Jaden McDaniels is the key to Timberwolves’ success. How can he stay on the floor?

Jaden McDaniels picked up his third foul early in the second quarter of Game 2 Wednesday in San Antonio with the Wolves trailing by eight – down but far from out.

That whistle forced Minnesota’s best perimeter defender to take a seat for the remainder of the half. By the time he returned to the floor to open the second stanza, the Timberwolves trailed by 24.

“That hurt, that hurt,” Anthony Edwards told reporters of McDaniels’ absence. “You need Jaden on the floor at all times when he’s available.

Minnesota lost McDaniels’ 20 minutes by six points Wednesday. It lost the other 28 by 32. In his limited time on the floor, the 6-foot-9 wing was again effective, going 6 for 10 from the floor while tallying four assists while allowing just 104.5 points per 100 possessions on the other end.

“Yeah, Jaden was a bright spot for us,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. “(Foul trouble) certainly derailed his night and we were never able to really benefit from a very good Jaden, which is important to us.”

Frankly, it’s everything. When McDaniels is on the floor, the Wolves can compete with anyone. When he’s not? Well, you witnessed the results Wednesday.

The Timberwolves are 4-15 this season against teams that finished the regular season with winning records when McDaniels either didn’t dress or played fewer than 30 minutes and 24-13 when he did.

With McDaniels on the floor, Minnesota was able to win the bulk of its games contested even without Anthony Edwards this season, including a Game 6 victory over Denver. But when McDaniels missed games down the stretch of the regular season, the Wolves were largely a disaster.

Which is why it’s of vital importance for the two-way star to stay on the floor. Certainly, much of that responsibility falls on McDaniels himself.

“Him being off the court is going to hurt us every time. He knows it, we know it, the whole gym knows it. Their team knows it,” Edwards told reporters. “When he gets in foul trouble, they get happy. We need him on the floor to affect the game. He going to be better next game. He know he can’t really foul, because we’re not going to win if he’s not on the floor.”