NBA Play-In Tournament: Timberwolves powder-keg explodes in finale
By Bret Stuter
Jaden McDaniels loses his fight with Target Center tunnel wall
There was no abundance of maturity and basketball IQ on the Timberwolves roster in the season finale, as the Timberwolves roster seemed to shut off all blood circulation to their brains and run exclusively on emotions and autopilot in the final game of the season.
That was a particularly unwise action on the part of small forward Jaden McDaniels, whose ability to shut down and harass the top scorers on the opposing team becomes ever more valuable in postseason competition. Unfortunately, emotions got the best of McDaniles
Minnesota Timberwolves F Jaden McDaniels -- who was seen punching a wall on his way to the halftime locker room – has a fractured hand, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 9, 2023
Breaking your own hand just as the Timberwolves enter the postseason competition is not a smart move.
Must Read. Minnesota Timberwolves defending Jaden McDaniels NBA All-Defense candidacy. light
McDaniels mishap places Timberwolves in a difficult situation
While frustration comes in virtually any competitive sport, punching walls is not the way to handle the frustration. In this final game of the season, Jaden McDaniels only saw nine minutes of playing time and was held scoreless while committing two personal fouls in the game.
That second foul was called with just 44 seconds remaining in the first quarter, a loose ball foul that McDaniels did not agree with. At the time, the Timberwolves were trailing the Pelicans by a score of 26-16, and the Timberwolves were becoming alarmed as they struggled early to contain the Pelicans while struggling to consistently put points on the scoreboard. After Mcdaniels’ foolish self-inflicted injury, Nickeil Alexander-Walker entered the game off the bench. The Timberwolves trailed by a score of 30-18 after the first quarter of regulation play.