What Anthony Edwards' Injury Means for Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been off to an impressive start as they’re 3-1 through their first four games. Their versatile roster has been able to win games convincingly, and they look like one of the contenders in the Western Conference. 

Unfortunately for them, they received news that star player Anthony Edwards will be out for up to two months as he will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Edwards is coming off a game where he scored 47 points in an overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he looked to be one of the candidates for MVP this season. 

With Edwards being out for an extended period of time, the dynamic of this team changes. This offseason, the Timberwolves brought in former Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball to be that second option and facilitator for Anthony Edwards, but now a lot of what the Timberwolves do will have to go through him.  

Through their first four games, Ball has averaged 14.8 points per game, 2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. Bringing him to Minnesota has made their offense significantly smoother, and multiple players on this roster have had the chance to score and contribute to the team. 

While Ball is seen as the right-hand man, he isn’t the only one who can lead this Timberwolves team to success, as he can get help from other players. There isn’t one player who can replace the production of Anthony Edwards, and this will have to be a group effort. 

Guard Ayo Dosunmu signed a big contract this offseason, and so far he’s been productive for Minnesota on both ends of the floor. Now, he needs to step up his production if they want to continue winning games. 

He’s currently averaging 12 points per game, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Those numbers are capable of going up, as he’s shown he can have games where he can take over on the offensive end.  

Other players who are capable of stepping up are Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. All of them have been productive for this team in the past and have had good starts to their seasons, but without their number-one option, they have to raise their level of play. 

LaMelo Ball will have to continue to be the elite facilitator that he is and make the most of what’s around him. This is a team that still has a winning culture and knows what it takes to play through injuries on the roster. It will be interesting to see how they adapt to the loss of Edwards.