NBA Rumors: Anthony Edwards Could Return from Ankle Injury for T-Wolves vs. Warriors

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards reportedly may be able to return to the lineup Sunday against the Golden State Warriors after missing time with an ankle injury.

According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT, there is "strong optimism" within the T-Wolves organization that Edwards will be able to play Sunday.

The ankle ailment has kept Edwards out for the past three games, marking the first contests he has missed this season.

Although Minnesota has gone 2-1 in the three games Edwards has missed, he would be a huge addition to the lineup in an incredibly important game against the Warriors.

Entering play Saturday, the Timberwolves are in seventh place in the Western Conference at 37-37, just 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Warriors and a guaranteed playoff spot.

The T-Wolves are just one game ahead of the 36-38 Dallas Mavericks in 11th place, which is the first position outside the play-in tourney for the postseason's final two spots.

Edwards, 21, is in the midst of his third NBA season, and it has been his best statistical campaign to date.

The 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick is averaging a career-high 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is also making 2.7 three-pointers per contest, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.

When superstar power forward Karl-Anthony Towns was out for nearly four months due to injury, Edwards was the Timberwolves' unquestioned go-to offensive player and helped keep them in the thick of the playoff hunt.

Towns finally made his return to the lineup Wednesday, meaning Minnesota is trending toward being at full strength for the first time since early in the season.

Edwards' impending return couldn't come at a better time, as the T-Wolves have just eight games remaining on their regular-season schedule.