“We got Jaden McDaniels” has become a rallying cry around the Twin Cities.
From October to May, we can handwave any problem in life with the phrase. Is a blizzard dumping a foot of snow? That’s okay, we got Jaden McDaniels. The Vikings biff it by picking an injured offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL Draft? We got Jaden McDaniels. Are the Timberwolves taking on a generational superstar? It will be okay because of Jaden McDaniels’ presence.
But the Timberwolves are using the quip Anthony Edwards originally uttered in the first round of 2024, when they were playing Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, as a crutch.
Jaden McDaniels has blossomed into a beloved (or hated if you live in Denver) two-way near-star player in his sixth season in the NBA. He’s always been known for his lanky, rugged defense. However, his offensive game has finally caught up. He averaged a career high of 14.8 points per game while shooting 41.2 percent from three in 73 games.
He’s become even more integral during the playoff run. With Anthony Edwards out, McDaniels scored 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and beat the hell out of Jamal Murray to close out the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the first round. His nearly unstoppable midrange was a big part of Minnesota’s Game 1 victory in San Antonio when Victor Wembanyama was blocking everything at the rim.
The Scottie Pippen–lite season is a positive development after so many years where McDaniels could never play with the ball in his hands. However, the downside is that McDaniels and the Timberwolves are finding out in real time what it’s like when you become way too important at work.
With McDaniels’ ascent to playoff series finisher with Edwards sidelined with a hyperextended knee, the rest of the Timberwolves are looking to Jaden to lead the way on both ends of the floor. When he’s on the court, the 25-year-old has taken on the extra responsibility like a pro. The problem with relying on Jaden McDaniels to be your savior comes when he inevitably gets in foul trouble.
Fouls have always been the turd in the punch bowl of Jaden McDaniels’ game. He’s finished in the top 20 in fouls committed in each of his last five seasons. He finished as high as second, and after seemingly curbing his foul issue the last two years, McDaniels committed the fourth most fouls in the NBA this season. And the habit has come roaring back during this year’s playoffs.
McDaniels is averaging 4.4 fouls per game thus far through eight playoff games. He’s logged five fouls in four of the last five playoff games. Foul trouble limited him to 27 minutes in Minnesota’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets and just 19 minutes in the Game 2 blowout against San Antonio.
On Wednesday, McDaniels picked up his third foul with 9 minutes and 49 seconds left in the second quarter. The Spurs were leading 29-22 when McDaniels exited the game. When McDaniels re-entered the game to start the third quarter, the Spurs had taken a 24-point lead and put the game away.
Edwards even admitted after the blowout that the Timberwolves “need Jaden on the court at all times” and that McDaniels “knows he can’t foul” because the Wolves won’t win if he’s not on the court. The inherent issue with Edwards’s vote of confidence is that McDaniels is in a bit of a catch-22. To play to his full ability and affect the game as much as he can, he has to play intense on-ball defense to shut down the opponent’s lead ballhandlers. But that aggression leads to more fouls, forcing him off the court for extended periods.
To curb the fouls and keep McDaniels on the court as much as possible, the rest of the Timberwolves need to step up and take on more defensive duties.
- Rudy Gobert is already doing his part in the post. First, he shut down Nikola Jokic in six games in the first round. Then he silenced Wembanyama to the tune of 11 points on 5-17 shooting in Game 1.
- Randle has had his defensive lapses, but has held up well when the Wolves have needed him most.
- Naz Reid is too slow-footed to be a reliable defender, but he occasionally makes splash plays.
- Donte DiVincenzo has a torn Achilles, otherwise he’d absorb some burden against opposing ballhandlers.
- Ayo Dosunmu must be careful with calf strain.
- Mike Conley has put his old, broken-down body on the line in what could potentially be his last playoff run.
- Jaylen Clark might be Minnesota’s true best on-ball defender. But he’s played in just 45 minutes across four games in the playoffs.
- And Bones Hyland is too slight to be taken seriously on the defensive end.
That leaves two players who need to give McDaniels all the help they can give if the Wolves are going to upset the Spurs. Terrence Shannon Jr. has been a revelation on offense since being forced into the lineup in Game 5 against the Nuggets. The other is Anthony Edwards, who is running around on two bum legs.
Injuries aside, Edwards needs to step things up on defense. He’s an All-Defense caliber on ball defender when he’s locked in and ready to expend the same amount of energy as he does on the offensive end. Far too often, he gets caught ball watching or daydreaming when he’s off ball or giving a little less than max effort on ball, causing his teammates, most notably, Jaden McDaniels, to cover for him and scramble.
To keep McDaniels out of foul trouble, Edwards must look at his positioning and effort on defense and match what McDaniels is doing on a game-by-game basis.
Jaden McDaniels is finally turning into the two-way star we all hoped he’d become. But for him to max out his effectiveness and remain on the court while playing elite defense, he’ll need Anthony Edwards to fully unleash himself on defense.
