With less than a month left in the regular season, the Timberwolves have lost a key wing defender for at least a couple of weeks.
Jaden McDaniels has a sprained ankle and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team announced. He suffered it with less than a minute to go in the win over San Antonio Monday and an MRI confirmed the injury.
The two-week timeline may be optimistic.
McDaniels had X-rays last night that showed no broken bones, a relief. But this is still a tough injury. Time estimates are hard to make right now. Could be 2 weeks, could be more than a month, according to sources. Will just have to see how he responds.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) March 16, 2022
McDaniels averages 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, but that is not the end of the court where he makes the biggest difference. He has been their most versatile defender on the wing, a role that will be critical come the playoffs.
Minnesota is fairly locked in as the No. 7 seed in the West with 12 games to play. They are 4.5 games ahead of the Clippers as the No. 8 seed, but 1.5 back of the No. 6 seed Nuggets.
