Anthony Edwards helped the Minnesota Timberwolves a bit.
In this previous and subsequent NBA playoff series, Anthony Edwards stood out as one of the most dynamic players on the court, preventing LeBron James and Lukadon Sic from truly demonstrating their advantage.
In Game 3 of the series, it was the fourth player who rose, and while many may have tilted this to make it Austin Reeves, it was actually Jayden McDaniels.
Jaden McDaniels scored 30 points, matching the career best he set in February, producing the best playoff performance of all time.
For the TO-Olves, who scored 116-104, they took the LA Lakers in a 2-1 series lead and earned their fourth home advantage.
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch loved what he saw from Jaden McDaniels, whom he labelled “monster,” and also spoke about his teammate Julius Randle.
Finch told his post-game press conference:
“I thought he and Julius were setting the tone, being offensive and with a lot of power, they fought, keep fighting, keep fighting their matchups.”
This is the philosophy Finch hopes for from the Minnesota Timberwolves, returning strongly despite the extremely bumpy start of the season before reaching the Western Conference final in 2024.
The developments that McDaniels are creating are one of the standout features of the series, with 25 points in the opener and the game he scored, Timberwolves, lost to highlight his importance.
Jaden McDaniels spoke about his performances and post-match matches. There we discussed how he was able to defend very well against Luka Donsic, yet still delivering a huge offensive performance.
And this was the focus of Kendrick Perkins’ admiration for the sports center, discussing McDaniels’ growth and claiming that the Lakers paid a price to downplay his attack.
Perkins said: “This is nothing new to Jaden McDaniels. He spent the moment he went to the Western Conference Finals last year.
“He’s also getting better as long as the guys are off the dribbling from the closeout.”
McDaniels went just 1-5 from the three-point range in the game, but was 3-3 in the series opener. His filming was 13-22 overall in Game 3.
Perkins added: “I have to give him a lot of props. When we see two-way players, he’s one of the league’s elites and protecting the best players on other teams.
“Then you can go out there and get 30. It’s growth. It’s special.”