Anthony Edwards to have knee surgery and miss up to two months for Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on Thursday and is expected to be sidelined for up to two months, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, a heavy blow for a Minnesota Timberwolves side that had won three of its first four games behind the best scoring start in franchise history.

The Associated Press reported that Edwards needs the procedure to alleviate issues with the knee and will miss several weeks, with a more precise timetable to be known after surgery. The Athletic, citing an anonymous team source, said he is expected to miss at least two months.

Minnesota had listed Edwards as questionable for the game against Golden State before the decision was taken to proceed with surgery, according to the Associated Press.

A knee that has troubled him before

The problem is not new. According to The Athletic, Edwards tweaked the knee in the season opener against the Miami Heat, received an MRI earlier in the week and, together with the team, determined that surgery was the appropriate measure to address the discomfort.

ESPN reported that he began grabbing the right knee during Sunday's home win over the Toronto Raptors. He was listed as questionable before Monday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the second night of a back-to-back, yet played a season-high 41 minutes and scored 47 points in a 127-125 overtime defeat.

Head coach Chris Finch had summed up his star's availability in four words: "It's a daily situation".

Last season Edwards dealt with runner's knee in the same leg and missed nine of Minnesota's final 22 regular-season games managing the injury, ESPN reported. He was limited to 61 games in all, mostly because of knee-related issues, according to the Associated Press. ESPN put his total absences at 21, the most of his career, and noted that Minnesota went 12-9 without him.

Before that, durability had been one of his calling cards. The Associated Press reported that he missed just 19 of a possible 400 games across his first five NBA seasons.

A record start cut short

The timing is cruel. Edwards had opened with 45 points in the win at Miami and 47 in the loss to Cleveland, and his 133 points through four games broke his own Timberwolves record of 120 set two seasons ago, according to the Associated Press. ESPN had him averaging 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 48% shooting.

That is a long way above the 24.6 points he has averaged across his career, per the Associated Press, and it had Minnesota looking like a side ready to build on what Edwards has already achieved: four All-Star appearances, two All-NBA selections and a gold medal with the United States at the Paris Games in 2024.