Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Karl-Anthony Towns has been ruled out indefinitely from playing after reports of a torn meniscus injury to his knee have started to emerge. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania have also confirmed the same in their reports. This news comes when the Timberwolves are leading the Western Conference as the top seed and are a significant threat to the NBA title during these upcoming playoffs.
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Fans on Reddit are still confused, as the details of this injury seem vague at best. This is similar to Joel Embiid’s recent left meniscus injury, something that caused the star 76ers center to miss out on the past 15 games. When information on Embiid’s injury first started surfacing, the 76ers didn’t disclose the specifics, leaving fans scratching their heads about Embiid’s return to the league.
According to ESPN and The Athletic’s reports, the Timberwolves declined to confirm anything regarding KAT’s injury. A fan on Reddit hilariously drew links of this injury to the situation of Embiid, stating how both the Sixers and the T-Wolves are clueless teams who are declining to speak about these incidents to save their faces.
Another fan tried highlighting how KAT might need to miss the entire season to continue his consistent form later in his career. Rushing through such injuries could only create more issues for the player, leaving them with lackluster form at a crucial standpoint in the postseason.
The reports of both Wojnarowski and Shams Charania seem to be a bit conflicting, as Woj’s claims still place the benefit of the doubt among fans for KAT’s eventual return. However, Shams Charania’s report hints at a possible complete tear of the meniscus, which might rule the 4x All-Star out for the rest of the season. On that note, a fan expresses their dilemma, stating that as much as they want to believe in Woj’s report, deep down, they fear Shams Charania might be right in this regard.
The Timberwolves are looking into the treatment options to determine the best course of action for KAT’s injury. With this, the star forward will miss the Timberwolves’ upcoming six-game road trip ahead in this season. Perhaps the knee injury could also be one of the reasons behind KAT’s sluggish performances, with the big man averaging just 16 points per game in the last four games with the Timberwolves.
KAT’s absence could be a huge blow to the Timberwolves’ postseason aspirations
After missing 51 games last season, Karl-Anthony Towns has been consistent for the Timberwolves, averaging 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds, shooting 42% from the 3-point range in 60 games. Before this, Towns had to miss only one game this season due to left knee soreness on December 23. However, without KAT, the Timberwolves might find it difficult to retain their footing as the 1st seed in the Western Conference.
With KAT’s absence, the pressure might mount further on the shoulders of the young guard, Anthony Edwards. With Towns on the floor, the Wolves are 7.7 points per 100 possessions better on offense, which has been one of the significant reasons the team has reached the top of the Western Conference table.
Losing KAT at this juncture might also mean an early playoff exit for the T-Wolves. However, Minnesota thankfully has reliable backup in Naz Reid for such situations. The backup power forward has made huge strides in improving this season and could be a potential candidate to fill in the shoes of Towns in his absence.
