Much is expected out of Anthony Edwards this season. The Timberwolves superstar has developed into one of the best players in the NBA over the last few years and this year figured to produce another leap as Minnesota competes for a championship. Unfortunately, that was all put on hold on Monday.
Edwards exited Sunday's win over the Pacers after only a few minutes due to a hamstring issue. The next day, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed Edwards would miss two weeks with a right hamstring strain, meaning he's likely out for at least the next seven games.
It is a tough blow for one of the league's brightest young stars. The 23-year-old Edwards was off to a scalding start in his sixth NBA season, scoring 41 points in the season opener and 31 against the Lakers before getting hurt early against Indiana. While his season is far from over it'll be a while before we see Edwards at his best again.
It also doesn't help that Minnesota has some big matchups over these coming weeks. The Wolves play the Nuggets and Lakers this week before taking on the Knicks the following. Those were shaping up to be good opportunities to see how they measured up against elite competition (although Los Angeles is dealing with injury issues of their own), but now the Wolves will have to try to earn wins shorthanded.
Which they haven't had to do much with Edwards on the roster. The No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft has proven to be one of the most durable stars in the league to this point. He's played at least 70 games in every season and hasn't missed more than three games in each of the last three years.
In Edwards's absence, Julius Randle will be getting plenty of opportunities. The former All-Star is averaging a hair over 25 points per game to start this season and had 31 after Edwards left Sunday's win. In addition, freshly-named starter Donte DiVincenzo will be asked to step up as well. Further down the bench this could lead to more minutes for wing players such as Terrence Shannon Jr. or Jaylen Clark.
The Timberwolves are 3-0 but this isn't the start to the season they envisioned. Hopefully Edwards heals up quick.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Anthony Edwards Injury Update: Timberwolves Star to Miss Time With Hamstring Strain.