D’Angelo Russell, waiting for the Minnesota Timberwolves, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to remove a loose body in his left knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks, the team announced Tuesday.
Russell has missed Minnesota’s previous three games with a sore left leg. Ricky Rubio started in his place.
Russell averaged 19.3 points and 5.1 assists in 20 games (19 starts) this season for the worst Timberwolves at the Western Conference, who competed 7-20 overall to host Tuesday night’s clash with the Los Angeles Lakers pack.
Russell’s absence from the Wolves series comes a year after the team traded him through the Golden State Warriors.
The Wolves were looking for a point guard to pair with All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, but the two have only played five games together since the deal – once during the 2019-20 pandemic shortened season and four times this season, as Towns were eliminated 13 games after testing positive for COVID-19. Minnesota won 2-3 in those five games.
Towns and Russell were selected first and second, respectively, in the 2015 NBA draft.
On Tuesday, the Timberwolves said forward Jarrett Culver, who had a left ankle strain last month, has been released to start on the track again and could play late next week.