All-Star guard Anthony Edwards is projected to miss up to two months after he undergoes an arthroscopic procedure on his injured right knee on Thursday.
However, sports doctor Brian Sutterer, MD, worries the Minnesota Timberwolves star could face complications from the clean-up procedure when he returns to the court. While breaking down Anthony Edwards’ injury, Sutterer suspected the surgery would most likely target cartilage, either degenerative or a frayed meniscus, rather than an acute tear. He noted that NBA players typically miss six-and-a-half weeks on average after a knee scope, which aligns with the reported return timeline.
“The most common scenario for a player like Edwards who requires arthroscopic surgery and faces an absence of roughly two months would be a procedure to address cartilage damage, trauma, or abnormal fraying,” he explained via FadeawayWorld.
“It could involve the meniscus or the cartilage itself. That isn’t necessarily a major structural injury to the knee.
“However, what can happen when a surgeon goes in to trim away torn tissue or clean up a damaged area is that you’re getting short-term improvement at the potential expense of longer-term issues. It’s a trade-off.
“And so this is not a like ‘fix it, forget about it, no problems down the road’ sort of a situation,” added Sutterer.
Anthony Edwards Return Timeline
Sutterer then cited the example of Joel Embiid, who underwent several knee scopes early in his career, which in turn compromised his health and athleticism.
“They undergo one arthroscopic knee surgery, and before we know it, they’ve had multiple procedures. Joel Embiid is a perfect example of this type of situation,” Sutterer said of Embiid, who underwent a left knee meniscus surgery in 2017 followed by two more knee scopes in 2024 and 2025 (besides the plethora of foot procedures).
“Now, looking at Edwards’ injury history, we can find some clues. He’s had issues with patellar tendinitis in that knee. Last year, he missed six games with what was described as right knee inflammation. He also dealt with right knee patellofemoral pain, which originates in the joint space behind the kneecap.”
Anthony Edwards Injury Update
For what it’s worth, Edwards has always been a remarkably quick healer — as evidenced by his record-setting return from a playoff knee bone bruise last season. However, Sutterer cautions that Edwards’ long-term cartilage health could be compromised, particularly if the surgery falls short.
“With a young player like Anthony Edwards, hearing about these knee surgeries makes me cautious about the future. What will happen over the next five years?
“Will this lead to more knee surgeries or additional issues? We’ve seen this happen with plenty of players,” Sutterer pondered, before highlighting Ant’s recent injury history.
“Now, looking at Edwards’ injury history, we can find some clues,” he said.
“He’s had issues with patellar tendinitis in that knee. Last year, he missed six games with what was described as right knee inflammation. He also dealt with right knee patellofemoral pain, which originates in the joint space behind the kneecap.”
“There were clear issues with his right knee last spring. Technically, that was the spring of this year. My guess is that things didn’t settle down over the summer. As he’s returned to the court, those issues have resurfaced. The team probably tried several conservative treatments in the spring and has now realized that something else needs to be done.”
Further to Sutterer’s point, Anthony Edwards was listed before Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and yet he played a season0high 41 minutes and scored 47 points. Subsequently, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that Edwards was “feeling really good” and had averted a possible knee injury. Hours later, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced that their franchise star needed surgery.
Timberwolves Get Anthony Edwards Return Timeline from Sports Doctor