Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his ailing right knee that could sideline him for up to two months, ESPN has reported.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news on Tuesday (US time), citing sources, in a story by Jamal Collier.
The timing is cruel for Edwards, who was off to the best start of his career. He was averaging 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 48 per cent shooting through Minnesota’s first four games.
47 points on a sore knee
Edwards was listed as questionable before Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he played a season-high 41 minutes and scored 47 points in a 127-125 overtime loss, ESPN reported.
He had started grabbing at his right knee during Minnesota’s home-opening win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Before Monday’s game, coach Chris Finch called it a “daily situation” and said he wasn’t worried about it being a long-term concern, according to ESPN.
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A knee that has nagged him
ESPN reported it is the same leg on which Edwards dealt with runner’s knee last season. He also suffered a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise during last season’s playoffs, but avoided ligament damage.
Yahoo Sports reported that the exact nature of the injury was not clear, and that Edwards had initially been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors, which he will now miss.
What it means for Minnesota
The Timberwolves are 3-1 and have reached the Western Conference finals in two of the last three seasons. Yahoo Sports noted the club rebuilt its roster around Edwards in the off-season, trading Naz Reid and Julius Randle and bringing in All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets.
Minnesota were scoring 122 points a game, the fourth-most in the NBA, and had the league’s second-best average winning margin as of Tuesday, according to Yahoo Sports.
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Another star knee injury
Edwards is the latest big name to go down in the first week of the season. ESPN also reported that Utah’s Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss six to eight weeks with a knee injury and that Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard is out for weeks with a knee problem, while Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are both headed for surgery.
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