Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Starting, but limited
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Towns (calf) will start Wednesday's game against the Hawks.
Coach Chris Finch said Towns will face "some sort of limitations" Wednesday in his first game action since Nov. 28 but will reclaim his spot in the starting lineup. In his only 20 appearances this season, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists over 33.8 minutes.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Expected to have limitations
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Towns (calf) will have "some sort of limitations" with his minutes during Wednesday's game against the Hawks, Dane Moore of 'The Dane Moore NBA Podcast' reports.
Towns is suiting up for the first time since Nov. 28, so it's unsurprising to hear that Minnesota will be cautious and ease him back to a full workload. Before the injury, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 33.8 minutes across his first 20 appearances.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Will play Wednesday
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Towns (calf) will play Wednesday against the Hawks, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
As expected, Towns has been cleared to return from a 51-game absence due to a calf strain and will presumably take his usual spot in the starting frontcourt alongside Rudy Gobert. However, the Kentucky product will likely still have his minutes monitored closely for the next few games to ensure he's healthy for a potential playoff run. Before the injury, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists with 51/33/90 shooting splits across his first 20 appearances.
Towns (calf) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Hawks.
The Timberwolves have expressed optimism that Towns could return to the starting lineup Wednesday, but his official availability likely won't be known until closer to the 8:00 p.m. ET tipoff. If Towns is cleared, he'll presumably operate under a minutes restriction after missing nearly three months with a right calf strain. Before the injury, Towns averaged 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists with 51/33/90 shooting splits across his first 20 appearances of the season.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Could make return Wednesday
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The Timberwolves have optimism that Towns (calf) could return to the lineup as soon as the team's next game Wednesday versus the Hawks, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Prior to Monday's 140-134 win over the Knicks, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch hinted that he felt Towns was "really, really close" to a return, and Charania's report seemingly supports Finch's comments. Towns has endured a lengthy recovery from a Grade 3 right calf strain, an injury that has sidelined him since Nov. 28 and kept him from resuming basketball activities until just over two weeks ago. He's since advanced to 5-on-5 work in practice in recent days, and if he checks out fine following Tuesday's team workout, Towns looks like he could get the green light to play Wednesday. Though Towns will likely start alongside Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt if active, the 27-year-old would almost certainly be on a minutes restriction versus the Hawks, and likely for a few more games to follow.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said that while Towns (calf) won't play Monday against the Knicks, the big man's return "feels really, really close," Alan Horton of the Timberwolves Radio Network reports.
The team relayed last week that Towns was expected to return to the floor "in the coming weeks," and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported Monday that the 27-year-old has been "feeling great" while recently going through 5-on-5 work. Towns is in the final stages of his recovery, and while he will likely be eased back into the mix once cleared to play, he's worth stashing in an injured reserve spot at this point in any leagues in which he might have been dropped.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Expected back in 'coming weeks'
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The Timberwolves released an official injury update for Towns (calf) on Wednesday, noting that he's been participating in basketball activities and is "expected to return in the coming weeks."
The regular season also ends in what could be described as "the coming weeks," so there's not much here to convince fantasy managers that Towns will be back and contributing in a meaningful way before many fantasy leagues conclude. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Monday that Towns only recently began participating in 1-on-1 drills after going 1-on-0 or 2-on-0, so the big man still needs to make significant progress before stepping back on an NBA floor. Managers with a free injured reserve spot can certainly place Towns there, but tough decisions will need to be made if dealing with multiple IR-eligible players. If the big man returns March 29 -- two weeks from Wednesday's update -- he'll just have six games to potentially play in before the regular season ends.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Limited to 1-on-1 work
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Monday that Towns (calf) has recently resumed taking part in 1-on-1 drills but isn't yet cleared for full team activities, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Advancing to 1-on-1 work represents a marginal step forward for Towns from the last update Finch provided for the big man, who is now taking some resistance in drills after previously taking part in 1-on-0 or 2-on-0 drills. Towns, who has been sidelined since Nov. 28 with a severe right calf strain, still has a few more milestones to hit in his recovery program and is likely at least a week away from suiting up for the Timberwolves.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Returns to basketball activies
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Coach Chris Finch said Tuesday that Towns (calf) is still in the "final" stages of returning, but despite doing some basketball activities, remains without a clear timeline, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Towns hasn't played since Nov. 28 due to a right calf strain but is expected to retake the court before the end of the season. However, with just 18 games remaining in Minnesota's regular season, the star big man is unlikely to see a ton of action before the playoffs. If Towns can return, the Timberwolves will likely ease him into the rotation to prepare him for the playoffs.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Likely out until mid-to-late March
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The Timberwolves are hopeful that Towns (calf) will be ready to return to the court at some point during their final "10-to-15 games" of the season, Shams Charania reported Tuesday during his "FanDuel TV" segment.
Beyond noting that Towns is expected back before the end of the season, the Timberwolves still haven't firmly committed to a precise timeline for when the star big man might be ready to return from the Grade 3 right calf strain that has sidelined him since Nov. 28. Still, Charania's report offers at least a bit more clarity on that front. If Towns' supposed target return date of the Timberwolves' final 10-to-15 games proves to be accurate, Towns won't be ready to play coming out of the All-Star break but could be back sometime between March 10 through 20. Fantasy managers will probably need to see reports of Towns returning to practice by late February or early March to feel optimistic about that timeline holding, and his managers in redraft leagues who are looking to make up ground in the standings and have limited or no reserve slots available may have to consider dropping him.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Still lacking timeline
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Timberwolves general manager Tim Connelly said Tuesday that Towns (calf) remains sidelined indefinitely, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports.
