Mar 18, 2024, 7:33 p.m. ET
The absence of the star center due to injury has hit Minnesota on both sides of the game and threatens to take them away from the competition for the top of the NBA Western Conference.
The Minnesota Timberwolves has been one of the revelation teams in the 2023-24 season of the NBA, because despite being a squad full of talent, it has fallen into disrepair in recent years. The incorporation of Rudy Gobert to the team to form a trio with Anthony Edwards and to the dominican Karl-Anthony Towns It did not work as expected immediately, but in the current campaign it has given great results to the squad led by Chris Finch.
However, the team’s trident suffered a major blow, losing Towns due to a meniscus injury in his left knee, which had to be treated through surgery, which would take Towns out of competition, at least until the start of the postseason, as reported Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Since the injury of Townslos Timberwolves They have played a total of five games and have a record of three wins and two losses, remaining in third position in the Western Conference (46-21) behind Oklahoma City Thunder (47-20) y Denver Nuggets (47-21)same place where they were at the time of departure Towns. However, the question is obvious, in the absence of the Dominican, Can this team continue to compete or go deep in the postseason?
Karl-Anthony Towns is out until the NBA postseason. David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Townswho participated in his fourth Stars game in 2024, he is one of the five players in the NBA who average 20 points, 50% in shots and 40% in triples, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Timberwolves They have an offensive efficiency of 116.5 with Towns on the court, and 106.1 without him, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Since his departure and not counting the team’s last game (vs Utah Jazz on March 16), the team has suffered on both sides of the court. Offensive efficiency dropped from 116.5 to 113.1 (-3.4), field goal percentage has dropped from 48.7 percent to 45.4 percent (-3.3%), and the team’s three-point shooting percentage dropped noticeably from 38.9% to 32.1% (-6.8%).
However, it is important to note that the team’s defensive efficiency has improved, going from 109.5 to 113.1 (+3.6), although this number could be misleading, since the team has allowed 3.6 more points per 100 possessions playing without Towns.
This means that at least in the initial results, where it is most needed Towns to the Timberwolves It is on the offensive side, but his absence on defense, as part of the team’s identity, has also had an impact.
Editorial Selections
Someone who has also been impacted by the absence of Towns es Edwardswho by necessity, has seen an increase in his playing time and a drop in his shooting percentage of -2.6, which is also an expected effect, taking into account that he has increased his number of shots at the rim and additionally, their points scored, although with less efficiency.
The future of Timberwolves It will definitely depend on what they can do Edwards y GobertThere is no doubt about that, but their aspirations to reach a point that allows the Dominican to rejoin in the season will depend directly on the work done by their bench. Men like Nickeil Alexander-Walker y Mike Conleyas well as Naz Reid They will have to be used thoroughly to keep the group afloat in the coming weeks.
Minnesotaa remains a highly competitive team, even without Townsbut calling them title contenders without one of the most productive big men in the game might be hasty and unrealistic.
2024-03-19 00:33:00
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