Nov. 28, 2022, could have been the worst day of the year for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kristaps Porzingis and the Washington Wizards poured it on in a 141-124 win. And as Kyle Kuzma hit a three to increase Washington’s lead to 17 points with 5:25 left in the third, it didn’t look like it could get much worse for the Wolves. Then the camera cut to Karl-Anthony Towns lying on the ground, grabbing his lower leg.
When Towns first went down against the Washington Wizards, it looked like trouble was brewing for an already struggling Wolves squad. Towns’ injury looked really bad at first glance. Towns looked anxious after sustaining the injury, and it seemed like he knew his season was over. The diagnosis of a calf strain was a good sign, but Minnesota would have to grind in the next 4-6 weeks without him.
The Timberwolves were 10-11 after Towns went down. Things were looking grim for a team that aspired to ascend to the top of the West. The Wolves were sitting as the 10th seed but only four games back of the 1-seed. It was already a rough spot to be in, and even worse with the injury to Towns – not to mention the looming reality that Utah Jazz owned their first-round pick. And it looked like a stretch that had the potential to end Minnesota’s season just 20 games in.
It seemed like nothing was clicking while Towns was on the court, and there was no reason to suspect it would get better with him off of it. Jordan McLaughlin, Kyle Anderson, and Rudy Gobert also sustained injuries, so there was increasingly more reason to give up on this Wolves season. But as players went down, more stepped up. Anthony Edwards has sky-rocketed his all-around play when the teams needed it most. D’Angelo Russell has picked up his scoring from where he left it last season. Most importantly, Minnesota’s depth has come alive.
Oddly enough, the stretch that could have ended Minnesota’s season may have saved it.
The Timberwolves haven’t blown opponents out of the water since Towns went down, but they’ve done a good enough job of treading in it. They’ve stayed above .500 with a 6-5 record and have a +10 scoring differential. The Wolves have managed a better net rating (+0.9) without KAT than with him (-2.3). Towns is a superstar talent, and any trade talk about him is probably foolish. Instead, fans should just be happy with what the team has done without him.
Winning without your star player is easier said than done. Looking at other teams without their stars around the league makes what the Wolves are doing even more impressive.
The Golden State Warriors lost Stephen Curry for around a month with a shoulder injury, and the Warriors are 1-4 with a -14 point differential in the five games he’s missed. The Portland Trail Blazers reached the top of the Western Conference early in the season. However, they could only manage a 5-7 record with a minus-55 point differential when Damian Lillard went down.
The Wolves looked dead in the water a month ago, even with KAT. So how have the Wolves managed it without him?
Their depth players have stepped up.
Austin Rivers has stepped up the most. Before Towns’ injury, Rivers averaged 2.4 points and less than one assist and rebound. Not only has Rivers tripled his scoring output, but his feel for the game is also much better. Rivers seems to have developed a loving relationship for his jab-step out of the corner, and after some form work, his three-point shot has started falling.
Before Towns’ injury, Rivers was shooting 25% from three. But Rivers has been on a tear since Towns went down, shooting 50% from deep. Improvement from beyond the arc allows for more dribble penetration on tighter close-outs, which has really opened up his game.
But Rivers isn’t the only player who’s improved. Naz Reid entered the season without a defined role, but he has played well in Towns and Gobert’s absences. Reid has nearly doubled his points, rebounds, and assists since Towns’ injury. He’s also increased his three-point shooting by 5% to become a 40% shooter over these last couple of weeks, and he’s done a better job staying out of foul trouble.
Nathan Knight, Jaylen Nowell, Bryn Forbes, and Wendell Moore Jr. have also stepped up to varying degrees since Towns has gone down.
Knight would not get playing time in a fully healthy rotation. But for the rest of the players listed above, none of their statistical explosions are solely due to Towns’ absence. An increase in minutes has helped many of these players increase their stats. However, these improvements are more about guys finding their footing in a new system.
Unfortunately, Towns got hurt, but it has helped the end-of-rotation players get more comfortable with their roles. You never want your star player hurt. But in this case, it could prove valuable to have guys like Rivers Naz Reid on a roll when Towns returns.
Edwards has played the biggest individual role in this turnaround. It would take a whole other article to break down just how important Ant has been since Towns has gone down, especially in these last couple of games. However, I’d be remiss if there was no mention of Edwards’ contributions in this stretch. His uptick in playmaking and defending arguably has opened up the most opportunities for some of the aforementioned players, Knight and Reid. Ant has continued to create for himself as well.
After trading away this year’s first-round pick unprotected and with three others, the last thing the Wolves needed was a Karl-Anthony Towns injury. The Wolves were lucky to escape a dire-looking injury with just a calf strain. Although the month following originally looked bleak, Edwards and the end of Minnesota’s rotation have done a great job of injecting light into that dark future.
