Karl-Anthony Towns went down with a Grade 3 calf strain on Nov. 28 and has missed 51 games this season. Before the injury, the Rudy Gobert-KAT pairing wasn’t seamless, but here’s why reinserting the former No. 1 overall pick into the lineup won’t be an issue.

The Timberwolves were 10-11 with KAT in the lineup this season. Some games had you thinking this two-center lineup would work after wins over the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic. Then there were losses like the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs that had you in disbelief.

It was always going to take time, but no one imagined it would have been this difficult. A lot has changed since KAT went down with an injury.

• Anthony Edwards has established himself as the leader of the franchise
•  D’Angelo Russell was traded for Mike Conley
•  Gobert understands his role within the team.

Because all three of those things have happened since Nov. 28, reinserting Towns into the lineup won’t be an issue.

This has been Towns’ team for the last eight years, but this is now Edwards’ team. The 21-year-old has been playing at a high level and was deserving of making his first All-Star Game. This team goes as far as Edwards takes it, and he’s kept them afloat since KAT went down in November.

The pecking order has been determined, and it’s no longer about who’s the No. 1 option. The offense flows through Ant, and Towns is a close second because of how great he is offensively.

Both things can be true: Russell is a more explosive player at this stage in his career, and Conley is a better fit on the Timberwolves roster.

There were too many mouths to feed when the Timberwolves were rolling out Russell, Edwards, Towns, Gobert and Jaden McDaniels.

Edwards and Towns can run the offense, and Conley can be the middleman who gets everyone involved, especially Gobert. It won’t be about how to get Gobert involved while also trying to have Russell, KAT and Edwards going offensively.

It’s simpler now, and that’s what this team needs.

You could tell at the beginning of the season that Gobert was unsure what his role was with the team. Part of the problem was the Timberwolves’ coaching staff was trying to force him the ball on offense.

Over the last handful of weeks, it’s been a work in progress, but Gobert is starting to play the best basketball of his career, and a lot of that has to do with the addition of Conley.

He’s been playing at a high level, and that’ll be important when KAT makes his return against the Hawks. Gobert and Conley can continue to work on their two-man game while the two offensive scorers on the team do the bulk of the lifting on offense.

Don’t forget, Towns and Gobert had good chemistry on offense. Gobert will now have two-to-three players on the court that can get him the ball.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are developing something special pic.twitter.com/3muhdIb33o

— Timberwolves Talk (@LetsTalk_Wolves) October 24, 2022

After trading Russell, the Timberwolves have been lacking another scorer in the lineup. Towns can fill that role and give you even more than what DLo gave you. Now that the Timberwolves have figured out their identity, reinserting Towns shouldn’t be an issue.