Kenny Smith Disputes Shaquille O’Neal’s Claim After Kevin Durant’s Suns Gets Thrashed by 23YO Star

Despite Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns dropping just 15 and 12 points each, the Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to secure game 2 against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley were the alternate scoring options for the Wolves today, but the star of the show was a 23-year-old forward, whose brilliant two-way performance got the attention of Shaquille O’Neal, but also bold praise from Kenny Smith. 

On Inside the NBA, Shaq and Smith did not fail to notice the brilliant display from Jaden McDaniels, who dropped 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. But most importantly, his defensive masterclass against the Phoenix Suns‘ Big 3, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, sealed the win for the Wolves. Shaq said, “This is why I have high praise for the others…Rudy 18(points), Conley(18 points), and the fellow you just mentioned, Jaden, 25(points). Every now and then you are gonna need games like that.”

Kenny Smith was not a fan of Shaq putting McDaniels under the tag “others“. Smith said, “One thing about McDaniels, Shaq, he is on the verge of not being an ‘other‘. He has the skill set to not be an ‘other‘, as you would call it.” What’s for sure is that the 23-year-old Wolves forward is now under the spotlight, and the TNT crew wants him to keep going. 

McDaniels shot 10/17 from the field and had 5 crucial offensive rebounds. Although Wolves shot around 25% from the three-point line, McDaniels shot 50% out of four shots he took. However, the most important factor is that the Suns are shooting a poor 28.6% when guarded by McDaniels. This is what the youngster brings to the table. Many were not aware of this but Anthony Edwards had already warned us. 

Anthony Edwards predicted Jaden McDaniels would get the best of the Suns

Durant, Beal, And Booker are an offensive combo that could be a nightmare for any opponent. Even before the season started, Booker had warned, “I’m gonna say respectfully, I don’t know how teams are gonna guard us“. After looking at the game today, it looks like Edwards’ warning about McDaniels had a greater value. 

Before the playoffs started, Edwards said, “They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels“, which is a viral quote on the internet right now. This is the perfect chance for McDaniels to prove his worth. He sadly missed the playoffs last year after he threw a punch to the wall due to frustration in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Wolves were eliminated in the very first round against the Denver Nuggets last playoffs. Anyhow, let’s see if he can turn the tables around this time.