The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, one day before Anthony Edwards is scheduled to have an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, one that will cause him to miss at least two months.

It comes as Edwards was off to the fastest start of his career, averaging 33.3 points per game through the first four games. His final night out, Ant put up 47 points in the Wolves’ first loss (in OT), Monday night in Cleveland.

Since the news broke Tuesday, the biggest question has been over what exactly in Edwards’ knee needs cleaned up, and how long this procedure might keep him off the floor. Additionally, is this an injury that we’ll have to worry about after the surgery?

Dr. Brian Sutterer guessed it was cartilage, either a frayed meniscus or a worn spot in the joint. On Wednesday, new reports and an appearance from Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly gave us a bit more insight.

Tim Connelly on Anthony Edwards’ knee surgery

Connelly told reporters that the most recent imaging, which took place on Tuesday, flagged something that needed addressed right away. Minnesota’s PoBO did not give a new return timeline, saying the team will provide updates after the procedure. However, he also noted that this is not expected to linger long-term…

“Quick update on Anthony’s situation. He’s going to go through an arthroscopic procedure in the next 24 hours. We’re constantly updating his imaging. The imaging from yesterday showed an issue that we want to get addressed quickly. Our only concern is his long-term health.

…We’re pretty confident that he’ll get out there when he’s right. We don’t know when it’s going to be, but we don’t think it’s going to be something that’s going to cost the season.

…Well, yeah, I think we have the best medical staff in the league. We’re fortunate enough to be under the Mayo umbrella… It’s not something we’re concerned with long-term.”

Tim Connelly

For now, it appears the timeline for Ant’s return puts him back on the hardwood in early to mid-January, as reported by Jon Krawczynski (The Athletic). However, not everyone is as confident about his knee, going forward, as Connelly.

When can we expect Anthony Edwards back?

The one thing that could expedite Edwards’ return would be his superhero-type healing ability, which we saw in real-time last postseason, when he returned from a hyperextended left knee faster than anyone believed possible at the time.

Of course, the Wolves aren’t going to rush this. And because these kinds of arthroscopic knee surgeries have a history of recurring problems, there is no clear point at which we can expect the MN Timberwolves superstar to be back at 100% either.

“The belief internally is that the surgery will, eventually, allow Edwards to return pain-free and be much closer to the dynamic Skywalker that he has been in his first six seasons in the league. He has historically been a fast healer — he missed just two games after hyperextending his left knee in the first round against the Denver Nuggets last season — so no one is ruling anything out in terms of a timeline for his return.”

Who steps up for the Wolves without Ant?

Edwards has rarely missed time. He has played in 446 of a possible 486 regular-season games since entering the league in 2020-21, according to Basketball Reference, including all 72 as a rookie.

Jaden McDaniels is the second-leading scorer among the regulars at 15.0 points per game, followed by LaMelo Ball at 14.8. Expect Ayo Dosunmu to start, in place of Ant, but both Terrance Shannon Jr. and Jonathan Kuminga will be expected to shoulder more of the load on offense, as well.