Jaden McDaniels

[weimy froob]

needs to make an impact this series. no excuses.

[A$$MAN]

needs to make an impact this series. no excuses.

Yep. When he's making shots at a high level we are pretty much unbeatable. Our offense just looks so much better.

With that said, keep the turnovers down, play physical both offensively and defensively, slow the game down and absolutely do not get into a 3-pt shooting contest. If we can do this, we win this series.

Also, just have to hope the refs let BOTH teams play.

[somuchyummy]

he's no longer the SOTD that made him wonderful in the early years. now he's a four year vet - 284 games played, nearly 8000 minutes on an NBA court - and next year will start getting paid big money. the warm fuzzies should be a nice memory, but at this point it's all about production and winning now. If he doesn't show up in the playoffs, it doesn't do anybody anything to say "yeah... but... but... he was a 28th pick!"

[Hornets]

he's no longer the SOTD that made him wonderful in the early years. now he's a four year vet - 284 games played, nearly 8000 minutes on an NBA court - and next year will start getting paid big money. the warm fuzzies should be a nice memory, but at this point it's all about production and winning now. If he doesn't show up in the playoffs, it doesn't do anybody anything to say "yeah... but... but... he was a 28th pick!"

I had doubts about how good McDaniels was/is and never could understand the hype from several here. It was wishful thinking I guess but the bottom line is the guy is an average NBA player who will be making well above average money...

[j-one]

remove all walls at Target Center - don't need a broken hand...

[kindman]

Could he be the primary factor? IF he plays stellar D and IF he scores 12-14 a game we win!

The playoffs are mental as well. Some guys thrive when the pressure is on and some fade.

If nothing else we are going to know a lot more about our guys when its over.

[LordNu]

Im putting how far we get in the playoffs on him now. He needs to be the difference that lifts us. All our other players will lift, but Jaden is the key. My prediction at least.

[somuchyummy]

I want everybody to show up. it better not be guys standing around watching Ant and KAT and expecting rainbows and ponies. Conley has been important this year. Rudy obviously. Naz has won games. Kyle has been important. NAW. and yes, Jaden. I want Monte and JMac to contribute. Everybody needs to put on the freaking armor.

[Hornets]

I want everybody to show up. it better not be guys standing around watching Ant and KAT and expecting rainbows and ponies. Conley has been important this year. Rudy obviously. Naz has won games. Kyle has been important. NAW. and yes, Jaden. I want Monte and JMac to contribute. Everybody needs to put on the freaking armor.

[somuchyummy]

I want everybody to show up. it better not be guys standing around watching Ant and KAT and expecting rainbows and ponies. Conley has been important this year. Rudy obviously. Naz has won games. Kyle has been important. NAW. and yes, Jaden. I want Monte and JMac to contribute. Everybody needs to put on the freaking armor.

Ant and KAT better play well - what I want to find on this team are some Robert Horrys.

[weimy froob]

active jaden.

[witljon]

Im putting how far we get in the playoffs on him now. He needs to be the difference that lifts us. All our other players will lift, but Jaden is the key. My prediction at least.

I think Towns is a big key. If he shines, I like our chances.

[BuDG123]

Townes showing up is a bonus. Jaden and Nikeil are key, and Anderson healthy would help. The clamp down D just helps so much. We hustled to every ball, Jaden fought hard.

[TheLokNesMonster]

Is good.

[Bon Scott]

On Fiya!

[weimy froob]

needs to make an impact this series. no excuses.

so far so good.

[Jimi_Thing]

I feel confident that neither in this thread or any game thread, I’ve never been down or questioned the value of Jaden.

Dude gets the toughest assignment every night and he thrives at it much more often than not. Imagine how good he’s gonna be in 5 years. I believe we witnessed his floor during the regular season and he’s still a beast. You don’t get players like him in the 2nd round or or mid-to-late first round very often.

[weimy froob]

I feel confident that neither in this thread or any game thread, I’ve never been down or questioned the value of Jaden.

Dude gets the toughest assignment every night and he thrives at it much more often than not. Imagine how good he’s gonna be in 5 years. I believe we witnessed his floor during the regular season and he’s still a beast. You don’t get players like him in the 2nd round or or mid-to-late first round very often.

playing his best basketball when it matters most. fantastic all around game tonight. eight rebounds!

[SHAFA]

I feel confident that neither in this thread or any game thread, I’ve never been down or questioned the value of Jaden.

