The Timberwolves face a setback! Edwards diagnosed with inflammation in his right knee, will miss at least 1-2 weeks and may be excluded from award eligibility.

On March 18 Beijing time, the Timberwolves officially announced that Anthony Edwards will miss today's game against the Suns due to right knee soreness. He underwent an MRI scan, which revealed inflammation in his right knee. According to the Timberwolves, Edwards will be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks, and further updates will be provided as they become available.

Although this timeline does not specify when Edwards can return, it is certain that even if he is cleared to come back after one week of reevaluation, he will at least miss three additional games besides today's matchup against the Suns. The Timberwolves' upcoming schedule includes: hosting the Jazz on Thursday, facing the Trail Blazers on Saturday at home, and then traveling to challenge the Celtics next Monday.

The 24-year-old Edwards is having his career-best season with the Timberwolves, averaging 35.5 minutes per game, contributing 29.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals. His shooting percentages are 49.2% from the field, 40.2% from three-point range, and 79.6% from the free-throw line.

He has been selected to the NBA All-Second Team for the past two seasons and is currently pushing hard for a First Team selection this season. However, he needs to play at least 8 of the Timberwolves' remaining 14 games to qualify for end-of-season awards. He has already played in 58 games, but one of those lasted only 3 minutes before he left, which does not count toward the minimum 65-game threshold. He is at risk of losing his award eligibility.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are in a fierce battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. Before Wednesday's games, they held the 6th spot in the West with a record of 41 wins and 27 losses, trailing the 4th-place Rockets by only 0.5 games and leading tonight's opponent, the 7th-place Suns, by 2 games.

The Timberwolves certainly will not rush the return of this franchise cornerstone, but to secure a stable playoff spot, the team likely still needs him back as soon as possible.