Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards needs an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday. The precise nature of Edwards’ injury was not clear from the report, but it is something that has bothered him since last season and into the start of the new campaign. According to Charania’s report, Edwards is expected to miss up to two months. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported later Tuesday that Edwards will undergo surgery on Thursday and that “the belief is it will be longer than two months.” The Timberwolves have not confirmed the pending procedure. What’s wrong with Ant’s knee? Edwards played with a chronic condition known as runner’s knee in the playoffs last season. His production declined as he also suffered a separate injury to his left knee that sidelined him for part of a first-round series against the Nuggets. He returned to play in a second-round series loss to the Spurs, but he wasn’t himself. Edwards said he focused on rest and healing during the offseason, but was visibly bothered by his right knee during the first few games of the regular season. According to the Athletic, he “pinched” his knee during Minnesota’s season-opening victory over the Miami Heat. Two games later, he grabbed his right knee in pain after a collision during a win over the Raptors on Sunday. He was listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Cavaliers due to the management of his right knee injury, but played 41 minutes in the game and scored 47 points. He was also initially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, which he will now miss. A blow to Edwards, Wolves, NBA The news is a blow to one of the game’s brightest stars and a 3-1 Timberwolves team looking to climb into championship contention this season. Minnesota has advanced to the Western Conference finals in two of the last three seasons, but is looking to reach the NBA Finals with Edwards in his prime. They restructured their roster around Edwards in the offseason, trading away mainstays Naz Reid and Julius Randle while acquiring All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets. Through four games, the revamped roster was paying dividends as Edwards thrived as a scorer alongside Ball’s dynamic. game creation. Edwards averaged 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2 steals per game while shooting 40% on 11.3 three-point attempts per game in the new offense. With Edwards and Ball leading the way, Minnesota’s offense has been one of the most exciting in the league, scoring 122 points per game, fourth most in the NBA. Minnesota’s average point differential of 17 points was second-best in the league through Tuesday. Now the Timberwolves are considering potentially playing the remainder of the calendar year without Edwards and are hopeful he can return from surgery at full strength in time to compete for a playoff spot in the West. Meanwhile, Ball projects to take on a larger scoring role, and Ayo Dosunmu could be called up to the starting lineup off the bench.