Dude gets the toughest assignment every night and he thrives at it much more often than not. Imagine how good he’s gonna be in 5 years. I believe we witnessed his floor during the regular season and he’s still a beast. You don’t get players like him in the 2nd round or or mid-to-late first round very often.

The only thing I’ve repeatedly said I wanted to see from him was being better on the glass. And now he’s nabbed…8 offensive boards in these first two? Fuckin sweet.

[Jimi_Thing]

I feel confident that neither in this thread or any game thread, I’ve never been down or questioned the value of Jaden.

Dude gets the toughest assignment every night and he thrives at it much more often than not. Imagine how good he’s gonna be in 5 years. I believe we witnessed his floor during the regular season and he’s still a beast. You don’t get players like him in the 2nd round or or mid-to-late first round very often.

The only thing I’ve repeatedly said I wanted to see from him was being better on the glass. And now he’s nabbed…8 offensive boards in these first two? Fuckin sweet.

For sure. There’s legit criticism, especially this regular season, but it often goes beyond that.

I think it would be insane to consider moving him. Look at the relationship he has with Ant and just think how much better they’re going to continue to get together.

Picture Jaden 3 years from now. He’s gonna be stronger, more savvy, and more respected by the refs. I sure as fuck wouldn’t want to see him playing for the opposition.

[SHAFA]

I feel confident that neither in this thread or any game thread, I’ve never been down or questioned the value of Jaden.

Dude gets the toughest assignment every night and he thrives at it much more often than not. Imagine how good he’s gonna be in 5 years. I believe we witnessed his floor during the regular season and he’s still a beast. You don’t get players like him in the 2nd round or or mid-to-late first round very often.

The only thing I’ve repeatedly said I wanted to see from him was being better on the glass. And now he’s nabbed…8 offensive boards in these first two? Fuckin sweet.

For sure. There’s legit criticism, especially this regular season, but it often goes beyond that.

I think it would be insane to consider moving him. Look at the relationship he has with Ant and just think how much better he’s going to continue to get together.

Picture Jaden 3 years from now. He’s gonna be stronger, more savvy, and more respected by the refs. I sure as fuck wouldn’t want to see him playing for the opposition.

Oh yeah, I don’t want him moved. Dudes a pit bull. And I get all the pearl clutching over the financials and all. I just don’t care. We have a window to pull off something great. Live in the fuckin moment.

[weimy froob]

Dane Moore
@DaneMooreNBA
Tough night for the McDaniels got overpaid crowd

[DonaldDouchebag]

One of the best two-way games I’ve seen from a player on this team in recent memory. He was locked in and sharp all game.

[Jimi_Thing]

One of the best two-way games I’ve seen from a player on this team in recent memory. He was locked in and sharp all game.

You’d probably have to go back to KG. Ant has done it often in spurts but this was an absolute masterpiece.

[Beef Supreme]

The only thing I’ve repeatedly said I wanted to see from him was being better on the glass. And now he’s nabbed…8 offensive boards in these first two? Fuckin sweet.

For sure. There’s legit criticism, especially this regular season, but it often goes beyond that.

I think it would be insane to consider moving him. Look at the relationship he has with Ant and just think how much better he’s going to continue to get together.

Picture Jaden 3 years from now. He’s gonna be stronger, more savvy, and more respected by the refs. I sure as fuck wouldn’t want to see him playing for the opposition.

Oh yeah, I don’t want him moved. Dudes a pit bull. And I get all the pearl clutching over the financials and all. I just don’t care. We have a window to pull off something great. Live in the fuckin moment.

Agreed. This team has a lot of Ubuntu. Gotta keep it together. Hopefully ownership, whatever that ends up looking like, can make that happen. We have a lot of different characters on this team, but none of them are "me first" glory hounds. None of them are surly in the locker-room. None of them are above feedback from the coach.

That's rare in the NBA. You bust this up and you don't know if the guys you bring in will replicate that.

[DonaldDouchebag]

One of the best two-way games I’ve seen from a player on this team in recent memory. He was locked in and sharp all game.

You’d probably have to go back to KG. Ant has done it often in spurts but this was an absolute masterpiece.

Goebert does it often but it feels different when it’s an on-ball defender like KG or McDaniels out on the perimeter. Awesome to watch.

[Jimi_Thing]

One of the best two-way games I’ve seen from a player on this team in recent memory. He was locked in and sharp all game.

