The Minnesota Timberwolves cherished Jaden McDaniels this offseason for good reason, and he is showcasing his unique skill set thus far this season. The front office can take a slight sigh of relief regarding that part of the Rudy Gobert trade because many facets of it have been disappointing.
McDaniels has been able to showcase that he is in the upper echelon of on-ball defenders and is a reliable low-usage offensive option. That, in particular, has been one of the more surprising developments for Jaden. We knew his defensive tools and ceiling on that end of the ball. Much of it goes back to the earliest days of Jaden’s game, where he showcased his silky smooth game on offense, helping him earn the unanimous 5-star status in high school.
Like many other pros, Jaden was dominant in high school, playing on the ball heavily and doing it all. He became less effective offensively as he moved into college and onto the pros. At Washington, he averaged 13 points on 40.5/33.9/76.3 splits with 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks a night.
However, he struggled to find consistency on a shaky Huskies team that featured Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart. Jaden came off the bench to finish the Pac-12 conference play, and the team did not make any invitational tournaments. McDaniels went from a projected top-10 selection to begin the year to an upside pick projected late in the first or early in the second round. Nonetheless, there was much uncertainty about how his game would translate to the professional level.
These growing pains continued. It took him time to find his footing, and he was not in the rotation to begin his rookie season. However, he would find his way into the starting lineup to finish the season. There was still variance within his offensive game, but he found ways to stay on the floor by offering spacing and defense to the team. Jaden kept his consistency into his sophomore season, finding himself in and out of the starting lineup but still offering the Wolves vital minutes.
Moving into this season, many expected Jaden to take more of a leap defensively because he was vital to making the drop schematics work alongside Rudy Gobert. He has met those duties exceptionally. His continued development as an efficient tertiary piece for the offense has stood out, though. His year-by-year statistics paint that picture perfectly.
Stats via NBA.com and Cleaningtheglass.com
Jaden has taken a larger role on the offense every season and has been able to deliver. Much of it comes from efficient shot selection. Most of his shots come at the rim, corner three, or slot three. He’s shooting 42% of his shots at the rim and 20% of his shots from the corner three this season, and he’s converted 70% at the rim and 37% from the corner three. He has combined being in the 72nd percentile at the rim for his position and 59th for corner-three accuracy, highlighting that he is doing an above-average job at what the team is asking from him.
There has been fun development outside of this, though! He has started to stop and pop many short midrange fadeaways, almost his version of a floater. It has been an effective shot for him as he shoots at an above-average clip from 4 to 14 ft on the floor per Cleaning the Glass.
Overall, this has been the largest step Jaden has been able to take on offense as a pro, and he has showcased many different vital traits of a tertiary option on the floor. Alongside his already excellent defensive prowess, this is sure to net him a lucrative extension once eligible, which should now be a no-brainer for the Wolves to negotiate.
