Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Set for multi-week absence
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The Timberwolves announced Tuesday that McDaniels has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right lateral ankle sprain and will likely return to game action in 2-to-3 weeks, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Minnesota is set to re-evaluate McDaniels in one week, after which he could be cleared to resume conditioning work and on-court activity. The fact that McDaniels sustained the lowest grade of sprain to his ankle in Monday's win over the Knicks bodes well for his rest-of-season outlook, though the Timberwolves will be forced to rely more heavily on the likes of Kyle Anderson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Troy Brown and Naz Reid to fill his minutes over the next several games.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Likely out at least one week
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Coach Chris Finch said Tuesday that McDaniels (ankle) is "certainly not going to be a day-to-day" situation and will "probably be [out] a week or so," Joe Nelson of SI.com reports.
Finch added that McDaniels still needs to go through further testing Tuesday, but it sounds like he'll miss at least a few games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker started the second half of Monday's win over the Knicks in McDaniels' stead and finished with 33 minutes, but Troy Brown and Naz Reid are also candidates for increased roles until McDaniels is cleared to return.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Shut down vs. Knicks
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McDaniels won't return to Monday's game against New York due to a right ankle sprain, Dane Moore of 'The Dane Moore NBA Podcast' reports.
McDaniels rolled his ankle during the first quarter of Monday's action, and he was spotted hobbling to the locker room prior to being officially ruled out. Troy Brown and Kyle Anderson are the team's two top candidates to receive additional opportunities with McDaniels out of commission.
McDaniels was ejected from Tuesday's game versus the Warriors with 10:17 remaining in the first quarter for fighting with Klay Thompson, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He missed his only field-goal attempt and recorded no other statistics during his time on the court.
McDaniels and Thompson were assessed two technical fouls and were tossed from the contest after the two began tussling when they became tangled up with one another on a long rebound. Multiple players ran toward McDaniels and Thompson when they began fighting, with Draymond Green also getting ejected after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock. The NBA will presumably review the incident before doling out any potential punishment, so McDaniels' fantasy managers in leagues with daily lineup moves will want to keep tabs on his status heading into the Timberwolves' next game Wednesday in Phoenix.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Season-best outing in victory
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McDaniels finished Monday's 114-109 overtime win over the Celtics with 20 points (8-18 FG, 4-9 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal across 45 minutes.
McDaniels tallied his best outing of the young season, finishing as one of two Wolves players with 20 or more points. McDaniels posted 20 points for the first time this season and also connected on a season-high mark from three in the win. Over four appearances this year, McDaniels has reached double figures in scoring twice, but this was the first time he attempted more than six shots in a game.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Cleared as expected
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McDaniels (calf) will play in Wednesday's game against the Nuggets.
McDaniels will suit up for a second straight outing after missing a pair of contests with a strained left calf to open up the season. In his 2023 debut, he logged 24 minutes and scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. While he likely won't handle a full workload, expect McDaniels to see a few more minutes than he did Monday.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Expected to play against Denver
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McDaniels is probable for Wednesday's game versus the Nuggets due to a left calf strain.
McDaniels is expected to play in his second straight game after missing the first two contests of the season with a calf injury. While McDaniels played only 24 minutes in his season debut, he will likely see his playing time ramp up over his next couple of outings.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Solid showing in season debut
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McDaniels ended with 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 3Pt), three rebounds, two assists and one block across 24 minutes during Monday's 127-113 loss to the Hawks.
After missing Minnesota's first two games of the season with a calf injury, McDaniels saw a smaller workload than usual -- he averaged 30.6 minutes a night across 79 games in 2022-23 -- but still delivered solid production. The fourth-year forward will be the glue between Anthony Edwards in the backcourt and the Twin Towers of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt. Even without high usage, McDaniels can still contribute useful fantasy numbers due to his defensive chops.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Making season debut Monday
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McDaniels (calf) is active for Monday's game against Atlanta, Alan Horton of the Timberwolves Radio Network reports.
McDaniels will make his season debut after being sidelined for Minnesota's first two contests. Even if he's limited, McDaniels' return marks a boon for the Timberwolves' defense. In a corresponding move, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will head to the second unit.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Questionable for Monday
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McDaniels (calf) is questionable for Monday's game against the Hawks.
McDaniels continues to take positive steps forward in his recovery from a left calf strain. After being ruled out one day in advance of Wednesday's regular-season opener, McDaniels was initially listed as doubtful ahead of Saturday's game against Miami before later being downgraded to out. The fact that he's taking a questionable tag into Monday is an encouraging sign, though the Timberwolves may not decide whether he's available to play until after evaluating him in pregame warmups. Whether McDaniels returns Monday or at a later date, his arrival will likely translate to fewer minutes for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson and Troy Brown.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Unlikely to play Saturday
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McDaniels (calf) is doubtful for Saturday's game against the Heat.
