When Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards limped off the court during the first quarter of Sunday’s win over the Pacers, there was some concern that he’d be out for an extended period. Unfortunately, those fears have been realized, with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that Edwards will miss at least two weeks.
According to the Timberwolves, he will be re-evaluated in one week, so this may not be an injury that keeps Edwards sidelined for as long as the initial report suggests.
In his first two games, Edwards averaged 36.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 4.0 three-pointers while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 82.4 percent from the foul line. That’s a significant amount of production that Minnesota will have to compensate for, and there isn’t one player who can do it all by himself. Let’s look at how Edwards’ absence will impact the fantasy values of the other Timberwolves.
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Who is most likely to move into the Timberwolves’ starting lineup?
This may come down to two players: Mike Conley and Terrence Shannon Jr. Conley, a starter throughout his NBA career, was replaced in the lineup by Donte DiVincenzo to begin the season. In three games, he’s averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.3 minutes. Given Conley’s age, as he turned 38 earlier this month, the desire is to ensure he’s healthy and fresh for the stretch run. He played 25 minutes against the Pacers, potentially a sign of what’s to come with Edwards being unavailable.
Shannon offers a considerably higher upside, and his insertion into the starting lineup would mean DiVincenzo remains the point guard. He’s averaged 4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in three games in 16.3 minutes. Unlike Conley, however, Shannon’s minutes did not increase after the Timberwolves lost Edwards. He only played 10 minutes on Sunday.
Which other players stand to be impacted by Anthony Edwards’ absence?
Ant-Man’s impact on the entire Timberwolves’ rotation is significant, given his impact on the team’s offensive performance. Julius Randle should become the first option on that end of the floor, with DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid also seeing their opportunities increase. While Reid has gotten off to a slow start, and it’s understandable why that has been the case, he’s a more than capable scorer who can provide increased value.
Of these options, only DiVincenzo and McDaniels are available in more than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Jaylen Clark, averaging 15 minutes per game, is another player whose minutes may increase, but he’s more valuable as a defender than a scorer. Rob Dillingham, who is available after missing a game with a fractured nose, may be able to work his way into the rotation, but he is also not worth the streaming risk.
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