Karl-Anthony Towns‘ 60 points in Monday night’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs set the mark for the most points scored by a player in the NBA this season. After knocking down his seventh and final three from nearly 32 feet, a small section of Minnesota Timberwolves fans in the AT&T Center erupted enthusiastically. Towns had just broken both his and the franchise’s scoring records, and it seemed like nothing could take away from his historic night.
Then Jaden McDaniels went down.
With just 41.9 seconds left in the final quarter of play, McDaniels fell to the floor after stepping on Zach Collins‘ foot. Minnesota’s bench was preparing to cool off the scorching-hot Towns with a bombardment of water bottle showers but now sat silently.
Just 24 hours after McDaniels was helped off the court, Minnesota’s PR team released an injury update on the forward. He had suffered a high left ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Along with their Rising Star, the Wolves listed five other vital Wolves players on the reports:
- Jarred Vanderbilt, Naz Reid, and Jordan McLaughlin sat out against San Antonio. On Wednesday evening, they are reportedly questionable to play against the Los Angeles Lakers.
- The Wolves have listed Patrick Beverley, who sustained an ear injury last Friday against the Orlando Magic but played Monday, as “questionable.”
- And let’s not forget that while Anthony Edwards is “probable,” he is still recovering from his left patella tendinopathy.
With just 12 games left in their regular season, Chris Finch and the Wolves must adapt quickly to their shortened staff as they prepare for the postseason.
Sachin Gupta and Co. will quickly need to decide the best plan of action for this team. Firmly seated in seventh place out West, the Wolves have been giving their all to bypass the NBA’s play-in tournament. And with just 1.5 games between his team and the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets, Finch would likely love nothing more than to finish the season out strong and solidify their spot in the playoffs.
But Minnesota cannot stand to get ahead of itself. Yes, there are only a dozen games left on their schedule. But NBA Remaining Schedule Strength | Tankathon, the Timberwolves have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule. So how do they sneak out of these last 12 games alive?
Chris Finch will need to adjust the team’s rotations accordingly for starters. Assuming everyone but McDaniels can return before the end of the regular season, there is still a massive void left with Jaden’s absence. Minnesota’s defense was top-5 at the beginning of the year but has taken a complete 180.
However, you can’t blame McDaniels for any of this. His ability to pester opposing defenses with his length and quick hands is one of the main reasons that Minnesota still holds a top-15 defensive rating.
So how does Finch counter such a loss on the defensive end? Add more scoring.
Gersson Rosas had a vision before Finch arrived: Be a top offense in the league, have an okay defense, and the wins will come. However, the Wolves do not have a suitable defender who can fill in for McDaniels. Sure, Josh Okogie is an excellent on-ball defender. But his complete lack of offensive proficiency makes him virtually unplayable.
Instead of replacing what the team is missing, the coaching staff may opt to give the team an additional boost to its already stellar offense. Assuming Ant is good to go, they could slide either Malik Beasley or Jaylen Nowell and Taurean Prince into the slots typically held by Pat Bev and Vando. That would allow the team to play a five-man lineup full of players who can catch fire at any given moment. So what if the team gives up 125 a night, and their defensive rating goes down the drain? Having the ability to put up 130+ on any given night due to the immense amount of offensive firepower is the team’s drain snake.
With just days before the regular season comes to a close, the Timberwolves have caught a case of the injury bug at the worst possible time. But this team cannot afford to let up now. Finch and his staff have to make do with the remaining players on this team unless Sachin Gupta signs a free agent. Whether it’s trying to outscore every opponent they face between now and April 10 or some other strategy, this Wolves team cannot afford to let injuries get between them and the postseason.
