Saturday Slam: The loss of Zach LaVine is brutal for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Earlier today, the Minnesota Timberwolves confirmed that their explosive young point guard Zach LaVine would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Below is the official team release.

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) taken this morning at Mayo Clinic by Team Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Diane Dahm revealed that Wolves guard Zach LaVine has a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in his left knee. LaVine, who will have surgery at a to-be-determined date, will miss the remainder of the season. Further updates as to LaVine’s progress will be issued when more information becomes available.The injury occurred during last night’s 116-108 loss to the Detroit Pistons.In 47 games this season, LaVine averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37.2 minutes per game. In his third NBA season, LaVine holds career averages of 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 206 games.

The loss of Zach LaVine obviously really hurts this young Wolves team. At 19-32, they are still very much alive for the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs, just 3.5 games back of the 22-28 Denver Nuggets, who are currently clinging to the 8th seed like grim death. With the loss of LaVine, it's going to be really tough for this young Wolves team to make up for his quality production. LaVine was in the middle of having a breakout season, making it all the more sad that he had to go down. The good news of course is that with proper rehab and surgery, LaVine can come back even stronger thanks to the quality medical care that he'll receive at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

                                         (Credit: YouTube. Click here for video). 
           
In terms of who will need to step up, it's obvious that Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, who are both averaging north of 20 points per game, will need to carry even more of the load.  In addition to them, the rest of the Wolves backcourt will need to do all they can to make up for Zach LaVine's production.

The guy in the backcourt who can be expected to step up the most is Shabazz Muhammad, who is averaging 9.0 points per game on 46.6% shooting from the field, 45.8% shooting from three-point range, and 80.2% shooting from the free throw line. During the past 10 games, Muhammad has notched six games with 15+ points, so with Zach LaVine now out for the season, it can be expected for him to continue to put up similar numbers. Ricky Rubio being more of a facilitator can't really be relied on to score more, but he will have to undertake a larger chunk of the point guard duties.

The one guy who is sort of a wild card in all of this is rookie point guard Kris Dunn, who is currently nursing a sore right hand. Dunn was the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft but has so far not really lived up to the hype. LaVine's absence should free up a lot more minutes for him once he returns to the court, giving him a chance to flourish and showcase his skills. If there's any benefit of Zach LaVine going down, it is that his absence gives Kris Dunn more minutes and opportunities for growth. Dunn has to make the most of these extra minutes and prove to the Minnesota franchise that he was worth the fifth overall pick.

There's no question that the loss of Zach LaVine is a major disappointment, but the Timberwolves are still in big picture mode, so as long as he is able to make a full recovery, this shouldn't be too big of a set back. If anything, it will give other guys an opportunity to step up and grow, so maybe in a way this will benefit the team for the long term. Of course, my thoughts and prayers are with Zach LaVine. I've gotten to know a lot of these top basketball players through my work with GoldenBearReport.com of the Rivals Network, so I have nothing but mad respect for all the work that they put in. I hope LaVine comes back stronger than before and helps the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to grow into one of the most elite and dangerous teams in the NBA.

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Saturday Slam: Look out for the Minnesota Timberwolves

     While some lottery-bound teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Orleans Pelicans are crashing and burning to end the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are actually starting to find their groove and build some momentum going into next season. The 28-52 Timberwolves have won 6 of their last 10 games including 3 straight road wins over the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers.

     The win in Golden State took the basketball world by surprise on Tuesday. The Warriors were favored by 14.5 points and looked to steamroll the Timberwolves as they go about trying to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record for most wins in a regular season. Instead, the Timberwolves came from behind to stun the Warriors in overtime on their home floor by a final score of 124-117. Shabazz Muhammad led the way for the Timberwolves with 35 points and 6 rebounds while Andrew Wiggins finished with 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Other notable Timberwolves performers were Karl-Anthony Towns with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Zach LaVine with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.

     If the Minnesota Timberwolves had to pick a way to have their coming out party, winning on the road in Oracle Arena as the Golden State Warriors are chasing history is probably the way to do it. While the Minnesota Timberwolves will once again be in the NBA Draft Lottery, their win on Tuesday put the basketball world on notice. The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming and they aren't afraid of anybody.

     The Minnesota Timberwolves' biggest weakness is inexperience and youth, but very much like the Utah Jazz have started to build around a talented young core, the Minnesota Timberwolves are as well. Only, I actually like the Timberwolves' core even better. Unlike Gordon Hayward, Andrew Wiggins has the chance to be the number-one guy on a championship team. As for Karl-Anthony Towns, he could be the next premier big man of the NBA.

     All in all, the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the right track to being a very competitive in the NBA for a long time. They have youth and all-star level talent. Look at them as a caterpillar in a cocoon that isn't yet a butterfly. They are in the process of becoming something special, but they just need more time to grow and develop.