Karl-Anthony Towns has torn left meniscus, will miss at least 4 weeks
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on against the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at Target Center on January 22, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (David Berding / Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Timberwolves are at the top of the Western Conference with 20 regular season games to play, and are now without one of their best players indefinitely.
According to Shams Charania with The Athletic, Karl-Anthony Towns has a torn meniscus in his left knee and is out indefinitely. The Timberwolves are 43-19 and in a four-way battle for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The Timberwolves are at the Indiana Pacers Thursday night, and the team had initially ruled him out for the game with left knee soreness.
Towns has started 60 games this season and is averaging 22.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and three assists per game. Last year, Towns missed 56 games with a calf injury.
Now, we wait for a recovery timeline for Towns. If he can get it trimmed, which is a quicker repair but could be worse for his long-term health, he could return for the playoffs. If he needs a full repair, he would miss months and be out the rest of the season. That would be a huge blow for a team looking to make a playoff run.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday night Towns will have surgery to repair the injury and be re-evaluated in four weeks. The team's hope is he can return at some point during the Western Conference Playoffs.
With Towns out, it likely means Kyle Anderson takes his spot in the starting rotation. It also likely means more minutes for Naz Reid, a fan-favorite off the bench. Reid has played in every game this season and is averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, and 41 percent from the perimeter.