Jaden McDaniels Compares Teammate To Former Player DeMarcus Cousins

The Timberwolves have won their back-to-back games against two playoff-caliber teams. On Sunday night they defeated the Golden State Warriors. Last night, they beat the Sacramento Kings who could have clinched a spot in the playoffs with a win. Starting forward and defensive specialist Jaden McDaniels came up big with 20 points. However, it was his praise of teammate Naz Reid that was noted after the game against the Kings, who he compared to former Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins.

Jaden McDaniels on Naz Reid:
"Naz is just amazing. He’s coming in, score, rebounds, does everything we need. I’ve been calling him DeMarcus Cousins. The old DeMarcus Cousins. That’s what I see when I see Naz play."
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) March 28, 2023

McDaniels was quoted as saying he sees the old DeMarcus Cousins when he watches "Naz play." Reid came off the bench in the win against the Kings and scored 18 points. Recently he's been putting up big numbers for the Timberwolves who are currently riding a four-game winning streak.

The comparison should be taken lightly though, as former Kings center Cousins was a star in his time in the league. At his peak, he averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds and was a force in the interior against opposing teams. Nonetheless, McDaniels sees his teammate Reid in Cousins.

The Timberwolves struggled earlier in the season and it was unsure if they were going to make a strong playoff push. Now, with only a few games remaining, they are seemingly putting it all together. At the trade deadline, they made a move for veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. who is fitting perfectly with the team. It also helps that Rudy Gobert and himself were former teammates in Utah.

With continued production from the young guys in Reid and McDaniels, the Wolves look like they will be a nightmare matchup in the playoffs. Currently, they are the sixth seed in the Western Conference but need to continue winning because the disparity between the fourth and 11th seed is only three games. The next opponent for Minnesota is Phoenix who is hoping to maintain its ranking in the conference.