During their match against the Detroit Pistons, Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered what was initially thought to be a left knee contusion. However, an MRI later revealed that the 21 year old swing man actually tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). This type of injury requires a player to undergo knee surgery and take months or even a year to recover from. Needless to say, this marks the end of LaVine's season.
The Timberwolves organization has yet to announce when LaVine will undergo surgery and how long his recovery is estimated to take. In the meantime, heavier burdens fall onto the remaining young stars of the team. LaVine was part of a young trio that made up the Timberwolves core group with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Along with Ricky Rubio and Gorgui Dieng, these five players played 880 minutes together while the second most used lineup only has 159 minutes as per Bleacher Report.
Only time will tell how head coach Tom Thibodeau will address not having LaVine spreading the floor and creating space for Wiggins and Anthony-Towns to operate inside. The team is also having trouble getting wins with LaVine on the floor, making his absence all the more crucial. LaVine was their third leading scorer, averaging a career-high 18.9 points per game on 45.9 percent from the field in the Timberwolves 47 games this season as per Basketball Reference.
According to NBA.com, this season ending injury could help take the pressure off the organization and the players to qualify for the playoffs this season and end a 13 year playoff drought. The Timberwolves are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and still have a year or two to go before playoff dreams become a reality. The remaining games should be taken as an opportunity for "individual development and cohesive, intelligent team play" while waiting for the return of LaVine and any developments in draft picks or free agents in the coming off-season.