McDaniels suffered a calf strain during the preseason and missed Minnesota's regular-season opener against Toronto. While he'll likely be sidelined for a second straight game, McDaniels did return to practice Friday and was a full participant, so it appears he's trending toward potentially suiting up Monday in Atlanta.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Returns to practice
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McDaniels (calf) was a full participant in Friday's practice, Alan Horton of the Timberwolves Radio Network reports.
McDaniels missed Minnesota's regular-season opener with a left calf strain he suffered in the preseason. However, his full practice participation is a good sign of his availability for Saturday's matchup with Miami. McDaniels will likely replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the starting lineup when he returns to action.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Will miss opener
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McDaniels (calf) is out for Wednesday's regular-season opener against Toronto.
McDaniels suffered a left calf strain in the preseason that will force him to miss Wednesday's contest. The 23-year-old recently agreed to a five-year, $136 million contract extension with the Timberwolves, and though he's not a household name, his prowess on the defensive end is a key part of the Wolves' success. The Timberwolves seem to be viewing McDaniels as day-to-day, so he could have a shot to play Saturday versus Miami.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Limited to individual drills
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McDaniels (calf) was limited to individual drills Sunday, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports.
McDaniels is currently sidelined due to left calf soreness. He was expected to be re-evaluated ahead of Opening Night, but it looks like he's trending toward being doubtful for Wednesday's regular-season opener in Toronto. If McDaniels is out, Kyle Anderson would presumably slide into the starting lineup, but Troy Brown, Naz Reid and potentially Leonard Miller could see increased playing time as well.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Sitting out Saturday
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McDaniels won't play in Saturday's preseason game versus the Mavericks due to left calf soreness.
McDaniels doesn't appear to have suffered a serious injury, but he will be held out of Saturday's contest. His next chance to suit up will be next Saturday's preseason game against the Knicks.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Healthy ahead of 2023-24 campaign
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McDaniels moved past his hand injury over the summer and should be healthy ahead of training camp, Alec Ausmus of KSTP reports.
McDaniels suffered a fractured hand while punching a wall in the tunnel during the Timberwolves' regular-season finale last year and was forced to miss the playoffs. However, he indicated in mid-June that he's good to go and learned a lot about himself during the offseason. McDaniels is a candidate for a contract extension before the start of the 2023-24 season after taking a step forward last year, averaging 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30.6 minutes per game over 79 appearances.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: In cast, out indefinitely
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Minnesota announced Monday that McDaniels fractured his third and fourth metacarpals in his right hand, has been placed in a cast and will be out indefinitely.
McDaniels punched a wall in the Timberwolves' tunnel on the way to the locker room at halftime of Sunday's win over the Pelicans and was almost immediately ruled out for the contest. The third-year forward has been an integral part of Minnesota's starting unit this season, posting 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals-plus-blocks in 30.6 minutes across 79 appearances (all starts). Rudy Gobert (suspension) and Naz Reid (wrist) will also miss the team's Play-In matchup versus the Lakers on Tuesday, so Taurean Prince and Kyle Anderson will presumably play major roles in the frontcourt.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Diagnosed with fractured hand
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McDaniels has been diagnosed with a fracture in his right hand after he punched a wall during Sunday's 113-108 win over the Pelicans, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. He finished with zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt), one rebound and one steal in nine minutes prior to departing.
Seemingly out of frustration, McDaniels took a swing at the wall in the Timberwolves tunnel on the way to the halftime locker room, and the team quickly ruled him out for the remainder of the contest. While Minnesota went on to defeat the Pelicans, the Timberwolves will now head into their Play-In Tournament matchup against the Lakers on Tuesday without the services of their most versatile defender. Minnesota also sent starting center Rudy Gobert home at halftime after he punched teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in the second quarter, resulting in the team's regular season ending on a sour note in spite of the win.
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Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels: Injures hand punching wall
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McDaniels won't return to Sunday's contest against the Pelicans due to a right hand injury.
McDaniels was caught on camera punching a wall in the tunnel en route to the Timberwolves' locker room, so it appears that's where he sustained the injury. The Wolves have ruled him out for the remainder of Sunday's game, and his status will be worth monitoring very closely ahead of the Play-In Tournament.
McDaniels had 15 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), six rebounds, one block and three steals over 41 minutes during Tuesday's 107-102 victory over the Nets.
McDaniels got it done on both ends of the floor, building on what has been a nice stretch of games. In fact, over the past three games, McDaniels has recorded 12 combined steals and blocks, while also posting 40 points and six made three-pointers. While his season has been a bit up and down, he remains a must-roster player, currently sitting just outside the top 100 for the season.