You’d probably have to go back to KG. Ant has done it often in spurts but this was an absolute masterpiece.

Goebert does it often but it feels different when it’s an on-ball defender like KG or McDaniels out on the perimeter. Awesome to watch.

Yeah but Jaden is working non stop where Rudy isn’t consistently having to guard the opponent’s best player.

Possessions that the Suns best player isn’t even touching the ball isn’t because they didn’t want the player to. It’s usually because Jaden was able to get through 2 or 3 screens, fucking up their entire set. Next thing you know, the shot clock is at 8 seconds and they have to take whatever shot they can get.

[DonaldDouchebag]

You’d probably have to go back to KG. Ant has done it often in spurts but this was an absolute masterpiece.

Goebert does it often but it feels different when it’s an on-ball defender like KG or McDaniels out on the perimeter. Awesome to watch.

Yeah but Jaden is working non stop where Rudy isn’t consistently having to guard the opponent’s best player.

Possessions that the Suns best player isn’t even touching the ball isn’t because they didn’t want the player to. It’s usually because Jaden was able to get through 2 or 3 screens, fucking up their entire set. Next thing you know, the shot clock is at 8 seconds and they have to take whatever shot they can get.

Yep. And this game he used that same ability to get around screens and transferred to yo the offensive end when he had the ball in his hands on dribble drives. If he unlocks that part of his game he’ll be the player we all hoped he could be.

[weimy froob]

the best thing so far is that he's not getting into early foul trouble. so many times he's taken out of the games by picking up fouls--many of them of the cheap/ticky tack variety. the key for me is to keep him on the floor without having to play with that hanging over his head--or worse sitting on the bench because of them.

[weimy froob]

If Jaden McDaniels plays like that, the Timberwolves can’t be beat
He dominated on both ends on the floor for the Timberwolves in a 105-93 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Jaden McDaniels was not available to the Timberwolves this time last year. He punched a wall out of frustration in the final game of the regular season, breaking his hand in the process, and ensuring Minnesota would be without its best perimeter defender heading into the playoffs.

That loss proved to be insurmountable for the Timberwolves as they simply didn’t have the personnel needed to compete with the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

Perhaps the performance the Timberwolves got from McDaniels in Game 2 against the Phoenix Suns was his way of making up for lost time.

He dominated on both ends of the floor on Tuesday night at Target Center en route to a 105-93 win. He was a force on offense, leading the team with 25 points, and a demon on defense, using his length to shut down the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the other end.

“Not playing last year I was kind of antsy,” McDaniels said. “Just being in this environment, and being in the playoffs, it feels like a dream come true for me.”

If anything is clear about McDaniels at this point in his career, it’s that he’s always going to bring it on defense. He takes pride in erasing the opposing team’s best player.

“It feels great,” McDaniels said. “You can hear them get louder and louder each possession.”

Now it seems the offense is catching up for McDaniels.

“It’s always been there,” head coach Chris Finch said. “There’s things that he can do and at times we might need to put the ball in his hands a little bit more. He’s just making the right play off the ball all the time. That’s important for the way that we’re playing and the attention that our other guys are drawing.”

This is a group already equipped with a pair of dynamic scoring options in Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, a security blanket of Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert running the pick and roll, and a bench unit that includes Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

It’s not a fair fight if McDaniels is also contributing at a high level on offense.

It wasn’t so much that McDaniels scored 25 points for the Timberwolves against the Suns as it was the ways in which he got his buckets. He slashed his way to the hoop to get himself going. He hit a few midrange jumpers to keep the defense honest. He knocked down a couple of corner three pointers for good measure.

“He’s a person who can live up to these moments, offensively and defensively,” Reid said. “We’ve been friends since I started with this team, so it’s good I get to see him embrace these moments against big time players and get a chance to go out there and compete.”

This is the guy the Timberwolves thought they were getting when the inked McDaniels to a 5-year, $136 million extension.

Now the biggest problem with McDaniels has always been consistency. He can pop off for 20 points with ease, then ghost his teammates for 48 minutes a few games later. The key for the Timberwolves in the playoffs will be making sure McDaniels can harness this type of performance with regularity moving forward.

Asked if he thought this was the best game he has ever played in the NBA, McDaniels replied, “It’s close.”

He paused.

“I mean, 25 points in the playoffs,” McDaniels said. “There’s nothing more I could ask for.”

There’s nothing more the Timberwolves could ask for either.