The Timberwolves will be rocking their iconic throwback uniforms Wednesday night against the Lakers at Target Center, but they won’t look quite as flashy on the court without superstar Anthony Edwards.
Edwards is out for Wednesday night’s prime-time clash against the Lakers due to a hamstring injury. The hamstring issue first popped up on the injury report ahead of the Wolves’ season-opening 118–114 win over the Trail Blazers, but he played anyway and went off for 41 points in 39 minutes. Edwards scored 31 points in 34 minutes in Minnesota’s second game of the year, but he was pulled after three minutes on the floor in the Timberwolves’ 114–110 win over the Pacers on Sunday night.
As the Wolves have learned already this season, there are no easy nights in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves need Edwards back on the floor as soon as possible to make sure they stay on the right side of the standings in the early goings of the 2025-26 season.
When Edwards can return to Timberwolves
Minnesota announced Monday that Edwards will be re-evaluated in a week, but the 24-year-old star is expected to miss more time. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that same day Edwards will likely miss a minimum of eight games as he recovers from the hamstring injury.
Edwards has already missed one full game—the Timberwolves’ 127–114 loss to the Nuggets on Monday night. If he is able to return as soon as reportedly possible, Edwards could be back in time for the Timberwolves’ clash against the Kings on Nov. 14.
Timberwolves’ upcoming schedule
Minnesota has a relatively easy schedule, all things considered, over the next two weeks. The Wolves host the star-studded Lakers on Wednesday night, but then six of their next seven games are against teams that didn’t make it out of the play-in tournament last season.
Where Timberwolves will turn without Edwards
The Timberwolves have leaned on a few players to play a bigger role without Edwards on the floor.
Savvy veteran point guard Mike Conley, who came off the bench in Minnesota’s first three games, is back in the Timberwolves’ starting rotation. His presence as the starting point guard has slid Donte DiVincenzo over to his natural position at shooting guard, where Edwards usually occupies.
Conley has seen his minutes tick up as well, playing a combined 21 minutes in the first two games before logging 24 and 25 minutes the next two contests. In those two games where he had a bigger role, Conley is averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 assists in 25.5 minutes on the floor.
In addition to Conley, Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland has seen double-digit minutes in three straight games, and second-year guard Rob Dillingham played his first significant role Monday night against the Nuggets, scoring four points on 2-of-2 shooting in 12 minutes. Fellow youngster Terrence Shannon Jr. also helped filled in for Edwards that night, logging nine points on 3-of-8 shooting in 25 minutes.
It takes an entire village to replace a talent like Edwards. The Wolves will lean even more heavily on their trio of talented bigs—Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert—while Edwards gets healthy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Anthony Edwards Injury Timeline: When Star Will Return to Timberwolves.