LaVine Injury Dents Timberwolves Playoff Hopes

By MH
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Updated: February 22, 2017

The news that Zach LaVine will miss the remainder of the season as a result of an anterior cruciate ligament injury has certainly hit the Minnesota Timberwolves hard, with their playoff hopes not hanging in the balance thanks to defeat in Detroit. The 21-year-old shooting guard has been in fine form in the NBA this season, however with only the Lakers and Suns below Minnesota in the Western Conference standings, it promises to be a testing remainder of the campaign for head coach Tom Thibodeau.

LaVine had been among the favourites for the upcoming All-Star dunk contest, however the youngster decided instead to help the Timberwolves in their quest to move up the standings. The youngster will now not feature in either, with LaVine now focusing solely on his rehabilitation from upcoming surgery. The 6-foot-5 former UCLA player injured his knee on a drive to the rim in the third quarter, with the impact clear for all to see. Despite starting the fourth quarter, LaVine lasted just 30 seconds, with the severity of the injury not realized on first inspection. Improvements in technology and treatment within the NBA mean that the injury is not as bad as it once was, however a long spell on the sidelines awaits the prodigy.

The shooting guard was averaging 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season, while making 38.8% of 3-pointers. The fact that he led the Timberwolves scoring 14 times, including scoring 30 points or more on four separate occasions, only further demonstrates his importance to the team, with Tyus Jones now expected to receive more game time in his absence.

Despite LaVine’s injury undoubtedly coming as a huge blow to the Wolves, the youngster has not been the same player since his comeback from a hip injury. In the 10 games following his injury, his stats have dropped significantly, averaging just 13.5 points per game, as well as his 3-point accuracy dropping to 27.5%.

With Thibodeau having welcomed LaVine’s decision to skip the dunk contest, the youngster averaged 37.2 minutes, the third highest in the NBA behind Kyle Lowry and LeBron James. The Wolves tripod of 21-year-old stars is now down to just Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, with Minnesota’s pursuit of the postseason now having got that little more difficult. Thibodeau is no stranger when it comes to dealing with an injury crisis, with the former Chicago Bulls coach having to cope with Derrick Rose’s constant knee injuries during his time there.