Karl Anythony Towns is out indefinitely with a knee injury. How will the Minnesota Timberwolves cope?

As a central figure in the team and one who has been one of the main reasons it’s done so well, the significance of the loss of the Wolves’ big man can’t be overstated. While the roster remains in good shape, postseason ambitions have taken a major hit.

Karl Anthony Towns is out indefinitely

According to reports, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee. There has been no official word on a timeline for Towns’ recovery which is to say, he will be sidelined indefinitely. It goes without saying that this is a major blow to the team as Towns has been averaging 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds across the 60 games that he has played, all of which he started. Indeed, he has only missed two contests this season.

How do the Timberwolves deal with Karl Anthony Towns’ absence?

Where the team itself is concerned, the Timberwolves are sitting on a record of 43-19 and are currently tied for first place in the Western Conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just behind them are the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, however, that’s not to say the team is at risk of forfeiting its trip to the postseason - barring catastrophe. For perspective, the T’Wolves currently have 10 games on the Los Angeles Lakers who occupy the last spot for the Play-In with a record of 34-30. Yet, we’ve got to be honest. If Towns can’t play in the playoffs, any hopes the Timberwolves have of making a deep run will be seriously affected.

Before we answer that, it’s worth noting that ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski termed Towns’ situation as a “meniscus injury” - not a tear - after he was ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers with left knee soreness. It was also indicated that Towns may not in fact require “immediate action.” Whatever the case, it’s clear that the team has a problem to solve which brings us to Kyle Anderson, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid who effectively worked in tandem to provide cover for the missing Towns on the two occasions that he missed games this season. This is to say, there is no reason to believe they can’t do so again.

With that said, we can assume that Anthony Edwards - the Timberwolves leading scorer - is going to have less freedom going forward and a much greater responsibility when it comes to production. Quite frankly, it may be that the lack of space for Edwards to operate in, causes a greater issue than the absence of Towns himself. At any rate, here are the facts: The Timberwolves will have to face the Denver Nuggets three more times in their remaining 20 games (March 19th, March 29th, and April 10th). With one game between the two teams, those clashes are going to be critical. If it comes to pass that Towns isn’t present, expect to see Reid being heavily used against Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. As for Towns, at this point, the only thing we can do is wait and watch.