Extent of Jaden McDaniels’ wall-punching injury revealed

Mar 13, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) warms up prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves were extremely punch-happy on Sunday, and it may have just cost them their season.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels injured himself in the first quarter of his team’s season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans. Frustrated after picking up his second foul in the quarter, McDaniels walked off the floor after being subbed out and punched a wall in the tunnel on his way to the locker room (video here). He was soon ruled out for the rest of the game with a hand injury.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shared some bad news later in the day about McDaniels’ injury. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old suffered a fractured right hand when he punched the wall. McDaniels is now finished for the year, Wojnarowski adds.

McDaniels, a first-round pick back in 2020, busted out this season on the strength of his defensive play. He emerged as one of the top wing defenders in the league and locked down numerous opposing scorers with his nearly seven-foot wingspan and relentless ball pursuit. McDaniels also chipped with 12.2 points a game on 51.7 percent shooting from the floor and 39.9 percent from deep (all career highs).

On top of McDaniels’ costly punch, Minnesota center Rudy Gobert threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson later on in the game (and might be facing a suspension from the team). That is a brutal (but admittedly self-inflicted) turn of events for a Wolves squad that already had recently lost big man Naz Reid to a wrist fracture and now looks destined for an early postseason exit.