Towns starts vs. Hawks after 51-game absence

Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Karl-Anthony Towns was named in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, the Timberwolves announced.

Towns had missed the team's last 51 games due to a calf injury suffered in November.

The big man was averaging 20.8 points, his lowest since his rookie season, and a career-low 8.2 rebounds in 21 games this season. On the flip side, his 5.3 assists per game is the highest mark of his career.

Despite playing a large chunk of the campaign without Towns, the Timberwolves have remained competitive, largely on the back of burgeoning star Anthony Edwards.

While Minnesota sits ninth in the Western Conference at 36-37, it's only one game back of the No. 6 seed, which would see the team avoid the play-in tournament all together.

Despite being in just his eighth NBA season, Towns is second in Timberwolves history in both points and rebounds. He's posted career averages of 23.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game and is second all time in 3-pointers made by a center in league history, one behind leader Brook Lopez.