Jaden McDaniels was in the mood for trash talk after the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round series on Monday night. After he hit the biggest shot of the night, the 25-year-old forward claimed basically everyone on Denver’s roster is a bad defender.
After scoring 14 points and dishing out three assists, McDaniels took aim at his opponents when asked what the game plan was.
“Go after [Nikola] Jokić, Jamal [Murray], all the bad defenders,” he said. “Tim Hardaway [Jr.], Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, the whole team, just go at them.”
He was asked if they were all bad defenders and took his shot.
“Yeah, they’re all bad defenders,” McDaniels said. “They don’t got people that can defend the rim. If [Jokić] is there, we’re still more athletic than them and just got to be able to finish when we do.”
Denver had the best offensive rating in the NBA as a team this season (121.2), but the other end of the floor was, and still is, an issue.
The Nuggets’ defensive struggles aren’t a secret, they finished 21st in defensive rating as a team during the regular season at 116.0. Good defensive teams are in the 106 to 113 range, well below where Denver sits (lower is better).
Perhaps more alarming are the numbers for individual players.
McDaniels is right that Jamal Murray is worth attacking. His regular season defensive rating was 117.7. A strong NBA defender typically has a defensive rating around 112 or lower, and the average ranges from 113 to about 115. Peyton Watson (117.6) who missed Game 2 is another defensive liability, but he isn’t the only one. Jonas Valančiūnas is another guy worth attacking given his 116.6 rating.
Nikola Jokić (115.3), Bruce Brown (115.2), Hardaway (114.9), Johnson (114.7) and Christian Braun (114.1) are all average-at-best defenders. While McDaniels pointed to Aaron Gordon, his 112.0 rating is actually decent. He’s not the guy to throw into this group.
After the game, Gordon seems to shrug off his opponent’s trash talk, saying, “Brother, I don’t care.”
Aaron Gordon’s response after being told that Minnesota is talking a lot of smack:
— Tatiana (@Tatianaclinares) April 21, 2026
“Brother, I don't care.” pic.twitter.com/Hq4CuwaXoW
In general, McDaniels is right—the guys getting the most minutes for the Nuggets aren’t great defensively.
On the season, the Nuggets allowed opponents to shoot 45.4% in the paint, which ranked 22nd in the NBA. Inside five feet that jumped to 66.8%, which ranked 27th, and in the restricted area, that went up to 70.1% which also ranked 27th. McDaniels is right that if teams attack Denver in the paint and at the rime, they can have success despite the presence of Jokić.
On Monday night, Minnesota shot 48.0% from the field and 41.0% from three-point range in what was a stellar offensive performance against a defense that really struggled. All the while, Rudy Gobert locked things down defensively in the middle, creating the perfect conditions for a Timberwolves victory.
The Nuggets aren’t going to suddenly get better defensively, which means they’ll have to continue to outscore teams to win. In this series, Jokić and Murray have to be on their game offensively or Minnesota will continue to have the upper hand.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jaden McDaniels’s Shot at the Nuggets Reveals a Bigger Defensive Problem.
