There were over seven minutes left in the first quarter between the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves on November 20th when Jalen Brunson navigated into the high paint off a Mitchell Robinson screen. Bruson attempted an uncontested 10-foot jumper, which was odd because Jaden McDaniels was defending him. However, McDaniels fell to the floor as the shot was attempted, grabbing at his right ankle.
McDaniels was in a heap of pain as Robinson cleaned up Brunson’s missed shot. Jaden walked under his own power back to Minnesota’s locker room, but it was apparent that whatever happened to him was worse than just an ankle roll. Nickeil Alexander-Walker started the first two games of the season and subbed in for McDaniels. The game continued.
Alexander-Walker’s ability to keep Brunson in check most of the game masked the pains of losing an All-Defensive-level player that night. Alexander-Walker limited the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week to 25 points on 7-of-15 from the floor. It’s not like we haven’t seen this before. We saw him step up and make a meaningful impact against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs last season, particularly the work he put in against Jamal Murray. Therefore, his ability to fill in for McDaniels on defense almost seamlessly wasn’t a surprise. However, NAW does much more than just defend. He’s also a capable shooter and someone who keeps the defense honest.
McDaniels went on to miss the next eight games with a right ankle sprain, and NAW started in his place. The Timberwolves went 7-1 during that span. However, the bench’s production decreased because Chris Finch lost one of his more reliable players on his bench – someone who held everything together in Alexander-Walker.
From November 20th to December 8th, Minnesota’s bench had an offensive rating of 52.2, ranking them 25th league-wide. They also have a net rating of -0.4, 18th league-wide. Offensive production off the bench has been the Timberwolves’ overarching issue this season. But McDaniels’ absence during that two-and-a-half-week window further highlighted that. However, Slim returned to the lineup last week in New Orleans. Since then, we have seen Minnesota’s rotation operating at full strength.
The Timberwolves had a massive 119-101 road win over the Dallas Mavericks last week in McDaniels’ second game back. In his first game, he had to guard with Brandon Ingram, one of only a few players with more length than Jaden. That unfortunate matchup led to an underwhelming welcome back to the lineup for McDaniels. Ingram finished with 20 points and put McDaniels in some early foul trouble.
Chris Finch had Jaden defending Luka Dončić in Dallas. Dončić entered the game averaging the second most points per game at 32 on 48% from the floor and 38% from deep while leading Dallas to an unexpected 15-8 record. It was a tall order, but McDaniels has risen to the moment in the past. However, Dončić quickly hung 14 points on the board and drew two fouls in the first three minutes on Jaden, forcing him to take a seat.
By the end of the first quarter, Luka had 16 of Dallas’ 30 points and looked like he was going to take the game over and finish with 60+. Finch and his staff received an incredible team defensive showing, particularly from McDaniels – who could go the rest of the way and only pick up one more foul – Alexander-Walker, and Kyle Anderson.
After Dončić’s 26-point first half on 9-of-15 from the floor, Minnesota limited him to 13 points on 6-of-12 from the floor with five turnovers in the second half. It was an entire team effort on defense that stemmed from having their defensive stopper back in the mix.
Minnesota’s offensive production was another positive takeaway from that game. In the first quarter, the Timberwolves shot 10-of-21 from the floor and 3-of-7 from deep while turning the ball over six times. Minnesota had 26 points after one quarter, while Luka had 16. The lack of offense early concerned Finch more than the defense. However, the pendulum swung in the second half, particularly the third quarter, as the Wolves outscored the Mavericks 60-41 in the final 24 minutes. The bench deserves much of the credit for that win.
Naz Reid stole the show with his 27-point performance on a career-high 7-of-11 form deep. Without Reid’s mid-game spark, the Wolves would not have walked out of the Big D with a big win. However, the steller bench production doesn’t stop there. Everyone who was a part of the rotation off the bench positively impacted the game.
- Alexander-Walker: 13 points on 3-of-4 from deep, incredible defense, +20
- Anderson: 6 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, serviceable defense, +4
- Troy Brown Jr.: 5 points, 2-of-4 from the floor, timely buckets
That win over Dallas was our first look at how Finch and his staff will operate the rotation going forward. We saw Shake Milton get his first DNP of the season against the Mavericks, which made sense. One player needed to be cut out of the mix with a fully healthy starting five, and Brown Jr. has been too impactful on both ends for Finch to take him out of the rotation. TBJ further highlighted his impact in the rotation against the Indiana Pacers in the following game, as he finished with 11 points on 3-of-5 from deep.
More of the same from both games rang true again as the Wolves were in Miami Monday night. Minnesota opened the game poorly but dominated the second half and rallied to its 20th win. It was an entire team effort on both ends. The Heat tallied 66 points in the first half and only 42 in the second. Uncharacteristically, the Wolves lacked attention to detail early, and it seemed like they were cruising to their sixth loss of the year as the Miami Heat took as much as a 17-point lead in the first half. However, Finch and his staff received gutsy play down the stretch from everyone on the team.
“We got guys who don’t want to lose. And then the game takes care of itself,” said Rudy Gobert postgame.
McDaniels has been back for only four games. However, all of the Timberwolves’ rotational success during that time has revolved around Finch inserting him back into the starting lineup. Since rejoining the team, and before the Miami game, Minnesota’s bench offensive rating was 65.5, which ranked them sixth-best in the league. Their net rating was 6.0, which was also sixth in the NBA. The numbers dipped after Monday due to the early woes on both ends for the Wolves. However, McDaniels’ overall impact on the rotation has become increasingly pronounced this year.
