Jaden McDaniels is the Timberwolves’ Key to Beating the Nuggets

The Minnesota Timberwolves are heading to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 NBA season.

They reached the Western Conference Finals that season with Kevin Garnett at the helm, who won the MVP that year.

This season they have a new superstar at the forefront this year in Anthony Edwards, who is on a mission in these playoffs and has vaulted himself in the rankings within the NBA.

He’s taken pride in his game and going as far as he can take the Timberwolves in the playoffs, including knocking out his idol, Kevin Durant, and the Phoenix Suns in a sweep.

Although Edwards has been fantastic, their real key player in round one and clear x-factor is Jaden McDaniels. He was terrific on both ends of the floor in round one.

He will be vital in their upcoming series against the Denver Nuggets if they are to beat them in a series. If his impact on the court from round one translates to round two, the Timberwolves have a fantastic chance of beating the Nuggets.

Slowing Down Jamal Murray

McDaniels must limit Murray’s impact

McDaniels is one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders. His DFG%, which is the defender’s field goal percentage when he is guarding them, was 45.2 percent during the regular season, which was above average and 1.8 percent worse than those players typically shoot.

In round one against the Suns, his DFG% was 46.7 percent, which was 3.2 percent worse than those players typically shoot.

Although his DFG% was higher in the playoffs, he was mostly guarding Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, or Durant, and that 3.2 percent difference can go a long way in a close playoff series.

Jamal Murray poses a different threat than anyone on the Suns as the Nuggets run a lot more pick-and-roll instead of isolation, which forces switches and can be harder to contain.

Murray was inconsistent against McDaniels and the Timberwolves during the regular season. McDaniels will want to limit his production to where he is as little of a factor as possible.

Murray only played in three of the four regular-season matchups between the two teams, while McDaniels played in all four games.

It’s clear McDaniels did well at guarding Murray based on the drop in field goal percentage. Although Murray hit a higher rate from the three-point line against the Timberwolves, he shot only 4.3 a game, which is 1.5 shots left than his regular season average.

Murray’s usage rate increases in the playoffs, so it’s likely he will get up more threes. If McDaniels can contest the majority of them and limit Murray to a three-point percentage similar to what he shot against the Los Angeles Lakers, it will significantly help their chances.

Being a Threat on Offense

McDaniels showed flashes of efficient offense in the first round

McDaniels has been an inconsistent offensive player in his career, mostly due to him being a fourth or fifth option within the TImberwolves’ starting lineup.

Despite that, he still has the occasional game where he shows his offensive prowess and will score 20 or more, which is exactly what he did in round one against the Suns.

In Game 3 against the Suns, he scored 25 points at 58.8 percent from the field and was a plus-24, which was by far the highest in the game. His offensive inconsistency showed in the following game when he only scored five points on 1/4 from the field.

McDaniels was stellar against the Nuggets this season, including when he dropped his career-high of 26 points on 9/13 from the field in a close loss to the Nuggets when the Timberwolves were without Karl Anthony-Towns, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert.

Obviously, he won’t get the same opportunities in this series with the Timberwolves three centers all being healthy, but if he can hit shots at a similar rate as he did during the regular season against the Nuggets, it will give the Timberwolves a great chance of winning.

He didn’t hit his threes at a high rate in the first round, and it was a small sample size, but his Game 2 performance made the Suns respect his shot.

When McDaniels hits his shots, it spreads the floor significantly more and opens up their offense. It allows more room for Gobert to use and allows bigger lanes for cutters or Edwards to drive to the basket.

If he misses his open shots, it will cause the Nuggets to sag off him more, which will clog the lane and cause the Timberwolves’ offense to stall more often.

A Trustworthy Teammate

McDaniels has the trust of his teammates

McDaniels is a rising star in the league as many fans have still yet to discover his versatility at both ends of the floor. Although he’s still not a well-known player, his overall impact earned him a massive 5-year, $131 million contract back in October.

He earned this by playing stout defense and playing within his role. He doesn’t try to do too much and knows his impact on the Timberwolves.

He has earned enough trust from his teammates that Edwards said this in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio last season after the Suns acquired Durant at the trade deadline:

Edwards was clearly confident in his teammate’s ability, enough so to infer that McDaniels could guard Durant at an elite level, something he proved he was capable of in round one.

Since that point, McDaniels has improved on both ends of the floor.

When he was asked if Edwards’ quote added any pressure to him, McDaniels had this to say via Nadine Babu on X:

McDaniels doesn’t shy away from the moment and instead embraces it. His teammates having his back is just an extra boost for him to compete and prove to others he is elite, especially defensively.

He will need to prove his defensive prowess again in round two against Murray and the Nuggets.

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