The road for the Minnesota Timberwolves to climb the standings in the West just got more difficult because forward Julius Randle will be out for at least two weeks. He joins Donte DiVincenzo; both players were acquired from the Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. The team has been able to stay afloat and even string along a couple of wins. The Timberwolves now sit at 28-23 and are now a half game behind the sixth-seeded Clippers with plenty of games to go.
Now the Timberwolves will be without their second leading scorer as Randle sustained a groin injury in Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz. The injury was revealed to be a right adductor strain after an MRI, Randle will be re-evaluated in two weeks. This puts the team in a sticky position. DiVincenzo was providing a spark for the starters, and Randle was another scoring option. The Timberwolves will have to figure out where their offense will come from.
Timberwolves Provide Critical Injury Update on Julius Randle
Improved Guard Play
When Donte DiVincenzo got inserted into the starting lineup on January 6th, he averaged 17.5 points a game on 42 percent shooting from three. This made him a viable threat next to Anthony Edwards who has often seen double teams this season, almost daring someone else to shoot. Now that he’s been out of the lineup, it forced Mike Conley into the starting lineup and opened up some minutes for Rob Dillingham to contribute.
Dillingham had his best scoring game of the season with 19 points and eight assists against the Utah Jazz off the bench on January 30th. Edwards will need the extra help because now with Randle and DiVincenzo out. He can expect to see more double teams unless others step up.
More Opportunity for Naz Reid and Luka Garza
Randle’s injury will put Naz Reid in the starting lineup for the time being. He shined in Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings notching 30 points on 63 percent shooting. Given the minutes, we can expect Naz to give you 20 points on any given night. Typically, the Timberwolves usually have a three-big rotation, so someone needs to step up.
Right now it’s been third-year player Luka Garza. Despite only playing five minutes against the Kings, this could be the opportunity for him to play his way into the rotation. It’ll be interesting to see how Chris Finch utilizes his minutes with Randle sidelined. Either Garza will earn more minutes, or Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid will have to carry the brunt of the minutes.
Going Forward
All eyes will be on Anthony Edwards as now he’ll likely face a horde of double teams. If Naz Reid can consistently be a scoring threat and even Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves can still win some games.
It’s clear the Timberwolves will be without Julius Randle through the All-Star break. It won’t be an easy path; they’ll have to go through the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Thunder before they reach All-Star weekend. However, it’s likely Randle will return shortly after All-Star break.
Photo Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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