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Re: I'll Jinx The Whole Damn Thing - Clippers at Wolves GDT
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2026 4:33 pm
by Lipoli390
AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Mon Feb 09, 2026 10:27 am
Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Feb 09, 2026 10:12 am
FNG wrote: ↑Mon Feb 09, 2026 10:00 am
Yeah, Jaden was not present either mentally or physically yesterday…getting totally destroyed by Kawhi at both ends of the court seemed to get to him.
And this is where Jaden needs further growth to truly become a second option on offense. He's grown immensely as a 3rd option, so long as Ant and Randle are attracting a ton of defensive attention. It means he can usually go one on one against a neutral or sub-par defender. But what happens when either an elite defender like Kawhi or an entire defense focuses more on him, as would be the case far more often if he became a #2 offensive option?
Guys can grow their offensive games well into their late 20s (see Jimmy Butler and Normal Powell), so I'm not ruling him out as being an eventual #2, but he's not there yet.
We all know the value of Jaden McDaniels. We've seen his growth. We know his strengths and warts and all. He's a good to very good player who has improved and is key to the future of the franchise.
But just days after many Wolves fans were like "Oh not Jaden in any Giannis trade... hell no!" ...
He's posted this
combined stat line over the past two games:
3 - 12 fg
8 points
3 reb
2 assists
1 stl
0 block
4 TOs
7 fouls
Those are bad numbers for a G-League, 2-way contract guy filling in as a last resort...
If we give the guy his flowers when he's doing well... we also have to acknowledge that the past two games have been absolutely terrible and unacceptable... and we should be ripping him a lot more than we are while we rip Randle, Edwards, Finch, et al.
Those are embarrassing numbers, which puts McDaniels at the forefront of what was wrong with the Wolves this weekend. A true potential #2 or #3 or even #4 just can't have those types of games where he completely disappears. The best NBA players force you to take notice of them on the court.
If we want to treat McDaniels as an untouchable player... we have to treat him as such when he performs woefully short of that.
Absolutely right, Abe. I’m a huge Jaden fan and as a result I probably cut him more slack than he deserves. At some point, Jaden needs to step up and take the initiative offensively. He also has to stop committing dumb fouls, which I attribute more to mental laziness than being over zealous. And I continue to be frustrated with his failure rebound at a level commensurate with his length and physical abilities. Again, as KG once said, rebounding is all about effort. I still think our main issue is the failure of our two best players, Ant and Randle, to play with consistent intensity/effort on the defensive end. I also see our lack of consistent ball movement offensively as a significant problem. But the lack of consistent, high level defensive effort by our two best players is unacceptable and ultimately infects the psyche of the team in my view.
Re: I'll Jinx The Whole Damn Thing - Clippers at Wolves GDT
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2026 5:10 pm
by AbeVigodaLive
Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 09, 2026 4:25 pm
In any event, the trade deadline has come and gone, which means the only arrow in TC’s quiver for this season is a coaching change.
The Wolves are playing like they're in a collective sulk.
I don't know what it's like to be one the trading block like most of the team was (according to local and national NBA insiders). So I get why players would struggle with that.
The other part of me however was thinking... all the key pieces were kept. The FO wanted them here... so let's get back to work...
[Note: All sorts of NBA teams fall apart, some more surprisingly than others. Is that the Wolves future? We'll find out over the next couple of months, but if it does all come crumbling down... I think we're in for (1) some juicy gossip about where it went wrong whether with player chemistry and/or a disconnect between Finch/Connelly, and (2) an awkward rebuild around Edwards. As we all know... the team is built to win NOW. The cupboard for cheap rookie deals (roster + picks) just isn't there for the next few years.]
Re: I'll Jinx The Whole Damn Thing - Clippers at Wolves GDT
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2026 6:37 pm
by Coolbreeze44
AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Mon Feb 09, 2026 5:10 pm
Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 09, 2026 4:25 pm
In any event, the trade deadline has come and gone, which means the only arrow in TC’s quiver for this season is a coaching change.
The Wolves are playing like they're in a collective sulk.
I don't know what it's like to be one the trading block like most of the team was (according to local and national NBA insiders). So I get why players would struggle with that.
The other part of me however was thinking... all the key pieces were kept. The FO wanted them here... so let's get back to work...
[Note: All sorts of NBA teams fall apart, some more surprisingly than others. Is that the Wolves future? We'll find out over the next couple of months, but if it does all come crumbling down... I think we're in for (1) some juicy gossip about where it went wrong whether with player chemistry and/or a disconnect between Finch/Connelly, and (2) an awkward rebuild around Edwards. As we all know... the team is built to win NOW. The cupboard for cheap rookie deals (roster + picks) just isn't there for the next few years.]
I'm glad to see your comments about this team being built to win now. Of course it is. Too many Minnesota fans want to avoid that truth. We may not be good enough (I don't think we are) but we're trying to go all the way and we should. I've been saying for 9 months that Randle should have been moved for a PG, but I don't get to make that decision. As coach Dale said in "Hoosiers", "My team is on the floor". And they need to figure it out because for the next 5 years at least, the goal is an NBA championship.