The Minnesota Timberwolves will be without their franchise star for the immediate future, with Anthony Edwards ruled out due to right knee soreness and set to be re-evaluated in one to two weeks.
The team confirmed the update after an MRI conducted at Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine revealed inflammation in Edwards’ knee, adding another setback during a critical point in Minnesota’s season as they battle to hold their position in the Western Conference standings.
Head coach Chris Finch addressed the situation and pointed to Edwards’ durability over the course of his young career, while also acknowledging the team must adjust quickly.
“We’ve been here before,” Finch said. “I think it’s incredible when you think about Ant playing almost 95% of the games he’s been available to play. That’s almost unheard of. But this year we’ve been without [him] more than in the past. Just got to regroup. We’ve got to worry about playing better basketball all the way around regardless of who’s out there. And I think we don’t need one person to try to step in and fill the scoring. It’s just better if it’s dispersed throughout the lineup.”
The decision to sit Edwards wasn’t taken lightly, with Finch making it clear that the call came from well beyond the coaching staff.
Finch said the decision to sit Edwards was “well above my pay grade.”
The injury comes at a tough time for Minnesota, who have dropped four of their last five games and are now under pressure from the Phoenix Suns in the standings. Edwards had been dealing with the soreness in recent outings, including a loss to Oklahoma City where he appeared limited late and attempted just one shot in the fourth quarter.
Despite the setback, Edwards remains the engine of this Timberwolves team, averaging 29.5 points on 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 40.2 percent from three this season.
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