"It isn’t a foul" - Jaden McDaniels on controversial no call against Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards' leadership and more [Exclusive]
With a hint of dismissiveness in his voice, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch shook his head repeatedly.
The NBA determined in its two-minute report of the Wolves’ Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Lakers that forward Jaden McDaniels tripped Luka Dončić and officials should have granted him two free throws. Instead, Dončić picked up the loose ball and called a timeout on the ground while the Lakers trailed, 114-113, with 33.9 seconds left.
“In any series, any possession, any time down the floor, if you’ve watched these playoffs, there’s a foul that’s called or not called,” Finch said following practice on Tuesday at USC. “That’s just the way it’s been. I don’t feel the need to have any handwringing about missed calls right now. We’ve not made this series about any calls, any whistles or any things that have gone against us or for us – even when they started Game 1 and they didn’t call a foul on the Lakers for 20 minutes, which is unheard of.
“So we’re not worried about it. We’re just gonna play. Sometimes it’s going to go for you. Sometimes it’s going to go against you. But if you’ve watched the playoffs, you can call a foul literally every possession and then some they call and some they don’t. We have to develop a tough mindset, play through it and keep focusing on things that we know can help us bring success.”
The Wolves enter Game 5 against the Lakers on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena with a 3-1 series lead partly because of McDaniels success on both ends of the floor. He has averaged 19.8 points while shooting 57.9% from the field and 42.9% from 3 along with 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Dončić has shot 16-for-36 against McDaniels, but has only shot 3-for-13 against him from deep. Following Dončić’s fall in Game 4, McDaniels also deflected LeBron James’ inbounds pass and forced a turnover.
“We’ll use him in so many different ways on so many different guys,” Finch said of McDaniels. “He’s very comfortable. He’s pretty unflappable. He does whatever we ask him to do in that regard. He knows he’s always going to take a guy that is very, very dangerous or a very tough matchup. So one of the things we love about him is he actually relishes those opportunities.”
McDaniels spoke to Sportskeeda about his two-way growth, his defensive matchup on Dončić and Anthony Edwards’ leadership. McDaniels also gave his perspective on the play that led to Dončić’s fall.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
Jaden McDaniels Exclusive
You’ve established yourself as a two-way player your whole career. But what explains your growth on both sides of the ball this season?
McDaniels: “Staying in the gym and being confident with my offense. Everyone knows I can play defense. So it’s about showing that I can play offense, too, and can be a two-way player. I’ve been working on my game and falling in love with getting better.”
What have you done this series to be a key X factor with that?
McDaniels: “I’m being relentless with my drives. I’m also staying confident and not worrying about the outcome of my shot or even the outcome of a game. I know the work that I put in is going to show during the game. At times, there might be a game where I might not make a shot or everything is not going your way. But I’m just staying positive.”
You’ve had different defensive assignments, most notably with Luka and Austin [Reaves]. What have you done to try to make it difficult for them?
McDaniels: “With Luka, you just got be patient. He does a lot of tricky stuff fakes. He knows how to attack angles well. So you really just have to stay in front. It sounds simple. But you just stay in front, be patient and not fall for a lot of ball fakes and pump fakes.
“With the other guys, I try to pressure them as much as I can and make them uncomfortable. I try to test peoples’ handles, and then stay out of foul trouble. That has helped me a lot this series with being on the court the whole time. So in third or fourth quarter, I might have one foul to give. So I can be even more aggressive.”
What lessons do you take from last year’s playoffs when you guarded Luka against Dallas that applies to this series?
McDaniels: “The last series, pick-and-roll wise I was living behind them. They would do a trap move. So I was kind of living behind them. But this series, I think I’ve done better with staying in front of him and just putting a good contest on shots. Last year, it was harder to contest when I was on his left side and he’s shooting it with his right hand. So it’s about being in front of him, for real.”
How do you deal with his trash talk?
McDaniels: “With me, he doesn’t really trash talk. I know it’s part of the game. So everybody’s emotions will be heated and be all over the place. But I don’t take none of the stuff seriously. After the game, everybody is smiling. It’s all a part of the game.”
What’s your reaction to the NBA confirming the Lakers’ contention that you tripped Luka at the end of Game 4?
McDaniels: “I mean, s---. He stepped on my foot. So I don’t know how I tripped him. But if the refs didn’t call it, it isn’t a foul.”
Finch also argued every play in a playoff game is a foul….
McDaniels: (Interrupts). “Yeah, facts. It literally is. It reminds me of training camp when everybody gets back. Everybody is playing fast and hard and running into each other. That’s kind of what it is.”
What do you think of ANT always shouting you out?
McDaniels: “That’s cool. I appreciate it. He’s putting my name on the map. That’s probably a big reason why people know who I am just because of the whole KD thing. So I give praise to him when it’s time. I’m grateful for him looking out for me, for real.”
ANT has said you’re the best perimeter defender in the league. What makes you that player?
McDaniels: “I’m super versatile. I can play on the ball and off the ball. I can guard one through five depending on how big the five is. The only thing I feel I struggle with are early fouls. So I’m trying to get better with that. But I’m just being relentless. I feel like I contest all of the shots and I never give up. I want to guard the best player. I feel like that’s the best part about it.”
What do you think you can do to reduce the early fouls without compromising your aggressiveness?
McDaniels: “I’m trying not to have any first-quarter fouls. Then I just know who I’m playing. Luka is going to try to get me in foul trouble real quick. With guarding LeBron, you know he’s going to be really physical. So I know when to use my aggression against him. Staying out of foul trouble is my biggest part.”
What do you think has contributed to ANT’s growth as a leader?
McDaniels: “Sometimes he’ll be in the huddle calling the shots and telling us what to do and where we need to be. He’s been here for five years. So we’re all going to listen. He’s the head of the snake. Whatever he says, really goes. I feel like him being a leader really helps us. Even off the court, he’s helping the young guys with where they need to be. TJ (Terrence Shannon Jr) got in early, and Luka got him with a pump fake. ANT came over and told him, ‘That’s the last time you’re doing that.’ He’s helping out younger guys. For him to do that for the young guys, it makes them want to get better.”
How have you seen the dynamic between Julius [Randle] and Rudy [Gobert] grow?
McDaniels: “I’ve seen a lot of growth. I’ve seen them connect with the early lobs. In the pick-and-roll, there is something about Julius’ game that is underrated. I think he passes super well. Sometimes, it looks like he’s stuck. But he knows where we’re all at out on the court. Before he came here, I didn’t know he could pass like that. But him and Rudy’s connection is great. If the lob is not there, then Julius is going to score. If the lob is there, he’s a good enough passer to get it to Rudy. It’s a good connection. They always said that he was a ‘mini LeBron.’ But nah, Julius is his own player. He’s pretty special.”
What’s it going to take for you personally and for the group to close this out?
McDaniels: “Just staying focused and staying with that chip on our shoulder. Knowing that we’re up in the series, anything is possible. They still have a chance to win games. We have to keep playing the brand of basketball we’ve been playing.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
