Shabazz Muhammad is having the best season of his career.
Even when things have gone terribly awry, they’ve worked out well.
But the Timberwolves wing will be out for a while.
An MRI on Shabazz Muhammad's abdominal revealed an external oblique strain. He is expected to be reevaluated in 2 weeks. #Twolves
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 12, 2015
Announcement: ProBasketballTalk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $225,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Tuesday’s NBA games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $25,000. Starts at 7pm ET on Tuesday. Here’s the FanDuel link.
The 5-31 Timberwolves aren’t going anywhere in the Western Conference, anyway. With or without Muhammad, they can challenge the Knicks and 76ers for the No. 1 seed in the lottery.
Muhammad’s absence should mean an even larger offensive role for Andrew Wiggins. Chase Budinger, who replaced Muhammad in the starting lineup in Minnesota’s last game, doesn’t use nearly as many possessions when on the court as Muhammad.
This is an exciting time for Wiggins. The No. 1 pick has averaged 21 points while shooting 49 percent from the field and 41 percent on 3-pointers in his last 10 games. He’s really coming into his own after a rough start to the season.
This could be a setback for Muhammad’s development, but it also could be an opportunity for Andrew Wiggins to accelerate his.