Jaden McDaniels will forever be a mainstay in Minnesota Timberwolves lore.
He could miss every shot for the rest of the playoffs. His series against the Denver Nuggets will be remembered by everyone.
After game five, the former Washington Husky sat at the podium to face questions after a shaky game. His team down their starting backcourt and reeling for some leadership. McDaniels faced questions about his agitation of the opponent and made a not-so-subtle prediction.
“We’re gonna win the next one”
Losing starters by the hour on gameday, with Ayo Dosunmu and Kyle Anderson getting ruled out on the day of, McDaniels was flanked by Terrence Shannon Jr. in the starting lineup and his two-men defensive partner in Rudy Gobert.
Time to go to war.
It was surgical from the start. Gobert and McDaniels’ tag team defense on Jamal Murray and Jokic wore down the Nuggets’ point guard. Murray was ineffective for most of the game, and the waves of McDaniels and Jaylen Clark’s physical defense got to him. He finished the game 4-17 from the field and -18.
Meanwhile, McDaniels defense powered his offense. He was automatic from inside the perimeter for much of the evening.
McDaniels is the best mid-range scorer on the team by a mile. He has offense from 15 feet away that no one else on the roster does. When the Wolves needed it late, he had it. When they needed it at low points in the third quarter when the Nugget cut it to one, he had it.
Supported buy heavy screens by Gobert and eight (8!!) assists from the Wolves center, McDaniels was able to effectiveely lead the Wolves offense, and others followed. How does a 30-point double double sound?
32 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals.
Remember it. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Who else followed the lead of number three?
Second year bull-in-a-china-shop wing Terrence Shannon Jr. The most important starter to swing the game, Shannon was benched in Denver for his misses on defensive assignments and his lack of attention to detail. Shannon is overt about enjoying being coached hard, and coach Chris Finch pulled no punches when asked about Shannon at practice.
Shannon’s defensice mistakes were fewer and far between. He got matched up in transition well.
But more importantly, he brought unparalleled energy to the group that pulled them through and gave elite support to an army ahead of him in McDaniels, Gobert, and Julius Randle.
Putting his head down and getting to the basket, Shannon was relentless in his attack. He was 1-7 from three, but 8-13 inside the arc. Putting Jokic in tough situations going to the rim, and getting Denver’s wings on their heels.
Enjoy this one. More postgame reaction will come. Scroll Twitter/Bluesky.
But enjoy the fact that number three just etched himself with your franchise. What a moment.