Connelly suggested that the team doesn't want to put a specific timetable on Towns' return yet, but the GM mentioned that the organization expects that the big man will make it back at some point during the 2022-23 campaign. Towns hasn't appeared in a contest since Nov. 28 while tending to a Grade 3 calf strain. With Towns having yet to resume practicing in any capacity and with Connelly not providing any indication that the 27-year-old is close to playing again, fantasy managers should expect Towns to sit out through the All-Star break.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Without return timeline
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Saturday that Towns (calf) has "no timetable" to return to game action, Dane Moore of 'The Dane Moore NBA Podcast' reports.
Finch's comments came two days after Towns revealed during a Twitch stream that he's been sidelined since Nov. 28 with a Grade 3 right calf strain. The injury appears to be more severe than initial reports suggested, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN having reported at the time Towns was diagnosed with the calf strain that the 27-year-old big man was facing a projected recovery timeline of 4-to-6 weeks. Towns' absence is now closing in on two months, and though he disclosed in his Twitch stream that his rehab is going well, he didn't go into specifics regarding when he might be able to resume full-contact work in practices. If Towns cannot accelerate his activity in practice over the next week or two, he'll likely end up being sidelined through the All-Star break.
Towns revealed Thursday that he has a Grade 3 right calf strain and will be out longer than the initially reported 4-to-6 week timetable, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I wish it was four to six weeks. I knew then it wasn't going to be four to six," Towns said during a Twitch livestream.
Towns hurt his calf on Nov. 28 and initial reports said he would be out 4-to-6 weeks which would've put his return in mid-January. While it's not clear how long he'll be out, the Star Tribune notes a Grade 3 calf strain typically has a recovery time of more than two months. Towns did say his rehab was going well but didn't offer specifics.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Still weeks away from return
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Towns is considered weeks away from returning to the lineup while he continues to recover from the right calf strain he sustained Nov. 28, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported Wednesday.
The Timberwolves have been tight-lipped regarding where exactly Towns stands in his recovery from the injury, but Krawczynski's report suggests the big man may be sidelined beyond the initial 4-to-6-week timeline that he was handed following his diagnosis. Until Towns is reported to have resumed taking part in practice, fantasy managers shouldn't view his return as imminent. Expect him to miss the entirety of the Timberwolves' upcoming three-game week unless the team suggests otherwise.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Out 4-to-6 weeks with strained calf
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Towns is expected to be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks after suffering a right calf strain in Monday's loss to the Wizards, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Towns exited in the third quarter of Monday's game and needed to be helped off the floor after suffering the injury, as he was unable to put weight on his leg. Though Towns appears to have avoided a season-ending injury and could return as soon as late December, Wojnarowski's report suggests sometime in January is a more realistic target for the big man. Since Towns doesn't play center as much these days with Rudy Gobert around, it's unclear how much reserve center Naz Reid will benefit. Instead, Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince (shoulder) could be likelier candidates to see increased run, and Jaylen Nowell may be a fringe beneficiary. The Minnesota rotation is worth monitoring, and fantasy managers with Sunday waiver claims will get to see two games -- Wednesday against the Grizzlies and Saturday against the Thunder -- before making any decisions.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Diagnosed with calf strain
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Towns left Monday's game against the Wizards due to a right calf strain, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Towns needed help getting off the floor and was unable to put any weight on his right leg after suffering a non-contact injury, but he received a quick diagnosis from the squad's medical staff. The severity of the strain has yet to be announced, but Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson and Nathan Knight would all be candidates for additional playing time if Towns is forced to miss additional time. The team will send the big man for further testing Tuesday, per Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Exits Monday's contest early
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Towns exited Monday's contest against Washington in the third quarter due to a non-contact right leg injury, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.
The All-Star big sustained a non-contact right leg injury while running back on defense during the third quarter of Monday's contest against the Wizards. The exact extent of the injury is unknown at this time, but he's been ruled out for the remainder of the game.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Stuggles in loss
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Towns recorded 19 points (6-22 FG, 1-11 3PT, 6-7 FT), four rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 37 minutes in Friday's 110-108 loss to the Hornets.
Towns' 22 shot attempts were his second-most of the season. However, his .273 shooting percentage was his second-lowest on the year. The big man was unable to make up for his poor shooting night in other areas, as his four rebounds were a season-low. All-in-all it was a rough night for Minnesota's star big man. He will look to get things back on track Sunday against the Warriors.
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Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns: Near triple-double in win
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Towns closed with 23 points (8-11 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 11 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and two steals across 37 minutes during Wednesday's 115-101 win over the Pacers.
Towns had a huge third quarter, scoring 13 points, grabbing three rebounds, dishing out three assists and blocking two shots while playing all 12 minutes. It was his eighth double-double of the season and first in his last four appearances. He's averaging 5.4 assists per game through 18 games, nearly one assist more than he's averaged in any other season.
Towns finished with 25 points (8-15 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 7-8 FT), eight rebounds, nine assists, one block and one steal over 34 minutes before fouling out of Monday's 105-101 win over the Heat.
Towns bounced back after a poor showing against the 76ers, leading the Timberwolves to their fourth straight victory. While the points production was excellent here, perhaps more important was that he handed out a season-high nine assists. With D'Angelo Russell struggling a little, the team seems content running their offense through Towns a bit more. Given that his rebounding numbers have taken a hit, increasing his assist numbers should help buoy his overall value moving forward.
