Anthony Edwards’ Teammate Returns to Court 170 Days After Achilles Tear in Viral Video

Anthony Edwards limped to the Timberwolves' locker room with a buckled left knee in April, and the same Game 4 against Denver took a far bigger toll on the guy next to him. Donte DiVincenzo was done for the year barely a minute into that night.

Now, 170 days later, a clip of him shooting at Minnesota practice is circulating online. And it is the first real glimpse of how quickly the Wolves' injured guard is moving. The footage, shared on social media, shows DiVincenzo shooting around at Timberwolves practice, ahead of schedule given how long Achilles injuries usually take.

For a tear that happened on April 26, being on the floor with a ball in his hands before the 2026-27 season is even underway is the kind of progress most players in his position don't reach this early.

DiVincenzo went down 1:19 into Game 4 on a non-contact play, waved to the bench for help, and put little to no weight on his right foot as he was helped off. Coach Chris Finch said his season was over, adding: "I feel completely devastated for Donte." Minnesota still won 112-96 behind Ayo Dosunmu's 43 points to take a 3-1 series lead, but the night cost the team two rotation players at once.

The other casualty was Edwards, whose left knee buckled as he landed after contesting a layup. He was ruled out with a bone bruise and was expected to miss weeks, which left the Wolves without their best player and one of their most dependable role players for the rest of that run.

That shared injury night is why DiVincenzo's recovery has been tied to Edwards' season in the minds of Minnesota fans ever since.

The 170-day mark matters because of how long the usual timeline is. It was reported that he was expected to miss most or all of the regular season, and it compared his path with other recent Achilles cases: Jayson Tatum returned about 10 months after his injury, while Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton were not expected back until opening night of 2026-27.

He has been careful not to set a date himself. "I'd say everybody's different," he said, noting that each of those players gave him a different perspective. On the question of when he might play, he added: "Everybody's journey's different and we'll cross that bridge when we get there to see how I feel." NBC Sports reported on Sept. 28 that he expects to play at some point this season.

What DiVincenzo’s Comeback Means for Anthony Edwards and the Wolves

The practice clip landed at a time when Edwards' own situation has changed. Minnesota traded for LaMelo Ball so Edwards could move back to shooting guard after Finch made him the point guard ahead of last season, a decision the coach later took the blame for.

At media day, Edwards joked: "I never thought I could develop any point guard skills," and said, "Finchy harps on me passing the ball, but now we've got LaMelo so I'm happy." Trouble with both knees late last year, plus an early hamstring injury, held him to a career-low 61 games, so his health sits at the center of the Wolves' season.

That is where DiVincenzo fits in. Reports noted that if he returns close to his pre-injury form, he would immediately be a core player again, and that Ball's arrival would have slotted him into a sixth-man role.

With an expiring contract, DiVincenzo heads into next summer as a free agent, and the team does not plan to trade him, which makes a healthy return even more valuable for both sides.

The next stretch will show how much of that progress holds up. For Edwards, who walked off the same court in April, and for a Wolves group that has rebuilt its backcourt around him, having DiVincenzo working his way back this early is a quiet boost.