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Timberwolves turn to Dosunmu, Kuminga and depth as Anthony Edwards faces knee surgery
Anthony Edwards has knee surgery Thursday and could miss two months. Here is who absorbs his minutes and how the board sees Warriors-Wolves.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will spend roughly the next two months without their best player. Anthony Edwards is set for arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday and could be out for up to two months, according to ESPN, which first reported the news through Shams Charania. The Minnesota Star Tribune confirmed the report, adding that team sources hope to have him back sometime in December and think the roster is deep enough to keep winning in the meantime.
The timing hurts. Edwards was averaging 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 48% shooting through four games. He scored 47 in 41 minutes in Monday's 127-125 overtime loss at Cleveland, even though he had been listed as questionable. Before that game, coach Chris Finch called the knee a "daily situation," per ESPN. Edwards dealt with runner's knee in the same leg last season and missed a career-high 21 games. Minnesota went 12-9 without him.
All of those shots have to go somewhere. In ESPN's fantasy breakdown, Eric Moody expects LaMelo Ball to take on the biggest share of the offense, with more chances to score and set up teammates, though defenses can now load up on him. Ayo Dosunmu looks like the favorite to join the starting lineup. He averaged 18.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 33.5 minutes across nine starts for the Wolves last season. Jonathan Kuminga, who has averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 29.8 minutes, and Jaden McDaniels should both get more shots. Terrence Shannon Jr. is putting up 13.0 points and 2.5 threes in only 22.3 minutes. Bones Hyland averaged 11.8 points across 20 games without Edwards last season, but his minutes are less certain.
There is also a contract angle. ESPN notes that a two-month absence would keep Edwards from reaching the 65-game threshold for MVP and All-NBA honors. Either award would have made him eligible for a supermax extension next summer.
What it means against Golden State
The Timberwolves are 3-1. They opened with lopsided road wins at Miami (131-106) and Orlando (115-93), then beat Toronto 117-94 in the home opener before the overtime loss in Cleveland. Next up is Golden State at Target Center on Wednesday, the night before Edwards' scheduled procedure, so this will be the first look at how the rotation changes.
The market still has Minnesota ahead. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, the Wolves are favored at -156 on Novig's moneyline, with Golden State at +153. On the spread, Novig lists Minnesota -4.5 at +108. The best Wolves spread anywhere is at BetRivers, which offers a shorter -3.5 at -112. Novig puts the total at 227.5, with the over at -100 and the under at -102. BetRivers has the best under at 228.5 for -110. The venues are fairly close on this game: sportsbook hold runs from 2.4% to 5.0% on the spread and 2.6% to 5.2% on the moneyline. The bigger gap is the full point between spread lines, a sign the market is still working out how much Edwards' absence matters.