Why isn’t Jaylen Clark playing Game 5 for the Timberwolves? Injury update

The Timberwolves escaped elimination from the postseason by a whisker, beating the Mavericks 105-100 in Dallas on Tuesday to take the series to Game 5. Chris Finch’s team trail 3-1 in the series and need to beat Luka Doncic and Co. to remain alive.

Ahead of the game, Jaylen Clark and Mike Conley are the only two names that appear on the Wolves’ injury report. While Conley has missed one of the 15 games that Minnesota have played in this season’s playoffs, Clark is still waiting to make his debut with the team and has been sidelined for the last year. The 22-year-old rookie ruptured his Achilles after landing awkwardly in the second half of UCLA’s 82–73 win over Arizona, the final games of the season, on 4 March 2023. He underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles and spent the next few months in rehabilitation.

Jaylen Clark sustains long-term injury

The junior guard was selected by the Wolves in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft with the 53rd overall pick and signed a two-way contract with the franchise in July of that year, meaning that he could play a maximum of 45 games in the NBA while being eligible for the G League. He had been averaging 13 points, 6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30 games before his injury. Minnesota had originally hoped to have Clark back for the second half of this season but the player has remained out indefinitely and was transferred to the Iowa Wolves to continue his rehabilitation in March of this year. For now, his availability will be assessed month by month.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has high hopes for Clark, who will be entering the final year of his contract this summer. “Super excited about Jaylen Clark. We had him as a high, first round-grade all year. We think there is no better wing defender in the draft. I think he brings an aggression, toughness and intelligence that allows guys like that to make it, so we’re super excited to add him,” Connelly told reporters after last year’s draft. “He’s not physically, there, we’ve been very patient with him. Prior to the injury, we thought the guy was an easy, first round pick”.

The Timberwoles host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 at the Target Center in Minneapolis tonight, Thursday, May 30 with the game tipping off at 8:30 p.m. EDT. If the Timberwolves win Game 5, both teams will return to Dallas for Game 6 on Saturday evening (8:30 p.m. EDT).