Luka Doncic has been the offensive leader for the LA Lakers in the opening games of their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While no one seems to have an answer on how to restrict the Slovenian guard’s mastery on the offensive end, Jaden McDaniels has been entrusted with the job of guarding him in the first-round series.
While he is the primary defender, other players such as Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle have taken turns to defend Doncic as well. Here, we will analyze McDaniels numbers against Donic and vice versa.
Luka Doncic has faced Jaden McDaniels in seven playoff games and has a 5-2 winning record in those games. Their first meeting was during the 2024 Western Conference finals where Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a 4-1 win.
McDaniels was fairly unsuccessful in guarding Doncic in that series, as the then-Dallas superstar averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals. He also shot 47.3%, including 43.4% from the 3-point line. McDaniels, meanwhile, averaged 11.8 points on 53.5% shooting.
In the ongoing first-round series between the Lakers and T-Wolves, Doncic averages 34.0 points on 50.0% shooting, including 38.9% from beyond the arc. He also averages 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals. McDaniels has seen a bump in his numbers as well, averaging 16.5 points on 58.3% shooting.
The two players have also faced off in 11 regular-season games, with Luka Doncic holding a narrow 6-5 lead. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists in those games, while McDaniels averaged 11.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.
It is clearly visible from the stats that Doncic has been the better player in this matchup so far. That is to be expected as he has a bigger offensive role on his team. While his teammates have struggled to get going in the ongoing series, Doncic has been the difference.
Jaden McDaniels and the rest of the Timberwolves need to restrict the Slovenian superstar from having another big game if they are to benefit from their home-court advantage after stealing Game 1 on the road.
