anthony Towns' desire to return to the hardwood is no secret; two weeks ago, Chris Finch spilled on Towns' itch to get back to action.
Towns' return timeline remains unclear despite this recent development. At this point, a return for KAT within the Timberwolves' final 17 games of the regular season should count as a major win, given the serious nature of the injury.
At first, reports came out that the calf injury that Towns suffered would keep him out for just 4-6 weeks. Using that timeline, there was a bit of expectation that Towns would be back by January or early February. But it didn't quite turn out that way. Towns even called out the media for giving fans “false hope” regarding his injury recovery.
In Towns' continued absence, expect Anthony Edwards to continue taking the reins on offense for the Timberwolves. Towns' absence also gives Rudy Gobert ample of space to work in the paint, with Mike Conley helping the French center regain his Utah Jazz form.
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