The Minnesota Timberwolves are riding high after a 119-114 Game 2 win against the Denver Nuggets. Minnesota's offensive process was much better; they were moving the ball a ton and attacking the paint. Jaden McDaniels didn't hesitate when he was asked what worked for the Wolves offensively on Monday.Â
"Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, the whole team," McDaniels said bluntly.Â
Okay, this is one of my favorite quotes of all time. McDaniels isn't wrong either -- the Nuggets ranked 21st in defensive rating (per Cleaning the Glass) in the regular season. Furthermore, they ranked 28th in opponent rim field goal percentage.Â
In general, the Nuggets lack athleticism, speed, and rim protection. It's always been clear that this was the Wolves' major advantage in this series, and Minnesota must continue to punish Denver's defense to pull off the upset.Â
The Timberwolves need to keep attacking the Nuggets' defense
Frankly, the Nuggets have plenty of mismatches to attack, and the Wolves have the ideal personnel to expose this weakness. I wouldn't call Aaron Gordon a bad defender, but everyone else that McDaniels listed is.
As the team's third-best shot creator, McDaniels is a key part of the Wolves' ability to hunt mismatches. This is especially the case as one of the Nuggets' weaker defenders (often Jamal Murray or Cam Johnson) guards Jaden for most of the game.Â
During Monday's win, Jaden was aggressive, attacking the rim with five of his seven made field goals coming at the rim, and his teammates made it a point to get advantageous touches.Â
Julius Randle did a phenomenal job of searching out mismatches and imposing his physicality en route to scoring 26 points. Randle also set up his teammates a lot, notching six assists. Despite battling a knee injury, Anthony Edwards attacked the rim with elite force and notched 30 points.Â
After Game 2, it couldn't be clearer that the Wolves need to get downhill and attack the Nuggets bad defenders. This more aggressive mindset also helped create a ton of open 3s.Â
The Wolves seemed to realize that they've found a weakness with the Nuggets that they can expose. As such, it's fair to expect their aggressive mindset to be a blueprint going forward. With the next two games in Minnesota, the Timberwolves have a golden opportunity to build some momentum and set the stage for a first-round upset.Â
In any event, McDaniels' comments just added another layer to this amazing series and rivalry.
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