The Anthony Edwards quote, “They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels” has aged like a fine wine.
Ant said this about McDaniels and the Suns last season, but it has never been more relevant.
In the first round against Phoenix, McDaniels outplayed Durant.
Everyone laughed when Ant said "they got KD but we got Jaden McDaniels".
Who's laughing now? 😂 pic.twitter.com/Y7zVbdU5Il
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 24, 2024
In the second round against the Nuggets in Game 2, McDaniels was one of the key players that helped shut down Jamal Murray on offense.
The Wolves limited him to just 3-18 shooting from the field.
🔒🔒🔒 pic.twitter.com/XwMUJVf6M4
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 7, 2024
After the T-Wolves comprehensive 106-80 Game 2 1 rout of the Nuggets, Edwards made sure to give his teammate the credit he deserves.
“I want to shout out Jaden McDaniels before I get out of here,” Edwards told reporters postgame. “He’s been phenomenal this whole playoff run and this series in particular. I think he’s like +51 or something and only probably had five points, took three shots in all two games. Don’t complain, keep guarding, keep picking up full-court.”
Edwards is averaging 35 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in this series against Denver, whilst McDaniels impact is far more subtle.
The 23-year-old is just 2-14 from the field, yet has a plus/minus of +40 over the first two games in the series.
“We wouldn’t be the team that we are today, we wouldn’t have been that team that we were in the regular season [without him],” Edwards said. “Hopefully, we can keep him out there and he keeps playing like that because he’s definitely the x-factor of the team. Everything that he brings, we thank him so much. So, big shoutout to Jaden, for sure.”
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