Jaden McDaniels left Monday’s game with a right ankle injury and was confirmed out quickly by the team.

McDaniels missed a couple games to open the season with a calf injury. In the past, McDaniels’ absence has led to a deterioration of Minnesota’s defense.

But the Timberwolves have better wing depth to absorb such losses this season, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker also serving as an excellent perimeter defender and Anthony Edwards capable of guarding high-volume wings on the ball.

McDaniels’ absence led to Troy Brown Jr. — who’s received spotty minutes thus far this season — seeing action in the second quarter Monday against New York.

National respect

The Timberwolves entered Monday’s contest against the Knicks in the top spot in the Western Conference standings. And with winning comes respect and the type of national recognition of which there’s been little for the Timberwolves throughout the franchise’s existence.

Pundits on a weekly basis are recognizing Minnesota’s excellence — cemented not only with its record, but impressive wins over Denver and Boston — in the most commonly recognized form — power rankings.

Here’s a look at what’s being said about one of the hottest teams to open the NBA campaign, along with where the national sites rank the Wolves out of the 30 NBA teams:

NBA.com

Wolves rank: No. 2

What they said: The Wolves went 4-1 on their road trip and remain one of three teams with fewer than four losses. Their defense has taken a small step backward, but their last two games have been their second- and third-most efficient offensive performances of the season.

USA TODAY

Wolves rank: No. 3

What they said: Last week, Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 29 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists and shot 59.3% from the field, 38.9% on 3-pointers and 94.1% on free throws.

Bleacher Report

Wolves rank: No. 4

What they said: The Phoenix Suns dropped 133 points on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, but that shouldn’t sour the vibes around this team much. Even after the blowout loss, Minnesota comfortably has the best defensive rating in the league.

Anthony Edwards looks like a star with per-game averages of 26.3 points and 5.2 assists. Rudy Gobert has surged to the shortest odds to win Defensive Player of the Year. And Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s averaging 26.2 points and shooting 45.2% from deep over his last five games, appears to be finding his place on this version of the team.

Every team is afforded some nights when it doesn’t look great. The Wolves had one Wednesday, but they’re in the hunt for a top-six finish in the West and avoidance of the play-in tournament.

Fox Sports

Wolves rank: No. 3

What they said: Nothing.