The San Antonio Spurs are preparing to host the Minnesota Timberwolves, and on the other side of the matchup, the Wolves know where things will be tough for them.
The San Antonio Spurs will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night for Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals showdown.
The Spurs went a lackluster 1-2 against the Wolves in the regular season, losing one of the games without Victor Wembanyama and splitting the two games where he suited up. Luckily, the Spurs will enter the series fully healthy. The same can't be said for the Wolves, as Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo are both on the injury report.
Without Edwards, the Wolves enjoyed a 32-point showing from Jaden McDaniels. He's usually tasked with leading the Wolves on defense, not offense, but he's talented on both ends of the floor.
In the regular season, Minnesota threw both Rudy Goibert and Julius Randle at Wembanyama, although he still averaged 34 points in those games. McDaniels will likely spend time guarding Wemby, although he's more concerned with the Spurs' backcourt.
Speed Is the Spurs' Secret Weapon
Usually, Wembanyama commands the scout sheet as teams prepare to match up with the Spurs. Minnesota can throw Gobert on him and probably find some degree of success, at least for a game or two.
With Edwards out, however, the Wolves are more worried about how the Spurs will be able to push the pace. De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper are some of the better downhill players in the league, and McDaniels will have his hands full.
"They play a lot faster than Denver and stuff," he said. "So just really diving into the scout and just making sure we don't make any game plan mistakes the first couple games and really just sticking together."
Fox, it seems, is his biggest worry. The veteran point guard only averaged 20.7 points against the Wolves this season, but in the game Wembanyama missed, he went off for an uber-efficient 25 points. McDaniels knows that if Minnesota focuses all of its resources on Wemby, Fox can make them pay.
It's the speed that worries him the most.
"He's super fast," McDaniels added. "I'll say he likes to play in the mid-range and stuff. I like playing against him because I just like competing against him. I used to watch his highlights in high school and stuff, so it's just cool to be able to compete versus someone like that, and we just gotta slow him down."
Fox has played a smaller, off-ball role in his first full season in San Antonio, although the Spurs have put the ball in his hands when it matters. If Game 1 goes down to the wire, expect Fox and McDaniels to have a game-deciding moment.