Timberwolves leading scorer Kevin Martin underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair his fractured right wrist, the team announced in a press release Tuesday morning.
The shooting guard suffered the break on a 4-point play in a game last week against the New York Knicks. The injury occurred in the first quarter of the game, but Martin continued to play and he finished with a season-best 37 points, including seven 3-pointers.
Martin visited a specialist on Monday to determine if surgery was necessary, per reports.
Martin broke his wrist and missed about two months of action following surgery in 2009. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes that Martin played for the Sacramento Kings at the time and he scored 46 points in the game he broke his wrist. He also played the next game before surgery cut his season short.
How much time will Martin miss this time? About 6-8 weeks, according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson (The Wolves confirmed the report on Tuesday).
(Con.) Told to figure 6-8 weeks for Martin to get back to playing. Surgery decided after seeing the doctor earlier today. #twolves
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) November 25, 2014
A 6-8 week timeline means Martin could miss anywhere from 20 to 30 games.
With Martin out, Wolves fans should expect to see more of backup swingman Corey Brewer, writes Derek James of 1500ESPN.com. Brewer scored 51 points in a game last year, but he isn’t nearly the scoring threat Martin is.
Martin is averaging 20.4 points per game and shooting 48.1 percent from three.
