Mitch Johnson sends potent message about Spurs' next postseason test

I'm still not over the Timberwolves' jaw-dropping series-clinching win over the Nuggets without Anthony Edwards. They're set to face the Spurs in round 2, but Mitch Johnson made it known that, regardless of their health situation, Minnesota is not to be taken lightly.

Coach saw exactly what we saw in that Game 6 victory. The Timberwolves play with a chip on their shoulder and lead with an aggressive defensive effort. They really mucked things up and held a dynamic Nuggets offense to just 98 points while forcing 13 turnovers.

Injury-riddled or not, they're going to start the series against San Antonio with their best foot forward and do what they can to replicate the vibes they created in their elimination game victory. The Spurs must be prepared for a challenge regardless of who suits up for Minnesota.

The Spurs need to challenge Jaden McDaniels's defense

Jaden McDaniels was dominant offensively in the Wolves' series-clinching win, posting 32 points, but his defense was even more impressive. He did an amazing job guarding Jamal Murray at the point of attack through that series and disrupted Denver's dominant two-man game between him and Jokic.

He'll look to translate this over to the Spurs series and will likely see a ton of possessions as De'Aaron Fox's primary defender. Luckily, Fox had some great moments against McDaniels' defense throughout the season. In three games against the Wolves, he averaged 20.6 points per game, which was above his overall regular-season average.

But playoff McDaniels is on an entirely different level on both ends, and he defended in that first round better than we saw him do throughout the regular season. The Spurs need to render him ineffective at the point of attack in order to get off to a great start, and De'Aaron Fox will be the catalyst behind that.

This is yet another example of his shot creation being a significant equalizer for the Spurs in the playoffs. It's why they extended him this offseason, so he needs to be prepared to execute again.

The Wolves will throw a lot of different looks at Wemby

The Timberwolves are not lacking defensive options to try to neutralize Victor Wembanyama. There were moments this year where Julius Randle had some solid possessions as Wemby's primary defender. Jaden McDaniels will also be a choice, while Rudy Gobert's rim protection could challenge Victor's offensive paint presence.

Wemby will be pushed to master his scoring attack to the greatest extent of his NBA career. While the Blazers were tough defensively, the Wolves are even better. They haven't fallen outside of the top ten in defensive rating since 2022.

The great thing about Victor is his underrated versatility as a scorer. When he's not creating his own looks, he can work in off-ball actions, either finding opportunities from long range or at the rim. Mitch Johnson will get even more creative with how he utilizes the Frenchman in this next set of games.

The Spurs have the right mindset to take Minnesota seriously without Anthony Edwards for a few games. They'll be pushed offensively like never before, but they're eager to get this matchup started and prove themselves against this elite defense.

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