SEATTLE - With the NBA playoffs just around the corner, Karl-Anthony Towns' injury puts the Minnesota Timberwolves in a tough spot as they try to finish off the regular season as one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
The Dominican center has been key for the Wolves' huge improvement this season, averaging 22.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and three assists per game this season while shooting 50.6% overall and 42.3% on 3-pointers. His efforts have taken the Timberwolves to the No.1 seed in the West at times this season and currently only the Celtics have more wins in 2024 (51).
The timing of the injury is quite unlucky, as Minnesota was enjoying its best season since 2003-04, when they won 58 games and reached the Western Conference Finals with the help of Kevin Garnett, who won his MVP award that year.
After spending most of 2023 away from the court thanks to an injury-riddled season missing 52 games in total, the Dominican center has bounced back this year putting up strong numbers to take Minnesota to the top of the Western Conference rankings. Towns has played in 60 games this season and his offensive production has been at an elite level, falling short of averaging a 50-40-90 season.
Towns' output offensively has been one of the reasons why the Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the NBA this campaign. They are 41-19 when their starting big man is on the court and his 62-point career night against the Charlotte Hornets earlier this season is proof of KAT's value in Minnesota. He set a franchise record of 62 points that night (44 in the first half) and went 10 for 15 from 3-point range. This season, only Utah Jazz' Lauri Markkanen (3.2) is averaging more three-pointers made per game than the Dominican (2.2).
As the Dominican center recovers from a torn meniscus, the Timberwolves have relied on its defensive prowess to keep fighting for that top seed in the West. Minnesota currently ranks first among all NBA teams in defensive rating (108.3) and rank third in NET ratings (6.1) and are 3-2 this season without the four-time All-Star. In the team's last five games, coach Chris Finch has relied on the depth of his squad to mask KAT's injury.
Forward Naz Reid has stepped up big time since Towns' injury, averaging 18 points per game during that span. Finch believes his team will be okay. "What I love about our team is that we have a multitude of options. We can go a lot of different ways based on matchups on any given night. We've started different guys through the season anyway," he said.
Luckily for Minnesota, their remaining schedule is not as tough compared to the rest of the NBA. Their remaining strength of schedule ranks 16th across the entire league and 10th in the West. Out of their last 16 games, only half of them are against teams currently over .500 and their three-game series against the Denver Nuggets could decide this year's top seed in the West.
With Karl-Anthony Towns out for at least a month, the team will have to navigate their remaining 16 games without one of the best shooting big men in the NBA. When the Dominican returned from injury last season, he did it just in time for the team's playoff hopes but struggled against the eventual champions Denver Nuggets in the first round. Minnesota is hoping that its a different story this time around, as the Wolves have only gotten out of the first round once in franchise history (2003-04).
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