It’s going to be a while before Timberwolves fans get see Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell play together in person.
That was supposed to happen Wednesday against Charlotte, but Towns was in street clothes, surprisingly sidelined by what the team would only call a “left wrist injury.” An injury confirmed by an MRI, according to coach Ryan Saunders.
That injury isn’t going to get better with a week off during the All-Star break, Towns is going to miss games — plural — after the team returns to action next Friday, reports Jon Krawczynski at The Athletic.Exactly how long Towns will be out with a left wrist injury remains unknown, but it is expected that he will miss multiple games when the Wolves resume playing after the break next week...
Towns had been dealing with pain in his wrist for the last few weeks, but with no discernible improvement, he went in for further testing. The Wolves did not specify the nature of the injury, but league sources told The Athletic that Towns will likely need more time than the nine-day break to return to action.
Towns is having a career year on offense, averaging 26.5 points a game while shooting 41 percent from three (on 7.9 attempts per game), plus grabbing 10.8 rebounds a night.
The lost games don’t hurt the Timberwolves this season, they have fallen far out of the playoff chase in the West.
However, for a fan base that could use some positives after a rough season, this was another blow. It’s going to be a couple of weeks or more before Towns and Russell get more time together on the court (they played one game together, in Toronto), cutting into time the duo could have used to grow accustomed to each other’s games. It’s time lost for the coaching staff and front office to evaluate the players they have around Towns and Russell and see who fits, and who doesn’t.
Minnesota wants this roster to hit the ground running next season, and the time lost now could have been used to prepare for that. Now it’s all on hold until Towns returns.