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Jaden McDaniels Makes Bold Claim About His Defense

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Mathew Huff
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Mathew Huff Sports Editor

Mathew is an avid sports fan who loves basketball. He has a soft spot for Denver sports in particular and has been involved with sports writing for close to 7 years now. He likes to utilize both statistics and a blend of the eye test when analyzing the games he loves. Mathew also dabbles with sports betting and loves helping people win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated23 Mar 2023

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Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves has developed a nice reputation for himself. While he may not be a star caliber player like Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns, he is still an important piece on the current Timberwolves squad. He is mainly called on for his perimeter defense, something highly valued in today’s NBA that features elite three-point shooting on almost every team. With that said, Jaden McDaniels recently made a bold claim that is very confident on his part but could have other elite defenders taking exception.

Jaden McDaniels Claims He is Best Perimeter Defender in NBA

Jaden McDaniels’ Bold Claim

Jaden McDaniels recently said he believes he’s the best defender in the NBA in an interview with Shams Charania. The Timberwolves defender talked about how Los Angeles Clippers’ forward, Paul George, complimented his defensive abilities. Paul George is one of the premier wings in the league and is also known for his presence on the defensive end of the floor. Jaden McDaniels had All-Defensive Team aspirations at the start of the year.

So far, it looks like he will be a suitable candidate for one of the All-Defensive teams. It is nice to see a young player like McDaniels demonstrate such confidence, but other elite defenders in the NBA may disagree with his statement. After all, players such as Jrue Holiday, Marcus Smart, and Patrick Beverley are still wreaking havoc on opposing players.

McDaniels’ Numbers This Season

One look at Jaden McDaniels’ numbers tells you how stingy of a defender he has developed into for the Timberwolves. He is averaging nearly a steal per game to go along with one block per game. Not to mention, he also possesses a defensive rating of 116 and a defensive box plus/minus of 0.3. McDaniels is usually tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player. As a result, he has had to guard the likes of Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and other stars in today’s league.

Per NBA.com, some notable stars McDaniels has held to under 10 points when matched up with them include LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan, and Brandon Ingram. With all of this in mind, it makes sense why Jaden McDaniels is a candidate to make one of the All-Defensive teams this season. However, some may go with another player in terms of deciding the best perimeter defender in the league today. Regardless, McDaniels certainly does not lack for confidence.

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