Minnesota Timberwolves announced Monday that Star Guardian Anthony Edwards After undergoing an MRI, he was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain. Edwards left the team's victory over Indiana Pacers on Sunday with a hamstring strain. The team said he will be re-evaluated in a week. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Edwards will miss at least two weeks.
If Edwards misses two full weeks, he will miss seven games, the first of which was the team's 127-114 loss. Denver Nuggets on Monday. His absence will be a blow to the Timberwolves, especially in a loaded Western Conference where a few wins could be the difference between a top-six finish and a spot in the Play-In Tournament, but it's not the end of the world.
The bigger problem for the Timberwolves is that Edwards' injury highlights an already shaky backcourt situation.
Shortly before the team's season opener against Portland Trail Blazersthe news broke it Donte DiVincenzo would replace Mike Conley in the starting lineup. Conley, 38, was a key figure in the Timberwolves' run to the Western Conference finals the past two seasons but showed signs of decline along the way.
Early indications this season suggest he may no longer be a key rotation player. Entering Monday, Conley averaged three points and 1.7 assists on 16.7 percent shooting in 15.3 minutes. He played well as a starter against the Nuggets – 10 points and four assists on 3-of-8 from the field – but his first week is still a concern.
DiVincenzo is an excellent role player, and he again shoots the ball well at a high intensity – 38.5% on 6.5 three-pointers per game – but he is not a point guard. However, he will have to shoulder a lot of that responsibility, especially with Edwards out. How will this affect other aspects of his game?
Here are the Timberwolves defensemen besides Edwards, DiVincenzo and Conley:
There are a lot of question marks about this group and none of them are true point guards. Hyland is the only one with any proven track record in the league, and he nearly shot himself out of the league. Clark and Shannon have shown their brilliance, but is either of them ready to take on a larger role on a team that will compete in the West? Dillingham, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, has barely played since arriving in Minnesota, and Juzang is a bench player.
Although the Wolves got off to a great start against the Nuggets, they completely fell apart in the fourth quarter. When the game tightened, they were unable to create a good enough game and scored just 20 points on 6 of 25 from the field. The late-game offense isn't much of an issue when Edwards is healthy, but the fourth quarter was a glimpse into the limitations of the remaining backcourt depth.
For the game, DiVincenzo, Conley, Hyland, Shannon and Dillingham combined for 39 points on 12-of-34 shooting (35.3%) and 12 assists. (Clark was out with a calf injury, and Juzan played only in garbage time.) It's also worth noting that neither of them had a chance to slow down. Jamal Murraywho scored 43 points at the other end.
Even when Edwards returns, the Wolves' concerns won't go away, especially if Conley can't turn things around.
