How long is Karl-Anthony Towns out for? Latest injury update reported for Timberwolves All-Star

The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a huge blow when Karl-Anthony Towns was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee. The star big man is anticipated to be sidelined for a period due to the injury.

According to reports, Karl-Anthony Towns has undergone evaluation to determine if immediate surgery was necessary or if there were rehabilitation options that could expedite his return to the Minnesota lineup.

On Thursday night, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Towns is set to undergo surgery to repair the torn meniscus. The All-Star big man will be re-evaluated in a month, and although nothing is sure yet, the Timberwolves expect him to return to action early in the playoffs, which will begin on April 20.

The timing of the Karl-Anthony Towns injury is unfortunate for the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves, who improved to 44-19 this season after a victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, thanks to Anthony Edwards' big performance.

With the Karl-Anthony Towns injury sidelining the star for the remainder of the regular season, the Timberwolves will rely on their center options, which include Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.

Towns is having a productive season for the Timberwolves, highlighted by a career-high performance in January when he scored 62 points against the Charlotte Hornets, although the game ended in a loss.

He has been averaging 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 42% from 3-point range in 60 games this season.

In his last game before the injury, a win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Towns scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds.

The Timberwolves face a tough stretch of games ahead of them after the Karl-Anthony Towns Injury, taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Utah Jazz twice, Denver Nuggets, the Cavaliers again and then the Golden State Warriors.

Karl-Anthony Towns Injury: Looking at the Minnesota Timberwolves' performance without All-Star big man

Before their victory against the Pacers, the Timberwolves had won the two games they played without Karl-Anthony Towns this season.

The first was on Dec. 23, 2023, when the Timberwolves toppled the Sacramento Kings, 110-98. Edwards was his usual self that game, scoring 34 points and dishing out 10 assists. The Minnesota frontcourt also shone, with Gobert recording 22 points and 17 rebounds, Jaden McDaniels scoring 20 points and grabbing five rebounds, and Kyle Anderson contributing 10 points and five rebounds.

The second was on Feb. 27, a 114-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Edwards led the way with 34 points and five rebounds, while Gobert had 13 points and 17 rebounds and Reid had 22 points and six rebounds.

The sample size is limited, but the Timberwolves' three victories without Towns this season came against teams featuring star big men such as Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis and Victor Wembanyama.