When Karl-Anthony Towns revealed in January he had suffered a severe Grade 3 right calf strain on Nov. 28, it didn't come in a Timberwolves press release. It didn't come in a news conference or an interview. Instead, it came when he was venting about his injury on the video-game platform Twitch while he and his teammates played "Call of Duty."
That was the first significant update Towns or the team offered about his injury for the long stretch of time he was out, and it came in the most nontraditional way possible. That moment encapsulated the awkwardness with which all involved handled the last four months concerning Towns' injury.