Timberwolves Await Return of Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert Injury Concerning…

The Minnesota Timberwolves will return to the basketball court on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a game they enter as +7.5 point underdogs. While the Thunder sit atop the Western Conference at 45-10, much of this weekend’s touchdown spread is due to the Wolves who will not be taking the floor on Sunday.

On Saturday, it was announced that Julius Randle (right groin strain), Donte DiVincenzo (left great toe sprain) and Rudy Gobert (back spasms) will all miss tomorrow’s contest vs OKC, leaving superstar Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley to face the Thunder with a bunch of young pups at their side.

But how long will that be the case? The Minnesota Timberwolves have not had its full compliment of talent since January 15 against the Denver Nuggets. When will Randle, DiVincenzo and Gobert get back into the lineup? It sounds like Randle will be the first to return, of the three.

Minnesota Timberwolves latest injury update is mixed bag of good and bad news

According to Jon Krawczynski (The Athletic), while Julius Randle may not be back this weekend, he has resumed playing 5v5 in practice with his teammates and his return is imminent. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about DiVincenzo, who just recently began non-contact activities.

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The most eye-catching update from Jon’s piece, though, is a note about Gobert’s back injury, which did not heal up during the All-Star break, something the longtime Minnesota Timberwolves insider regards as “concerning”.

Randle has started playing five-on-five, meaning his return from an injury that has kept him out for nine games is imminent. DiVincenzo has been cleared for non-contact work, making his return a little bit further off. That Gobert’s back injury was not resolved over the All-Star break is concerning, especially with a home-and-home back-to-back against Oklahoma City coming on Sunday and Monday.

Jon Krawczynski – The Athletic

The MN Timberwolves are 10-7 in the 17 games played since they had all three of the above players in the lineup on January 15. Rudy Gobert has now missed the Wolves’ last two games, including their final matchup before the All-Star break vs the same team they play Sunday, the OKC Thunder.

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Rudy Gobert is averaging 11 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, in 55 games this season. Those numbers are all down from his career averages of 12.6/11.7/2.1 per game. Nonetheless, he is still crucial to what the MN Timberwolves do on both sides of the floor, but especially on defense. The fact that Jon K is concerned makes me concerned too.