Expected return for injured Timberwolves star revealed

Having just wrestled the No. 1 seed in the West back from the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves may be set for another boost.

Appearing Monday on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back,” Shams Charania of The Athletic shared a noteworthy update on injured Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. 

Charania revealed that Towns participated in his first post-injury team scrimmage Sunday and noted that Towns is “very, very close” to a return. The Timberwolves also have “optimism” that Towns will return before the end of the regular season on April 14, Charania adds.

The former No. 1 overall pick has been out since March 4 after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee and undergoing surgery. But the Timberwolves have held down the fort well in Towns’ absence, going 11-5 over that span with fellow big Naz Reid stepping up and into the starting lineup. 

As a result, Minnesota is currently tied with Denver for the best record in the West at 54-24 with four games left to play (they own the tiebreaker over Denver as well).

That is some impressive progress for Towns (who was averaging 22.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game before going down) just around five weeks after he was injured. 

Towns had recently shared a cryptic message on social media about a possible return and now seems on track to participate in a tune-up game or two before the playoffs begin for Minnesota.