T-Wolves' Karl-Anthony Towns Had 'Major Setback' in Calf Injury Recovery in January

When Minnesota Timberwolves star center Karl-Anthony Towns suffered a calf injury in November, there was a belief that he'd have a chance to return at some point during the regular season.

That has yet to happen, and Towns revealed to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski that the reason for his prolonged absence is that he suffered "a major setback" in his recovery in late January.

Towns, who has missed 51 games so far, declined to specify exactly what happened, but he noted that he essentially was forced to start his rehab from scratch.

"It was obvious. You have a boot one day, then you're out of a boot and now you're back in a boot. That's a setback," he said. "I think there will be a time and place to talk about that. But not right now."

While there initially was some hope he would be back soon, Towns said he always knew he'd miss a significant amount of time after tests revealed a Grade 3 strain and multiple tears in his calf.

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

The Timberwolves are ninth in the Western Conference with a 35-37 record, though they have lost five of their last six games entering Monday's matchup against the New York Knicks. Minnesota is 25-26 this season with Towns out of the lineup, per StatMuse.

Towns expressed optimism that his return to the court would be sooner rather than later, though he chose not to identify a specific game for his comeback, and Minnesota only has nine games left.

"I feel good there is a day [coming]," Towns said. "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."