Anthony Edwards had initially been sidelined for Games 1 and 2 of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs. He was ruled out after suffering left knee hypertension and a bone bruise during Game 4 of the Nuggets-Timberwolves first-round series.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Edwards was optimistic about being back by at least Game 3 of the series.
“The situation with Anthony Edwards is in a little bit of a different place. He is also expected to be out for the start of their second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs. So he will be missing Game 1 and likely Game 2 as well.”
“He did get his first workouts in on Saturday and Sunday after missing about a week now with the hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee. He also travelled with the team to San Antonio. So there is optimism around team sources for his status overall, but I’m told Anthony Edwards himself is hopeful that he will push for a return to the lineup by Game 3 or Game 4.”
“It’s really just going to be about how he feels and how his rehab goes on a daily basis here in this upcoming week. Minnesota is going to be cautious with him because, remember, he had also been dealing with runner’s knee in his opposite knee for the last month plus.”
Subsequently, the Timberwolves upgraded the statuses of Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu for game 1 to questionable, despite reports from Shams Charania. As per Anthony Slater of ESPN, this upgrade is a result of Edwards pushing to expedite his recovery timeline.
Earlier today, the Timberwolves superstar even posted a video on his social media accounts, where he shows sneak peeks into his recovery and rehab from the injury.
“It’s the playoffs, I’d go out that b—h on one leg if I have to,” said Edwards in the video. “I’m f—-d up, man, but I’m fighting through it.”
View this post on Instagram
The 24-year-old star is averaging 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the four games he has played so far in the playoffs. He shot 35.8% from the field and 25.8% from the three-point line.
Clearly, Edwards was playing like a shell of himself before the injury sidelined him from the Timberwolves’ first-round series. If he manages to play in Game 1, he will probably not be at 100%. But according to what Charania reported, Minnesota will prefer the cautious approach with him.
Therefore, the Timberwolves should wait for their home games to give Edwards significant time and the morale boost he would need while coming back to action in the middle of the series, instead of rushing his return. Especially since the Timberwolves showed in Game 6 of their first-round series that they are also capable of winning without Anthony Edwards.
