Dane Mizutani: Timberwolves got Jaden McDaniels. That’s a problem for the Lakers.

It s become something of a rallying cry for the diehards of the Timberwolves fan base born organically a couple of years ago during an interview with Anthony Edwards on SiriusXM NBA Radio Requested about the Phoenix Suns trading for his childhood idol Kevin Durant Edwards earnestly delivered a rebuttal that might ve seemed farfetched at the time saying You know they got KD but we got Jaden McDaniels To put both players in the same sentence was a bit of a stretch a couple of years ago when Durant was still very much at the peak of his powers and when McDaniels was still working to find his footing in the NBA Not anymore Just ask the Los Angeles Lakers To say that McDaniels proved his worth on Friday night at Target Center would be an understatement He was a star on both ends of the floor in the playoff matchup propelling the Timberwolves to a - win over the Lakers Not only did McDaniels serve as the primary defender for Luka Doncic he was a force on the other end as well tying a career high with points Urged about the way McDaniels dominated Chris Finch summed it up perfectly with his response Just a monster Finch revealed It couldn t have come at a better time It s not surprising that McDaniels was locked in on the defensive end considering that s been his calling card throughout his career The success that he had on the offensive end was rather unexpected Just trying to stay in the flow of the offense McDaniels commented Just playing with confidence make or miss and continuing to attack The aggressiveness from McDaniels was on display as he got largest part of his buckets in and around the paint Whether he was finishing strong at the rim slashing through the lane or nailing the little midrange jumper that he s slowly starting to perfect he consistently took advantage of his matchups against the lesser defenders being thrown at him The production from McDaniels was necessary as LeBron James tried his best to put the organization on his back with Doncic battling a stomach bug After looking every bit of years old earlier in the series James poured in points with relative ease like he was still in his prime It wasn t enough because McDaniels essentially matching him shot for shot throughout the championship That wasn t lost on Mike Conley as he talked about McDaniels in the locker room We need more of it Conley declared I don t think he even understands how good he is The win in Contest put the Timberwolves firmly in the driver s seat with a - lead in in the series heading into Event on Sunday afternoon at Target Center The rest of the series could hinge on whether McDaniels can continue to play at such a high level It s not a coincidence that McDaniels has been arguably the best competitor on the court for the Timberwolves in both of their wins That s because the Lakers don t seem to have a good counter for him After an masterclass by Edwards in the clutch time a - win he started his press conference by right away deferring credit elsewhere I got two words Jaden McDaniels Edwards declared Just that simple As impressive as Edwards was down the stretch McDaniels literally hit the final shot of the meeting Maybe it was fitting given the circumstance It was a reminder that yes the Timberwolves got Jaden McDaniels and that s a concern for the Lakers Related Articles Mr Clutch after all Anthony Edwards shines late as Timberwolves win Match Jace Frederick Chris Finch believes the NBA has lost the plot on playoff physicality Target Center was a house of horrors for Timberwolves in last year s playoffs Can they turn that around One encounter into the series the Timberwolves threw away their offensive blueprint Can they get it back Rudy Gobert continues to drive Wolves defensive success against Lakers