Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves’ pressure cooker
Big win for the Wolves who are winning in Portland with a dominant Anthony Edwards and a relentless Rudy Gobert on defense. Besides them, one player was very successful, and he is Jaden McDaniels. The leaders take care of him, they refuse to include him in the deals every year, and last night the winger confirmed his role as a Swiss army knife with 29 points on 12 of 16 shooting, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals. In history, only one player (Brooke Lopez) has ever had at least 25 points, 5 3-pointers, 3 steals and 5 blocks in a game…
“Should have scored 40 tonight! launched by Anthony Edwards on the edge of the pitch. “He’s back home, in front of his crowd. Where’s the family? Ah, there he is! He’s gone crazy tonight, man. He’s a killer on the field!”
Beside him, Jaden McDaniels hides a smile behind his towel, but is clearly touched by his leader’s compliments. Even if he prefers to talk about collective performance. ” We win by staying aggressive, dominating defense, getting stops, limiting them to one shot per possession and then running in transition and scoring easy points.” lists the Wolves winger, before mentioning 17 of 35 on 3-pointers. “We do it by passing the ball around and trusting each other. We all work hard. I know we’re going to hit our shots when we need to. So let’s play, enjoy.”
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to know what’s going on in Jaden’s head.”
As for Chris Finch, when asked about his winger’s irregularity, he defends him. “Honestly, he was very good all season. He had one or two more difficult games after coming back from the All-Star break, especially as his 3-point shooting didn’t work. But tonight he came home with a big address: 5 out of 6” he emphasizes. “But I’m not worried. It’s often always the same thing: Is the ball moving well? Can we find it? Are we running in transition? Are we making the right reads? All of that plays a role.”
A reporter asks him if it’s easy to channel an element like Jaden McDaniels, as gifted as he is uncontrollable, like this alley to himself to confirm a Wolves victory.
“Honestly, sometimes it’s hard for me to know what’s going on in Jaden’s head, so I don’t try to get into it. But he’s done a really good job of channeling that energy and focus into his game. And I have confidence in him.” concludes Chris Finch. “Nothing happens without work, and in the end, it’s always the player who works who gets ahead. He’s an incredible worker and now he has the confidence that comes with this job.”
2026-02-25 07:30:00
