"There’s some light at the end of the tunnel”- Karl-Anthony Towns opens up on injury that kept him out for four months

Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been out since Nov. 28 due to a Grade 3 right calf strain. It was initially reported that Towns would miss four to six weeks. However, the injury has proven to be much more serious than many realized. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Towns spoke about his long and grueling rehab process, explaining that he is finally nearing his return:

“I hated every moment of it,” Towns said.

“I feel good there is a day (coming). There’s a time. I’ve been in the darkness of the tunnel and trying to figure out where I’m going. It’s good to know that there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.

“I’ve been itching to play. I’ve worked extremely hard to get to the moment to play. Setbacks happen. I couldn’t do it. I’ve wanted to play basketball so bad for so long,” Towns continued.

Towns then went on to explain that despite the initial reporting, he was never supposed to be back in four to six weeks:

“It was never supposed to be a four to six-week thing. It was supposed to be a long time,” Towns said.

“I knew since day one it was going to be a long road, a Grade 3; I tore a lot of my calf. It was like 95 percent torn off. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy road."

“There was just never a real timetable. You Google it and you see 12 weeks. I knew it was going to be a road, and I was hoping I could beat that,” Towns continued.

The Timberwolves faced high expectations entering this season following their offseason acquisition of star center Rudy Gobert. Towns, along with Gobert and rising star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, were seen as a trio that could lead Minnesota deep into the playoffs. However, the team has struggled to stay afloat without Towns, going just 26-26.

With just nine games remaining, Minnesota (36-37), sits in a play-in position at eighth in the Western Conference. However, the team is just one game ahead of the 12th-placed New Orleans Pelicans (34-37). So the Timberwolves will likely need Towns back sooner rather than later to increase their chances of securing a playoff spot.

Towns is averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.8 3-pointers per game on 50.5% shooting through 21 games.

Karl-Anthony Towns on his new perspective

Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns

In his interview with The Athletic, Karl-Anthony Towns also spoke about how his perspective has changed while missing so much time due to injury. Towns explained that his time away has given him an extra appreciation for how much he loves the game of basketball:

“Just a different way of appreciating it, just to see how much I need basketball,” Towns said.

“I know I’ve always said I never wanted basketball to dictate who I was. I’ve always wanted it to be what I do off the court. But you realize how synonymous those things are with each other. You feel your being is with basketball and you feel your soul is helping people. You can’t have one without the other,” Towns continued.

Towns added that he’s extremely excited to get the chance to prove himself once again:

“I’m super excited to get out there again and show the world what I do best, and that’s be an all-world player and be one of the best players I can possibly be,” Towns said.

“I don’t have much time to get ready for the playoffs, but I know I’ll make it work as I’ve always done in every situation that I’ve been in with the Wolves,” Towns continued.

For Karl-Anthony Towns' full interview with The Athletic, click here.