After calling the entire Denver Nuggets team bad defenders, Jaden McDaniels has been talked about a bunch throughout this series. In general, his play in this series has been stellar, averaging 15 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while playing lock-down defense on Jamal Murray.
The Minnesota Timberwolves forward became even more controversial among Nuggets fans after his last-second layup and subsequent altercation with Nikola Jokic in Game 4. Unsurprisingly, in Game 5, Nuggets fans were relentlessly booing him every time he touched the ball. After the game, McDaniels spoke about how much he relishes this environment.
“Yeah, I love this environment, everyone hating me, all the hate coming towards me, I love it. I mean, I feed into it likeI said earlier, it just brings the best out of me. We just end up losing today, but we’re going to win the next one,” McDaniels said.
It was far from an amazing McDaniels game; he scored 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting, committed an uncharacteristic four turnovers, and struggled with foul trouble.
However, he never looked rattled, and his confidence in his team couldn't be clearer. Of course, without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, the Wolves will need significant production out of McDaniels, but they also need his leadership and mentality -- something he's ready to bring.
McDaniels can help the Wolves close out the series
Needless to say, the environment in Minnesota for Game 6 will be significantly different. Regardless, Jaden is ready and confident that the Wolves will close out the job. His supreme confidence is something that will benefit the Wolves as they navigate life without Ant and Donte.
If the Wolves, unfortunately, don't win Game 6, best believe McDaniels will be ready to go into Denver as the villain in Game 7 and close out the job.
McDaniels poured in 20 points in Game 3 after calling out the Nuggets' defense which led Chris Finch to call his performance "inspirational." As such, it's clear that McDaniels' fearless mindset rallies his teammates. With a chance to close out the series on Thursday, there's no doubt that McDaniels confidence and leadership will have the Wolves ready to go.
All series long, the Wolves have had success attacking the paint and hunting mismatches. This was, of course, the game plan McDaniels discussed when he called out the Nuggets' defense. As the Timberwolves attempt to finish out the series, it's essential that they adopt this aggressive mindset. McDaniels will be key to this and will be tasked with making life difficult for Murray on the other end of the floor.
By all accounts, McDaniels' strong play and mentality can help the Wolves advance to the second-round.
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